One thing to remember when you are painting an old house is that you are probably painting over some lead paint somewhere. Lead paint was very popular 30 years ago (banned in 1978 for household use) and is still very popular in other countries – China for example. Some of the properties of lead made paint more desirable such as faster drying and durability. Lead is dangerous to humans because is damages your nervous system, stunts growth, and various other problems. It is said that lead paint is particularly dangerous to children under six. *** Now that you are thinking of all the places you may have lead paint let me tell some precautions to take to keep you and your family safe. First, don’t panic, if lead paint is covered by other paint it is safe unless it is peeling off whatever it has been painted on. If you have exposed lead paint, do not worry about this unless it is in an area where it can be touched frequently (especially at child height). If you are repainting an old house it is good to remove all chipped and damaged paint CAREFULLY. You must wear a breathing apparatus made for lead exposure, and nitrile or latex gloves when working with lead paint. Scraping the paint off with a paint scraper or putty knife is the best way to remove the paint without making dust. If you are working on the exterior of a house, you should pressure wash it first to knock off the loose paint. There will be rough edges from the scraping and washing, they can be smoothed with a block sander…do not use an electric sander because they can make a fine lead dust that is hazardous to you and anyone in the area. When you get done with cleaning up the old paint job, prime your work with a good oil primer (like Kilz Ultimate).
Lead Paint is not something to be afraid of. Just be aware of the hazard and respect the fact that lead can be harmful if it is handled incorrectly.

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