the painted surface
Renovating, Repairing and Repainting a Home Containing Lead Paint
This article is reproduced for online reading from the brochure “The Lead-Safe Guide To Renovate Right” by the EPA. The PDF can be read, printed or downloaded here: Renovate Right.
For Property Owners: After the Work is Done
When all the work is finished, you will want to know if your home, child care facility, or school has been cleaned up properly. Here are some ways to check.
Ask about your contractors final cleanup check. Remember, lead dust is often invisible to the naked eye. It may still be present even if you cannot see it. The contractor must use disposable cleaning cloths to wipe the floor of the work area and compare them to a cleaning verification card to determine if the work area was adequately cleaned.
To order a cleaning verification card and detailed instructions visit the EPA lead website at www.epa.gov/lead or contact the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323) or visit their website at www.epa.gov/lead/nlic.htm.
You also may choose to have a lead-dust test. Lead-dust tests are wipe samples sent to a laboratory for analysis.
- You should specify in your contract that a lead-dust test will be done. In this case, make it clear who will do the testing.
- Testing should be done by a lead professional.
If you choose to do the testing, some EPA-recognized lead laboratories will send you a kit that allows you to collect samples and send them back to the lab for analysis.
Contact the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323) for lists of qualified professionals and EPA-recognized lead labs.
If your home, child care facility, or school fails the dust test, the area should be re-cleaned and tested again.
Where the project is done by contract, it is a good idea to specify in the contract that the contractor is responsible for re-cleaning if the home, child care facility, or school fails the test. Next Page
