Dealing with lead paint

dpboard

How do home owners usually deal with lead paint?

I have used a lead paint testing kit in my home and turns out the place is chock full of the stuff. The house was built in 1904, so not surprising.

Are there any specialists who will be able to deal with it all safely? I'd rather not just have it painted over, as the old paint is all lumpy and bumpy. Found a few firms on Google, but they seemed more aimed at industry, not private homes.

fussyonion

Burn the paint off with a blow-torch, then sand it down, wash with white spirits and then coat with aluminium paint.
Undercoat with oil based paint and flush fill it before sanding it down lightly and undercoat again before a coat of finish.

dpboard

fussyonion wrote: »

Burn the paint off with a blow-torch, then sand it down, wash with white spirits and then coat with aluminium paint.
Undercoat with oil based paint and flush fill it before sanding it down lightly and undercoat again before a coat of finish.

Thank you for you advice.

I would be concerned that using a blow-torch on lead paint would create harmful fumes, and then I would be concerned that sanding it would make lead dust airborne.

What is your reason for suggesting an undercoat of aluminium paint? Seems overkill for a domestic setting.

In other countries there are often many firms who specialise in stripping out harmful substances from houses, including lead paint. Ireland doesn't seem particularly concerned about lead paint from what I can tell.

fussyonion

This advice is coming from my Uncle who has been a painter and decorator for 50 years and that's how he's always done it.
The Board of Works would have used this method aswell.