Repainting Lead Siding

Take extra care around trim lead concentrations tend to track pretty closely to.

Repainting lead siding.

You can use a pressure washer for this job but keep the pressure low and the nozzle away from the siding to avoid eroding the wood and driving water into cracks and crevices. Begin by hosing down the siding. Place a drop cloth over your plants that sit close to the house to protect them from chemicals in the water you re. In some places you have to remove lead paint before re siding.

Although the wood might look paint free lead residue usually remains in the wood. This acrylic paint will stretch and shrink with the wood as it ages. A high lead finding might even steer you away from painting and toward siding that safely covers contaminated paint. Buy a top quality paint if it is in your budget and the paint job is more likely to last longer.

Buy a lead testing kit from a home improvement store. Generally you can encapsulate old siding under a new skin of sheathing and install siding over it but check with your local or state authorities governing exterior lead paint to make sure you can cover it. These rules were intended to stop lead poisoning in children due to disturbing household surfaces containing lead such as trim moldings wall surfaces and floor coverings. This is usually a small stick that you rub against the siding.

Washing alone is often not enough to remove mold or mildew from the surface. Painting over lead based paint also known as encapsulation is an effective lead paint remediation technique. Encapsulation is less expensive than lead paint removal and it s actually safer since it doesn t release lead dust or debris into the air. Paint the surface of the primed wood with 2 coats of latex paint in the color of your choice.

Or if the cost is high replace the old wood with brand new wood whether it s siding trim window sashes or entire windows. That gets the lead out of the house. If you use chemical strippers yourself be sure to wet sand the surface when you re finished. Builder and editorial adviser mike guertin replies.

Back in 1991 new rules were established for dealing with painting and renovations on homes built before 1978.