Good practice with paint removal /possibly with lead.

[Grenage]

Greetings,

We've started decorating our house and I would appreciate any advice - in case I'm missing anything obvious.

I've started stripping the skirting and architrave using a heat gun, which looks like one layer of white gloss and a pinky layer underneath. It's coming off ok, but to be honest I don't know if it's lead-paint - the house was built around the late 70s. I'm wearing an AB1P2 mask from Wickes and keeping the windows open.

I plan to get the last little bits off using paint stripper and a scourer, but I'll do that all in one go as I'll need to get my pet parrot out of the house for a day or two. It's being stripped back to wood because we quite like the wood - it will be varnished/waxed/whatever.

I know it would probably be easier to remove the architrave and skirting, but the walls are in a decent condition, and I'd like to avoid throwing out perfectly good material.

Should I worry about lead content in a property of that age? Would the above face mask and heat gun/scraper solution be acceptable if there is lead? I don't plan on sanding any of the paint.

Thank you advance.

 

[footprints]

Pink undercoat might be red lead although it would have been more or less phased out by the 70's however I remember using it in the early 70's because I had an old tin and it was good stuff for protecting wood

Perhaps this recent thread might help answer some of your questions

//www.diynot.com/forums/decorating/removing-old-paint-from-staircase-lead-paint-panic.404432/

 

[Grenage]

Hey there,

Ah that's good info, thank you; I guess I'll stick with the mask and heat/scrape the majority off!

Russell.