Questions tagged [lead]
Lead is present in many older homes in paint and pipes. Lead poisoning can cause a number of serious health problems. Lead pipes can leach lead into drinking water. Lead paint is a problem when the paint is in poor condition and special processes are recommended when working on lead painted surfaces to minimize exposure.
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What about these exposures to paint with lead in it? [closed]
About three years ago, we renovated two bathrooms. The larger one I (total amateur) did. I knew from a test that the paint was oil-based (and painted years before, so assume it had lead in it), so ...
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How to safely drill 3" diameter holes in inside walls covered in old lead paint for an interior spray foam job?
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" ...
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Lead encapsulation paint on top of high quality new paint?
My 1yo daughter came back with slightly elevated lead levels (5.3). Our house, which we've rented for the last six months, is old but has been extensively renovated and painted many times in the last ...
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Shed rehab - keep going or just tear down and put in a shipping container? [closed]
We have a 20x10 shed that was built at the same time as this house (50s/60s) that we are trying to decide what to do with.
Wood framed, dirt/gravel bottom. Stands on six (originally, currently five) ...
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Varnish over old lead varnish/stain on stairs?
There is loads of content on the Internet about dealing with old lead paint but how does one deal with old (~1905) lead stain/varnish on stairs? Assuming the stairs can’t be replaced due to cost, is ...
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Is lead encapsulating paint worthwhile or hype?
I'm repainting the ceiling in an enclosed porch. The existing paint is in good condition, but contains lead.
I see lots of blogs saying that lead encapsulating paint is required for painting over ...
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How do I safely cut holes into an old plaster wall that likely contains asbestos?
I have a 1950 1.5 storey home with textured plaster walls, I understand the texturing was usually done with asbestos. The bottom layer of paint contains some lead as well; lab tests on my paint ...
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Should you paint over lead encapsulating paint with more encapsulating paint?
I am moving into a historic home that, more likely than not, has some lead paint on the walls. Either encapsulated, painted over without encapsulating paint, or unabated. I know the techniques for ...
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Lead paint test showing colour not listed
I'm working on a basement reno in a 1950's house. As a precaution I bought a lead test kit to inspect whether or not the paint on my staircase contains lead. I used "Lead Inspector" by a ...
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How do I remove lead paint?
Recently purchased a grade 2 property. It has very nice shutters (original but they are seal shut with the amount of paint and I’m hoping to strip them and bring them back to life. Done a lead test ...
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Can non-"Lead Free" fixtures be downstream of potable water?
I have an "outdoor" water line that splits from the main line. This line feeds an outdoor sink that is technically drinking water but not used very often. It also feeds an outdoor shower. ...
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Do positive results of a lead paint testing kit imply that a dipped door is now toxic?
(Cross-posted from https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/155681/do-positive-results-of-a-lead-paint-testing-kit-imply-that-a-dipped-door-is-now due to a helpful comment.)
We have had some 1930'...
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I've released a lot of lead-paint dust in our house. What to do?
We hired some contractors to help us re-paint our 1.5-year old kid's room. They started this morning by scraping several parts from the walls. A few minutes after they started, I thought I should test ...
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Should I remove chipped lead paint from door frames or seal and paint over?
We have discovered some green paint exposed under the top layer of white paint on our doorframes. Home lead tests came back positive so my question is...
Would it be best to remove all the layers of ...
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Is it likely that an alkyd varnish contains lead?
To be more precise, an alkyde varnish which is commercialized in Morocco : https://www.atlaspeintures.ma/RECHERCHES/FicheExport.php?Produit=47
Do you think there is a possibility that it contains a ...
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How to repair render above lead flashing
My property has a flat roof extension which joins the original house.
In a few spots the render is badly damaged just above the lead flashing.
It looks like the sealant in the photo was applied, ...
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Is It safe to have underfloor heating with lead paint?
We’re in the process of renovating an old farm house with a old section and a new side.
Because the house has a hydronic heat system we are looking to convert to underfloor heating throughout. Right ...
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Lead painted floor below current subfloor: can we leave the subfloor when replacing main floor?
The kitchen floor in our 1860 New England house has many layers. I count 5. We would like to replace the current floor. It's starting to break in many places and we hate it. Below our current floor is ...
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Do I need to remove a lead riser from my toilet flange area to install a PVC flange?
I am replacing my toilet and after researching I found the flange is covered by a lead riser that is bent, folded, over the flange to hold it down. I unbent it so I could remove the flange before I ...
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Paint-stripping purgatory - stuck in the middle - what should we do?
My wife was prepping our kitchen to be painted this weekend in our 1920's era condominium. Presumably lead paint is present but we do wear masks when working.
There's an old door and door frame, and ...
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infra-red deleading
I have an exterior wall (maybe 15' x 15') with several layers of lead paint, decades old. About 1/3 has been professionally deleaded and is bare wood. Big parts of paint elsewhere are peeling/...
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Is the result of my lead paint test kit positive or negative?
I have used the M3 lead test kits to test the blue pain in our living room and I am confused about the result and its interpretation.
The first image was a test I did 2 days ago. in the first 30 ...
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Do I need a lead-free water hammer arrestor for washing machine? [closed]
Our washing machine hammers really hard and shake pipes through the house. I've installed a few more supports for the pipes in the basement and that has helped, but it still hammers really hard and we ...
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Lead based stain from 1800’s?
I’ve been sanding down a wood piece from the 1800’s. I performed two lead tests that came up negative but I’m still worried. I did the test patch by sanding it down to the bare wood, then rubbing the ...
