There is good reason to be concerned about living in a home with lead paint in it in Austin, Texas — lead paint exposure in children has contributed to numerous health problems such as learning disabilities as well as problems with behavior.
This does not mean that one should immediately go into full panic mode if one discovers that there is lead paint in the home, particularly if the paint is in good condition.
Of course, if you have the means it is best to take every means possible to remove and replace the paint in your home if you discover that it presently contains lead.
Does My Home Contain Lead?
The first thing to find out is if your home was built before 1978.
There is quite an important distinction to be made between homes that were made before and homes that were built after that year.
Homes that were built after 1978 by law were not allowed to be painted with lead paint.
Unfortunately this does not preclude the possibility that they might have been painted with lead paint anyway, but there is a greater likelihood that you will find lead paint in your home if it was built before 1978.
What is the quality of the paint, if it does indeed contain lead?
If the paint used in your home does contain lead, you need to ascertain the quality of the paint job as it currently stands.
A paint job that includes an unbroken surface and that is neither dusty nor flakey is much less of a health threat, if it is even one at all, than an older paint job that is starting to come apart and is broken, flaking, and dusty.
It is precisely those flakes of paint that children, particularly younger children, will pick up and put in their mouths and ingest, leading to a whole host of health issues.
Moreover, flaky paint bits have the possibility of contaminating things in your home as well as the dirt in the areas surrounding your home.
Can’t you just paint over lead paint?
You absolutely can paint over lead paint, but the problem with doing that is that it is a very short term solution to a very long term problem.
Though it will be beneficial in the short term in that you will completely cover over the problem, in the long term you will need to consider a better approach to dealing with the lead paint in your home.
Eventually, the lead paint that is underneath the non-lead paint will loosen, and there is still a strong possibility of the lead flakes / lead dust coming up and about, threatening you and your family.
Permanently get rid of lead paint by removing it
Though the process might be a difficult one, if your home has flaking or dusting lead paint it is absolutely essential to your health that you remove it.
Lead paint can be removed via scraping and / or hard brushing, and you have to take extreme cautions to avoid breathing in any while removing it.
Safety equipment including masks for breathing should be worn at all times while taking on this task.
Remember, even the seemingly simple act of sanding can become hazardous if you are dealing with a surface that has lead paint on it.
If you need any help choosing your colors and repainting your bedroom or home interior, Brush & Color Painting can help.
We offer interior and cabinet eco-friendly painting services in Austin, TX, Tarrytown TX, Clarksville TX, and Westlake, TX.
To use our services, book a FREE estimate or call us at (512) 947-0594 if you have any questions.
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