I read that old lead paint is actually more stable than people think if you leave it alone

I was doing some research for my 1920s bungalow in Tacoma and found a study from a housing safety group. They said that lead paint that's in good shape, not chipping or dusting, is actually pretty safe to just paint over with a good primer. Everyone says you have to strip it all out no matter what, but the data showed that disturbing it creates way more risk than sealing it in place. I had a guy quote me $8,000 to fully remove the paint from my trim, which felt crazy. After reading that, I just cleaned it, used a shellac-based primer, and put two coats of new paint on top. It's been solid for over a year now with no issues. Has anyone else gone this route and had it checked later?

3 comments

3 Comments

finley_bennett283mo ago

Totally get that. My own DIY skills are so bad, I'd probably create a lead dust cloud just trying to read the primer can. Good to know the seal-in-place method is holding up for you though. That price to strip it all is wild.

alice2423mo ago

Yeah, that quote is insane. Glad the seal-in-place method is working for you.

patriciam221mo ago

You mentioned that price to strip it all being wild, and yeah, that's what got me too. I ended up painting over my old lead paint with a thick bonding primer first, then two coats of regular latex. That's been holding up fine for about three years now with no peeling or chipping. Just gotta be super careful not to sand anything before you start.