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How to repair a brass toilet flange connected to a lead pipe
I went to replace a toilet recently and I found the following situation (images below):
The toilet flange was brass and connected to a lead pipe
The brass flange had a crack in it, possibly because
A ...
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Confusing results- 3M lead test kit
Besides the obvious orange color, does it also look like there's a pinkish hue to you? I'm confused about these vinyl mini blind results.
The parts that aren't obviously orange, do they look pinkish ...
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Painted door hinges with lead paint
I removed some door hinges and plan to get the paint off. Once the paint is off I’m going to put them back up. The paint on hinges, wall and door have lead paint.
My question is did they paint over ...
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What are some safe and ethical ways to dispose rinse water used to clean up lead contamination jobs?
I'm researching lead paint removal and cleanup, and I understand the need to seal off the room with plastic and tape. I also understand that a final cleanup is to be carried out some time after 4 to ...
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3m Lead Test negative for days then turned positive?
I tested some dust for lead using a 3m lead check swab. The test was negative, and I left the testing fluid on the surface for several days because I hadn't gotten a chance to clean it up. I know it ...
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Lead Test Positive? Now What?
House built in 1949. Decided to remove half of a closet that was framed out into the bedroom (and taking up too much space) and when the framing was removed it exposed a few layers of paint and what ...
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How much lead abatement is necessary to reach safe levels?
I'd like to buy an older home (I live in CT), but with 2 little kids, I'm worried about lead. The confounding issue is that our real estate agent strongly discourages us from doing lead testing for ...
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Does x-ray lead paint detection find lead underneath latex topcoats?
I have a 1921 home. Guaranteed that the walls have lead paint somewhere beneath, right? All surfaces have been painted at least once if not 2 or 3 times since 2001. The paint is all in good ...
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Are backflow preventers for irrigation required to be lead-free if the upstream source is a potable water system?
In accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act is a backflow preventer, such as this pressure vacuum breaker (that contains lead), required to be lead-free? I am confused by section 300g-6 which ...
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3m lead test confusion
So I did a lead test and I don’t know what to think. Some areas are pink others a dark purple but mostly orange. The swab itself was orange. Lead or no lead???
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How should I interpret the results of a lead paint test?
I just used the 3M lead test on this wall and I’m finding it difficult to interpret? There is this wallboard with recent paint on it, and underneath seems like a layer of wallpaper and it seems rust ...
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Concerned About Possible Lead Paint in Basement of Old Home
We live in a house that is approx 100 years old. I believe we have lead paint in our house on the basement walls (we have not tested is but it is my assumption). There are areas where the paint is ...
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Impact of acidic water on house plumbing
My wife and I are considering purchasing a house. The house was built in 1991 by the present owner. The water comes from a well on the property.
As part of the inspection process, we had the ...
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Is this paint lead based?
In my cellar there’s a thin layer of crumbling paint directly on brick.
I am concerned that it might be lead based, and I need a better mask than a cheap dust mask. The house is old, Victorian (early ...
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could there be lead in the wood sealant on my 1930s table?
I tested the badly peeling paint on my table and it came up negative for lead. HOwever, the surface under the paint, which seems to be wood with some sort of sealant, tests positive. It is a thin ...
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Do water lines that contain lead need to be replaced if it doesn't flow out of a valve that I normally drink out of?
A plumber had came to my house to sweat pipes to install a water valve which controlled water going to the garden spigot. Upstream to the valve is a t-joint. The other output to the t-joint went to ...
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Painted Wall Demolition [closed]
Today, as I was walking through campus, I saw a cart full of wall debris. It must be some demolition going on in a building. I noticed one side of the pieces were of a different color. The pieces were ...
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How to remove a cast iron pipe plug that has been soldered with lead
I'm adding a utility sink in my basement. I'd like to drain it into a cast iron pipe junction, but I'm having trouble removing the old plug. It appears to have been sealed with lead solder.
I'm ...
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Covering peeling lead paint with joint compound?
I have some paint on a small wall in the basement staircase that I suspect is lead paint. The house is from 1916, and this is the only layer of paint on a plaster wall. Total area is only ~10-15 sq ft....
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How can I safely repaint/fix peeling latex paint that was painted over lead paint?
The previous owners of our 1948 house painted over ALL the oil based (lead containing) with latex paint without properly priming it?!?! Now 1 yr in, every doorway is peeling paint exposing the green ...
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Can I still be sold plumbing fixtures that contain lead?
I'm shopping for brass or stainless ball valve to replace shutoff on a plumbing line. I see on ebay that some valves are advertised as "lead-free" while others are not. I would've assumed ALL brass/...
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I've stripped woodchip wallpaper with lead paint on it. I think I have all the dust in my carpet and furnitre. What do I do?
I'm 17, I wanted to decorate my bedroom and decided to start stripping the wallpaper as my dad is working on other things at the moment (planning on moving house soon). Our house was built around 1974 ...
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Lead paint test showed positive hours later
I'm getting some work done on my house and the guy doing the work wanted to test for lead paint. He scratched an area on a window sill, rubbed it with the spongy tip of a swab, and immediately ...
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Painting over lead based varnish
Can I paint over lead based varnish with a primer and paint without stripping the varnish?
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Test for lead over wallpaper
If the walls are covered with wallpaper, eventually to be removed, can one test for lead in the paint under it without stripping the wallpaper? Or does one first have to strip everything, and then ...
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Can I plug a fridge freezer into a short extension lead?
I've done a lot of research and the general consensus is no, but this is for use cases drastically different to my own.
There is a double socket in my garage that has always been used for a fridge ...
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