Lead paint in older Westchester homes

A great many houses in this area predate 1978, which is when lead-based paint was banned for residential use in the United States. In Pound Ridge, Bedford, and Bronxville there are neighbourhoods where most of the housing stock is considerably older than that.

If your house was built before 1978, assume lead paint is present somewhere until testing says otherwise.

Intact paint is not the problem

Lead paint sitting undisturbed under later coats is generally not a hazard. The risk comes from disturbing it (sanding, scraping, heat-stripping, or demolition) which turns a stable film into dust and chips.

That is exactly what preparation for repainting involves, which is why this matters on a painting project specifically rather than in the abstract.

Where it turns up

Highest concentrations were typically on:

• Windows and window sills: and these are also friction surfaces, so they generate dust every time the window opens
• Doors and door frames
• Trim, baseboards, and stair balusters
• Exterior siding and trim, where weathering has been shedding it into the soil around the house for decades

Friction and impact surfaces are the priority, because they produce dust without anyone touching them.

What safe work looks like

The federal Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies to contractors working on pre-1978 housing. In practice it means:

• Testing or presuming lead is present before disturbing painted surfaces
• Containing the work area: plastic sheeting, sealed doorways, covered floors extending well beyond the immediate area
• No dry sanding, no open-flame or high-heat stripping, no power sanding without HEPA extraction. These are the methods that generate the most airborne dust.
• Wet methods where scraping is necessary, to keep dust down
• HEPA vacuuming and wet cleanup at the end of each day, not just at the end of the job
• Careful disposal of debris and sheeting

On an exterior, containment includes the ground: sheeting laid out to catch chips so they do not end up in the soil where children play.

What it means for the schedule and the quote

Lead-safe work is slower and it costs more, and any contractor telling you otherwise is either not doing it or not pricing it. On a pre-1978 house, a quote that is far below the others is worth asking about specifically.

It is also a reason not to defer exterior work indefinitely. Paint that is already flaking is already shedding, and containment is far easier than remediation.

If you have small children

Testing is worth doing rather than presuming, and it is worth doing before any work starts rather than after. Your county health department is the right first call for guidance on testing.

We scope preparation for pre-1978 houses accordingly, and it is written into the proposal rather than assumed.