Example Lead Paint Projects in Irving

Scope of work

Plastic on the floor inside each window and on the ground outside, loose paint on the sills and lower frames misted and scraped by hand, chips bagged, primer and two coats of lead-free paint, HEPA vacuuming and a wet wipe of each room, and a dust test of the floors and sills at the end. New sashes and glass are not part of this price.

Project overview

In this example, a family renting a 1960s brick house in Irving notices paint chips on the window sills, where their small child likes to stand and look out. They ask the owner to check, and a test shows lead paint on the sills and lower frames of all ten windows.

The lease has months to run, so the owner wants a fix that lets the family stay. Each room is closed off with plastic while its windows are scraped and painted, and the work is a lead-safe repair rather than abatement. The dust test at the end gives the owner a record for the file.

The goal

The goal is sound, painted sills and a clean dust test, with the family living in the house the whole time.

Process

1. Testing Paint on the windows tested, and a plan agreed with the owner and the tenant.
2. Setup Furniture pulled away, plastic under the first windows inside and out, the room shut off.
3. Paint work Sills and frames misted and scraped by hand, then primed and painted, one room at a time.
4. Cleanup HEPA vacuuming, a wet wipe of every surface and the plastic folded inward and bagged.
5. Dust test Wipes from the floors and sills sent to a lab, with the results given to the owner.

Planning right

• The owner, or anyone the owner pays, needs to follow the federal lead-safe rules for this work.
• Painting over loose paint does not last. The loose layers come off first, with misting to keep the dust down.
• Keep the test and the dust results. They go with the disclosure at the next lease.
• Sills that rub or take rain will wear again. Check them each spring.

Scope of work

A walk through every room and around the outside, readings on walls, trim, doors, windows, cabinets, fascia and eaves, paint chips to the lab where a reading is unclear, and a written report the owner can hand to the demolition contractor.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1950s ranch house in Farmers Branch plan to tear it down and build a new home on the lot. Before they sign with a demolition contractor, they want to know which painted parts of the house carry lead paint.

Demolition of painted surfaces in a pre-1978 house falls under the federal lead-safe rules unless testing shows the paint is not lead paint. A full inspection tells the contractor exactly which parts need care, so the crew can plan sheeting, misting and cleanup where they are needed.

The goal

The goal is a demolition contractor who knows which parts carry lead paint before the first wall comes down.

Process

1. Booking Build year confirmed and every room made reachable for the inspector.
2. Inspection Each painted part read, inside and out; unclear readings checked with lab chips.
3. Report Positive and negative parts listed for the demolition crew.

Planning right

• Test before the demolition bids, so each contractor prices the same job.
• A city program for tearing down and rebuilding does not replace the lead rules.
• Soil by the old fascia line can hold paint chips. Ask about it before new beds or a slab go in.
• Keep the report with the lot papers.

Scope of work

The stairwell and the hall below sealed off with plastic, the painted handrail, newel post and balusters taken out whole rather than stripped, the waste wrapped and bagged, HEPA vacuuming and a wet wipe of the stairs and hall, and a clearance test. The new rail and balusters from the stair carpenter are priced separately.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1970s two-story house in Irving have a toddler who chews on the stair balusters. A test shows lead paint on the handrail, newel post and balusters, and they want it gone for good.

Stripping some 26 turned balusters by hand is slow, so the painted parts are replaced instead. Because the aim is to remove the lead paint, the job is abatement. The firm tells the state before starting, and the family sleeps elsewhere until the clearance test passes.

The goal

The goal is a staircase with no lead paint on the parts a child can reach, and a clearance report to prove it.

Process

1. Notice Notice sent to the state at least seven working days before work; the new rail ordered.
2. Setup Stairwell and hall below sealed off with plastic, the family away.
3. Removal Rail, newel and balusters taken out whole, wrapped and bagged.
4. Cleanup HEPA vacuuming and a wet wipe of every step, wall and the hall floor.
5. Clearance Dust wipes sent to a lab before the family comes home and the new rail goes in.

Planning right

• Replacing a painted part is often quicker than stripping it, and the lead leaves the house with it.
• Turned balusters do not sand well. Sanding them would spread far more dust.
• The new rail goes in after clearance, so the new wood starts clean.
• Keep the clearance report. A buyer is owed a copy.

Scope of work

A visit with the owner present, a look at the paint on the doors, windows and trim, six dust wipes from the floors and sills of the rooms the child will use, lab analysis, and the results in writing.

Project overview

In this example, a family with a toddler is about to rent a 1950s house in Irving. The lead disclosure says the owner knows of no lead paint, but has no test either, and the family wants to know about dust before they sign.

A dust test does not say where lead paint is. It shows whether lead dust is on the floors and sills now, which is what a young child picks up. Here the six wipes come back below the level that would call for cleaning, so nothing more is needed before the move.

The goal

The goal is a family that moves in knowing the floors and sills are clear of lead dust.

Process

1. Visit The rooms the child will use chosen with the family and the owner.
2. Sampling Six wipes taken from floors and sills, each bagged and labeled.
3. Lab Wipes analyzed, then the results sent to the family and the owner.

Planning right

• A renter can ask for a test, but the owner is not required to arrange one. Agree who pays first.
• Dust results show today only. Paint that wears later can change them.
• If a room fails, cleaning and a second test come next.
• Watch the sills and the floor under them. That is where dust settles.

Scope of work

Plastic over the hall floor and across the room doorways, four doors taken off, hinges reset, rubbing edges planed with a HEPA-attached tool and the stops stripped, loose paint on the casings misted and scraped, primer and two coats, the doors rehung, HEPA cleanup and a cleaning check. Stripping the whole doors is not part of this price.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1960s house in Euless have four hall doors that stick and rub their frames. Paint chips collect on the oak floor under the hinge side, and a test shows lead paint on the doors, stops and casings.

The doors are sound, so the plan is to make them stop rubbing rather than replace them. Planing a painted edge makes dust, so the hall is closed off and the work is done with lead-safe methods. The lead paint stays on the faces of the doors, which makes this a repair to keep an eye on rather than a permanent fix.

The goal

The goal is four doors that close without rubbing and a hall floor free of paint chips.

Process

1. Testing Doors, stops and casings tested, and the rubbing points marked.
2. Setup Hall floor covered and the doorways closed off with plastic.
3. Door work Doors off, hinges reset, edges planed and stops stripped, loose casing paint scraped.
4. Finish Primer and paint, the doors rehung, then HEPA cleanup and a cleaning check.

Planning right

• A door that clears its frame stops making dust. Often that is the cheapest lasting fix.
• Look under the hinge side for chips each month. Chips there mean something rubs again.
• Stripping or replacing the doors would remove the lead for good, at a higher price.
• Keep the test results. They help if you sell or rent the house later.