Can you safely paint over old paint which may contain lead?

Question

Is is necessary to remove all the old paint from old furniture which may have lead paint or is it sufficient to lightly sand and paint over it?

Answer 1

it is the sanding that releases the lead into the air and it then settles on the ground. that's why you shouldn't plant vegetables next to an old house. you should either use a chemical stripper to strip the paint off, which leaves you with lead paint sludge to dispose of, or paint over it as is. once it is completely covered it is not harmful anymore, until the paint chips. there are company's that do paint stripping for you. there are a couple of ways they do it, some dip the pieces in a tank of hot stripper and soak it for a while, others wash it with stripper. depending on how valuable the pieces are, you may want to check to see if their way will damage the glue that holds the pieces together. good luck, hope this helps.

Answer 2

Painting over the lead encapsulates it. Do not sand it or scrape it in any way. That will release it into the air to breathe it in. If you scrape it, you'll risk having one of your kids eating the paint chips. You know how kids put everything into their mouths. Paint over it. Never, ever sand it.

Answer 3

It's highly toxic, and if you "lightly sand" it, you'll be releasing to toxins into the air.

It would be best to take it to a furniture "dipper" to have them remove all the old lead paint.

Answer 4

yes you can paint over ,, but the reccomended way is to remove any lead paint first, thats the way i would go

Answer 5

oh, good gosh! A little knowledge is a great way to waste a mind!
The Romans used lead drinking vessel and it took Rome a thousand years to fall! Wear a dust mask (uh, yes to you other people, it does filter dust from the air you are breathing). Lightly sand, prime and seal it in forever!