stripping paint - lead?

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I'm planning on stripping all the paint off our internal doors. The house was built in the 1950s. Do I need to check them for lead? Was it still used in paint then? If so, what's the best test to use (and preferably ones that don't cost a fortune as there are 8 doors in total!)

I have young children, so have to be careful about this!
 
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It's entirely possible; you could strip them outside, or get them dipped?

There are a couple of UK internet sites that will send you test kits, which you then send off - I think it's about £20 per test, and less as you have more.
 
Do I still need to test them if I strip them outside? Should I wear a mask?

£20 a pop soon adds up to far too much!
 
I'd use a mask; I picked up one of Wickes AB1P2 respirators, but is pretty effective, but possibly overkill outdoors - I'll let the professionals answer that.

Use a heat gun and scraper, but try not to burn the paint. You can use paint stripper, which is 'safest' of all, but it makes a bloody awful mess. I'd heat gun the majority, and paint strip what's left.

If it wasn't (possibly) lead paint, I'd say heat gun then sand.
 
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Investigate getting them dipped. Doing it by hand will takes ages.

Re lead, there was another thread a few weeks ago where I posted a link to a useful doc about it all; try searching the forum.
 
THanks. I'll search for that thread.

but re dipping - i thought that didn't do the door any good?
 
I bought a 3M kit from amazon (US I think), which had 8 testers for about £37.

They're not amazing as the test liquid is orange which turns red if in contact with lead, so it takes a few goes before you can be confident of the result. Especially in bad lighting!
 

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