lead paint

[ellie]

Is lead only in old gloss or is it in old emulsion too?

 

[Zampa]

More likely to be in old oil paints it was stopped being added to gloss in the late fifties early sixties , having said that....people were still using old stuff, so it was probably still around up to the mid sixties.

Some paints still have it...such as the paint thats used for a lot of the buildings in and around central/west London owned by the Queen (all stand!) ..its also used on some conservation jobs.

The pigment which was used in primers undercoats and topcoats were the ones that contained lead the most common form being white pigments allthough some colours contained lead too (lead chromate)

The walls of this period and previous to it were mostly coated with coloured white wash or distemper using a different pigments althogether

You can buy lead paint testing kits from Dulux and maybe some of the other trade centres.....about 8 quid I beleive.

 

[ellie]

Does that mean 40 year old (at least, quite probably older) paint is okay to just scrub off the walls?

 

[Zampa]

Yeh it should be, but mind your eyes it could be limewash and will burn if you get it into the yes.

Paint that old could contain odd additives...you never know what people used to add to it to make a colour up, there were lots of old wifes tales...bit like the ones of todays like putting gloss on damp patches and water stains.......or putting pva on just about everything else!

Just be careful when you use it....wash hands after etc

 

[Thermo]

zampa, just out of interest, what do you find best for covering damp patch stains?

 

[Zampa]

zampa, just out of interest, what do you find best for covering damp patch stains?

If they are dry.....white undercoat.

If they are still a little damp..then a proper sealer like 'no more damp'

Oh and by the way Ellie.......once you have washed the wall down....you should seal it with a decent sealer such as Dulux stain block plus.....or a thinned coat of alkali resisting primer.

 

[Thermo]

cheers zampa, pretty much the same as what i use, just wondered if you had any alternatives

 

[Zampa]

cheers zampa, pretty much the same as what i use, just wondered if you had any alternatives

Well...as a last resort, knotting will do the job.....I always keep a bottle of white (clear) knotting in the van to pull me out of the odd tricky situation.

Gloss or eggshell is risky the emulsion will ciss.

PVA on water stains......no way!

Bit I will give you a tip.....when dealing with a nicoteen stained ceiling add 50% pva to the first coat of paint. making sure you allow it to dry completely before the second one.

This is particulary uselful if the ceiling has been artexed and washing is imposible.