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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?
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finley_bennett281mo 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.
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