Lead-Safe Renovation in Homes Built Before 1978

Upgrades like new windows, doors, flooring, trim or a fresh coat of paint often start by removing or sanding old material. In older homes, that step can turn lead-based paint into fine dust that settles on floors and windowsills, where young children pick it up on their hands and toys. This guide explains when lead is a concern, what the law requires of contractors, and the precautions EPA lists if you do the work yourself.

Which projects can disturb lead paint?

• sanding or scraping painted walls, trim, doors or windows,
• replacing windows or doors (the old frames are often painted),
• removing trim, baseboards or cabinets before new flooring goes in,
• cutting into painted walls for plumbing, wiring or a remodel,
• demolition of any painted surface.

How do you find out whether your paint has lead?

Start with the year the home was built. EPA says the older the home, the more likely it has lead-based paint, and it recommends hiring a certified lead inspector or lead risk assessor to test the surfaces you plan to renovate. A test tells you which surfaces need lead-safe practices and which don’t.

What does the law require of contractors?

EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule requires that anyone paid to perform work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes, child care facilities and preschools built before 1978 be certified, and that their workers be trained in lead-safe work practices. EPA says this includes all firms, even sole proprietorships. If you rent your home, your landlord or property manager must follow the RRP Rule when doing work that disturbs paint.

When you collect bids for work in a pre-1978 home, ask each contractor for their EPA lead-safe firm certification, and use EPA’s online search to find certified firms near you. Our guide to hiring a contractor covers the rest of the process.

Does the rule apply if you do the work yourself?

In general, no: EPA says the RRP Rule doesn’t apply to homeowners working on their own pre-1978 home. It does apply if you rent out all or part of the home, run a child care center in it, or buy, renovate and sell homes for profit. Even when the rule doesn’t apply, the dust is just as harmful, so EPA recommends hiring a lead-safe certified contractor, and lists lead-safe practices for people who do it themselves.

How do you set up a lead-safe work area?

• Remove furniture, rugs, curtains, food, clothing and other items from the work area until cleanup is done.
• Wrap items that can’t be moved in plastic sheeting and seal with tape.
• Cover floors with plastic sheeting.
• Seal doorways with an airlock: two sheets of thick plastic, one taped on all edges and slit down the middle, the other taped only along the top as a flap.
• Turn off forced-air heating and air conditioning and cover the vents with taped plastic.
• Keep children, pregnant family members, pets and anyone not working out of the area.

What tools and gear does EPA list?

• a disposable N-100 certified respirator,
• wet-dry sandpaper or a sanding sponge,
• heavy plastic sheeting and heavy-duty plastic bags,
• a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) vacuum,
• a low-temperature heat gun (under 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit) if you need to remove paint,
• power tools with HEPA-filtered vacuum attachments to capture dust.

How do you clean up?

EPA says to leave the work area clean at the end of every day and, at the end of the project, clean until no dust, debris or residue remains. As you work: put trash in heavy-duty bags, vacuum often with a HEPA vacuum, clean tools daily, wash your hands and face at every break and at the end of the day, and clean or dispose of protective gear. Wet-wipe and wet-mop surfaces with disposable heads. Collect all waste (dust, paint chips, sheeting, filters, dirty water, wipes, gloves and old building parts) in heavy plastic, seal it with duct tape, and consider double bagging. Check your local rules for disposal.

How does this fit common upgrades?

• New flooring: pulling baseboards and old flooring can disturb painted trim; contain and clean as above.
• Windows and doors: see our replacement windows guide and door weatherstripping guide.
• Window coverings: drilling into painted trim to hang shades creates a little dust; see our shades guide.

Older-home checks are part of our home maintenance checklist. If you are worried that someone in your home has been exposed to lead, talk to a doctor or other health care provider, and see EPA’s page on reducing the risk of lead exposure at home (linked in our sources).