The Lead Paint Dilemma
I was reminded that I hadn't followed through on my promise to explain why we went with white trim in the back hallway, two back bedrooms and kitchen from an earlier post.
It seems like an odd choice, doesn't it, after all of the hard work we put into salvaging and stripping the trim upstairs and in the sunroom? Well, right after Grace was born, we decided to make those rooms serviceable and I became very anxious about chemicals and toxins and dust. I conducted an asbestos test on the tile that was removed (it came back negative). And then, I conducted more thorough lead tests on the paint in those rooms. Turns out that one of the (many) layers of paint on that trim and old plaster contained lead. i shouldn't have been surprised...most old houses contain lead paint of some sort.
I was paralyzed. I might be able to blame some of it on overprotective mom hormones, but, honestly? I probably would have reacted the same way sans hormones. What to do? We didn't want to take the trim off (thus creating more dust) or take any walls down (ditto). So, I did what I always do when I panic.
I headed for the internet.
Enter, Fiberlock Products.
.
Fiberlock makes a few products for encapsulating lead paint. What are encapsulants? Well, according to the NY State Health website:
Encapsulants are materials that are applied over lead-based paint to seal the paint to a surface and prevent the release of paint chips or dust. The material may be either a liquid or an adhesive. Encapsulation provides a barrier between the paint and the environment. Conventional paint is NOT an encapsulant.
Encapsulants work best on clean, dry and solid surfaces. Encapsulants cannot be used on the following: Surfaces that are walked on; Surfaces that rub together; Surfaces that are badly deteriorated.
I think it bears repeating that conventional paint is NOT AN ENCAPSULANT. We decided to prep the walls, trim and ceiling in the rooms with lead paint, encapsulate it, and then paint over the encapsulant.
FINDING the encapsulant to purchase was not an easy task. This wasn't something in a regular big-box hardware store. Able Service & Supply in Skokie, Illinois was kind enough to create a special order for me. Fiberlock Technologies makes a number of lead paint encapsulant products. However, applying it isn't as simple as just painting it on. First, this stuff is THICK and must be stirred with an electric paint stirrer to thoroughly mix its contents. Otherwise, it's useless. Second, there are specific temperature and humidity conditions that you need to apply it in. And third, the surface must be properly prepared for the compund to adhere correctly. (For example, you cannot apply it over peeling, flaking or chipping paint.)
However, those conditions were easier to meet now than the conditions required for safe lead paint removal (which we've also done before a few years ago). So, Lead Barrier Compound it was.
I like the Park Service's explanation of the methods used to control lead dust hazards. If you hire a pro to do lead paint removal in your home, this is an important read to make sure that your contractor is doing the right things to protect you and your family.
But lead paint dust containment isn't just a concern when you are stripping paint. Demolition of interior or exterior walls, removal of interior/exterior trim, replacement of windows...all of these can create an enormous amount of lead dust and proper work area dust containment is critical as is regular cleaning/ maintenance in the house.
Even when I have worked on the exterior of our windows, I have used insulating window film on the inside of the window in order to trap dust that might migrate inside of the house and to make clean up easier.
Also, if you suspect lead dust anywhere in the house...test, test, test. Don't go into denial. Don't freeze. If you are informed, you can deal with the problem. Better to put in the work to contain lead dust and paint than to expose your family to a health problem that might be treated but CANNOT be reversed.
Be safe out there.
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Comments
Just reading this makes me joyful that the series of POs of our home mostly preferred wallpaper and panelling to paint, and lef the trim and floors alone. We still have 2 rooms of wallpaper to strip, but otherwise we're okay.
I don't envy you.
Posted by: marg. | September 12, 2006 1:43 PM
Hi Aaron & Jeannie -- this is Amy from down the street. I live close, but have never stopped by. But I'm always amazed at your blog I read it regularly.
Anyway, please share this with folks: Renovation Source on Southport Avenue (about 3500 N.) in Chicago is closing. They are having a final sale this weekend. If anyone in resoration land needs doors, mantles, light fixtures, door parts, built-ins, window frames, etc, this stuff could probably be had at a discount. I just purchased 2 single-panel doors that I'm going to use for a closet with sliding doors (somthing that bungalow architects apparently never thought of).
They don't have a website, I don't think advertised much, but the staff is helpful and it is cheaper than other shall-go-un-named salvage places.
Take care & good luck, Amy
Posted by: Amy | September 13, 2006 11:44 AM
It's taken me more than two years (the time since we moved into our c-1921 house in the Chicago area) to reduce my stress about lead paint. But your post brought everything back to the surface! Eek!
We had most of the work on our house done before we moved in and had it thoroughly cleaned (& vacuumed with a machine that had a HEPA filter) before we moved in. But our windows are very old and the paint was not in the greatest condition prior to repainting. We did have our painter use an encapsulator as a primer before re-painting but my understanding is that an encapsulator does not solve the problem for spaces undergoing friction (windows and doors). So I really still worry about it. I had my older child tested a year or so ago and he is fine but I have an 18-month-old that hasn't been tested yet. Your post reminded me to do so at our next appointment. (It's just a finger-prick test.)
Thanks for the wealth of information.
Posted by: rachel | September 13, 2006 12:30 PM
I just went through a bit of this with our new (but old) house. We had some plaster that was falling apart and about the same time I learned I was pregnant. I remembered very clearly an article in the Chicago Reporter (they don't allow direct links to articles but you can find it in their archives) about lead poisoining among children who live in older homes, especially those from middle and upper classes who usually are undertested for lead because poisoning is assumed to prevalent only in lower-income households. One woman in Evanston learned her daughter had lead poisoning a few years after she had completed a large remodeling project. Anyway, the article scared the beejezus out of me.
The Illinois Department of Public Health does have a Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. I gave them a call and they put me in touch with a state lead specialist who was just incredibly helpful. He in turn gave me the names of licensed lead testing companies. We had the company do some limited asbestos and lead testing inside the home, which came back negative. Big relief.
However, both the tester and lead specialist warned me that lead from the exterior of the home is usually the biggest concern. (I am guessing that as paint degrades or is scrapped away, it leaches into the soil?) They said that as children start crawling, they start picking up dirt off the floor and getting it into their mouths. If the dirt outside the home is contaminated and tracked inside, a child can develop lead poisoning.
Posted by: Keri | September 15, 2006 2:49 PM
I really don't have anything in particular to add other than I am a big fan and owner of a 1911 bungalow in the current throes of removing the lathe and plaster interior of our non-insulated upstairs bedroom to properly insulate and wire before winter. Wearing a respirator of course.
The post on your child and this one just reminded me of a funny thing that got me sent to detention in high school that I thought you may enjoy.
I was taking a required personal finance/"life studies" course and the lesson of the day was "Things one might require when preparing for a baby". The teacher was instructing people to go up to the board and write down something you would need. Car sears, bottle warmer, tiny ironic t-shirts etc. When it was my turn, I gleefully wrote "lead-based paint" to be funny (and the teacher wasn't really my favorite) and a few people got it and thought it was hilarious and the teacher, who was not so sharp, was just confused and then when she realized I was making fun of her, sent me to detention.
Hilarious good times. I laugh daily as my husband and I carefully remove our paint so that when we _do_ have children, they can chew on all the windowsills they want.
Keep up the good work as I use you for inspiration and as a touching portrayal of a couple that hasn't killed each other during the restoration process.
Posted by: Jackie | September 15, 2006 7:39 PM