Sanding Lead Paint Floors

As far as lead in soil any lead that is absorbed tends to concentrate in leaves and the outer part of roots.

Sanding lead paint floors. Often wood floors were painted because they were damaged and could not be repaired. Another thing to consider is why was it painted. Spread 6 mm plastic sheeting over the entire floor. Even undisturbed lead paint is always a concern because as an example a small child may chew the surface it s covering.

On june 21 2019 epa announced new tighter standards for lead in dust on floors and window sills to protect children from the harmful effects of lead exposure. It is fine to paint over the caulk between the boards. Clean the area of dust with a broom and dustpan after finishing. The danger from lead paint increases when it s.

Before you start sanding remove everything from the room and vacuum the floor. The strengthened standards become effective 180 days after publication in the federal register. Wet sanding takes a little longer than dry sanding but it won t create toxic lead. Caulk left on the floor becomes sandwiched between the wood and paint and will move independently causing the paint to crack.

Remove shoe moulding the wood trim where the wall meets the floor. Begin by vacuuming paint chips and other debris with the hepa vac. Remove any excess from the wood surface with a thinner soaked rag. Sanding lead paint is a good way to get lead poisoning not to mention a violation of federal law which carries sever civil and criminal penalties.

The standards were lowered from 40 µg of lead in dust per ft 2 on floors and 250 µg of lead in dust per ft 2 on interior window sills to 10 µg ft 2 to 100 µg ft 2 respectively. Sanding the floor will kick up a lot of dust so protect light fixtures and tape over electrical outlets. Making a room lead safe involves dealing with not only the paint prep mess but also any lead dust that might have collected on floors sills and other areas before you started. You ll need to sand the entire floor not just one section.

Sand the lead paint using sandpaper or an electric sander. Repeat sanding as necessary until the sanding is complete. Step 7 mist the surfaces and debris with water to reduce the amount of lead dust in the air. Lead absorption into plants does not concentrate in the fruits non root vegies.

Properly applied the caulk will move with the wood. Gunk sticks in cracks so dig it out as you go. After the first pass go over the floor with a fine or superfine sandpaper disc to finish the surface. You will be exposed to more lead asbestos in a subway station as an express train passes than lead in the area you sanded without protection.