How to Remove Paint If You Don't Know If it Contains Lead
Lead paint was widely used in the United States until federal regulators banned it in 1978. It is difficult to determine lead-based paint from other paints without special tools or testing. With that in mind, you should treat any older paint that you wish to remove as lead-based. Construction materials using lead, such as paint, pipes and foam, have been linked to certain cancers and birth defects in small children. Lead paint is still in common use outside of the United States and Europe.
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Instructions
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Cover or remove any furniture or objects from the room in which you will be removing paint. Lead-based paint can create airborne flakes that will stain your furniture as well as get caught up in your lungs.
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Use the wire brush to scrub at the paint surface. The intent is to loosen the paint so that you can get a good gripping surface with the scraper tool.
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Use the scraper tool to peel large sections of paint. As large sections of paint are removed, bag them up in your trash bags for easy disposal.
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Alternate between the wire brush and scraper tool until you can get down to the bare surface and remove all the paint.
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Tips & Warnings
Paint thinners and removers can help remove the tougher areas of thin paint. Avoid using thinner at the beginning of the project as it will create a huge mess. Using the paint thinner near the end, after most of the major paint chunks have been removed, will greatly speed up your cleanup. You should avoid showering until you have wiped down most of the debris and particles from your body.
Lead paint is very dangerous and should always be treated as such. If you create dust particles, you should consider opening windows or purchasing fans to help ventilate the work area. If you become tired or exposed to large amounts of paint, take a break and come back later.
