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We have a spray foam company scheduled to spray insulation in our home, but because our home is cedar-sided, they said they'd need to work from the inside. This means that they will drill 3" diameter holes on the inside walls (rather than work from the outside). Sounded messy, but doable, UNTIL I recently recalled that a painting estimator who recently tested the paint on the walls told us that the old paint on those walls contains lead.

How safe is the spray foam company's drilling -- for us, and for the guys who do the work? How would they correctly keep everybody safe in the process? Should I cancel the job?

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    The drilling should be safe with minor safety precautions. It is the dust left that will need removing completely from everything. Also safe with a mask/gloves/eye protection but time consuming, vacuuming with a good filter and washing down everything, ceilings/floors/walls/stuff. Ingesting lead is the problem, especially for young.
    – crip659
    Commented Sep 6, 2023 at 11:52
  • If you want to be super safe, consider first scraping the paint from the areas where the holes will be drilled (using the precautions mentioned). This will minimize any "aerosolization" of the lead paint from the drilling process. (I assume it's really more like a hole cutter than a drill.)
    – Huesmann
    Commented Sep 6, 2023 at 12:17
  • I presume you've received estimates from more than one company. Do they all want to drill three inch holes in your wall for spray foam? As noted elsewhere, that sounds ridiculously large. My house had cellulose insulation blown in the walls (from the exterior) and they only drilled 1" holes for that.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Sep 6, 2023 at 12:57
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    Additionally, make sure the contractor knows that you've got lead paint on the walls and ask them about what abatement procedures they're going to use. Some may run from the job, others may charge more for the proper process, but you know that they'll take the right precautions to protect everyone involved.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Sep 6, 2023 at 12:58
  • there is only really one (highly-rated) spray foam business in our area - the 2nd one never showed up for the estimate. I gave them a 1/3 deposit, which now makes me sick. Hopefully, we can get it back. I'd rather be cold than sick.
    – Annabanana
    Commented Sep 7, 2023 at 2:24

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Asking some fools to drill huge holes in a lead painted wall is NOT safe.

Hire only lead-safe certified home contractors when you have any work done that will disturb lead-based paint. A competent lead-based paint professional will know how to work safely and will have proof of certification. EPA

I also question the appropriateness of a spray foam job and 3" holes. This might be confused with injection foam and I still can't imagine making a 3" hole in every stud bay. This sounds crazy.

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    3" sound large even for blow-in insulation. Might be a good idea to get additional quotes and see if the others have better answers.
    – keshlam
    Commented Sep 6, 2023 at 12:36
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    A 3" hole flagged my attention, too!
    – FreeMan
    Commented Sep 6, 2023 at 12:55
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    I've seen the results of blown-in insulation pushed through smaller holes. It's not impressive. I'd rather have larger holes to repair and a more thorough insulation blanket.
    – isherwood
    Commented Sep 6, 2023 at 14:46
  • they said 3" holed are standard. I'm so upset that I didn't think about the lead paint before I sent them the deposit!
    – Annabanana
    Commented Sep 7, 2023 at 2:26
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I'm guessing they'll use a hole saw and not a drill so airborne dust will be minimized. Use a vacuum with a good filter while the holes are being made and use a mask.

You can also get a gel paint stripper and apply it where the holes will be drilled and then just scrape it off. The gell will prevent any dust from spreading around. Many paint strippers work in about 20 to thirty minutes so have the workers show where the holes will be and then apply the stripper.

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  • I dunno... my hole saws seem to make as much, if not more, dust than my drill bits do. Maybe because I use a hole saw for a 3" hole and don't have a 3" twist bit?
    – FreeMan
    Commented Sep 8, 2023 at 15:42
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    @FreeMan I'm missing a 3" twist bit in my tool box too.
    – JACK
    Commented Sep 8, 2023 at 16:02
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All this assumes you’re in the US — other countries have different rules.

If they haven’t mentioned RRP/ lead remediation, they may or may not be qualified to do the work. Ask if they have EPA RRP certification.

If they don’t and you want to cancel your contract and get your deposit back without any fuss, bring this to the attention of the company (in writing).

From https://www.epa.gov/lead/renovation-repair-and-painting-program-contractors

“Firms cannot advertise or perform renovation activities covered by the RRP Rule in homes or child-occupied facilities built before 1978 without firm certification.”

If they aren’t RRP certified, they’ll know that the EPA can issue fines and cause them heartache.

If they do have certification, it would be good for you to educate yourself on the steps they are obliged to take and make sure they follow testing protocol.

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