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Removing Lead Paint from Exterior Surfaces

House seven of the Elmwood project. Bob investigates the methods used to remove lead paint from the porch columns.

Clip Transcript For:

Removing Lead Paint from Exterior Surfaces

  computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" Re shingling the roof on this house is a big job and it's going to take some time to finish so while the roofers continue we're going to the front porch and address a common problem faced by the owners of many older homes. Paint removal and lead paint abatement are two of the most important processes you have to go through when you're renovating an older house. And here at Robert's place we've got a lot of paint build -- Cole Stanton is here from Fiberlock in Cambridge and you'll have been. Busy. Basically getting all of the paint off of some of the woodwork in one. I application right that's right yeah this is an amazing amazing result you've got on these columns yeah it turned out really nice were really out through the these look like they're solid pine or poplar. And I was -- a little bit about the whole process -- other we've got the two other columns in in the working stages you you apply the can you call it a caustic soda."

" Sharif and actually we call now alkaline paste but but it's new it's trade America is to run. Harada exactly OK you can apply with a putty knife yep Peter is putting on some -- of three right now this is. One of our alkaline -- one of two we manufacture. And he's laying that on there well little less than an eighth of an inch -- And then after you've applied this. Plaster is it worked for the whole area it's being stripped you have to wrap it up in plastic right exactly. Because all of these products work when they're wet in fact all -- regardless of type. Work when they're -- once they drive they stopped work. So I -- them to keep them wet. While that work on the paint do all the hard work for us yeah do you know how long you have to keep it wrapped it varies from paint system to paint system we had to do a test here to find out. 24 hours it turned out for this particular paint system was just about right to get it down so at what stage of the game do we have this thing here. This was put on yesterday morning so it is now. Ready to come off. I'm not going to attach it but you've got your protective gear -- so sure and you wouldn't want to get this on your bare -- Even after it's done the job it still is caustic it still can cause skin burns while it's way it could give you a nasty burn sold us give this a shot here. -- an ordinary scraper."

" I think it's great the way you've rigged up these. These plastic boxes around the base of the column so that everything that's being taken off just falls into. What is essentially a plastic bag now are there any requirements about disposing -- the they the debris that you're taking off near the paint its."

" So absolutely you should be very responsible about how you're handling this product because it is a corrosive if you want to capture all your solid waste first. That depending upon your local regulations may have to go to a particular landfill you can. And then. Your waste water should be pretty much free if you've already captured all of your solid material but this is fabulous instant gratification looks like it went all the way down now to the fairway woods. So after you've stripped off the ten or twenty layers of paint. You can wash it down before you neutralize it absolutely. You want to wash off the solids. Then come back and neutralize it and then wash off the -- you want to -- as -- the acid balances -- the -- Can this be done by a homeowner absolutely yes absolutely just make sure that you don't have any areas of bare skin. And you're careful thanks --"

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Encapsulating Lead Paint
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Cole Stanton from Fiberlock joins Bob to talk about Child Guard, his company's encapsulating coating for lead-based paint. Lead encapsulating is an alternative to stripping lead-based paint. It's a safer option to removal as it doesn't generate the same volume of lead dust and it's far less expensive. It comes in gloss, or satin or an eggshell that's flat. To prepare the surface of the window trim, Cole has taken a few of the lead-safe wipes and removed a lot of dust from the trim. The wipes are presoaked in TSP (Tri-Sodium Phosphate), a heavy-duty cleaner, which is good at solubilizing and lifting lead dust. Because the coating of Child Guard should be applied at 7/1000s of an inch thick dry, it should easily hide nicks and bruises in the woodwork. It is easy to measure the thickness of a coat of paint while it's wet using a wet film thickness gauge. Measuring is important because the encapsulants are tested and certified to meet the requirements for making lead paint safe in all fifty states but only at a certain thickness. Child Guard is a Thermoplastic Elastomeric Copolymer. It's water-based and cleans off with soap and water. To use the gauge, Cole puts it into the still wet coating and then removes it checking that there is a little dab of coating on the proper tooth. Lastly he applies a second coat to get it to its final thickness. One big problem with lead paint is that it tastes sweet and little kids sometimes go up to a window sill and mouth it. To discourage this, Child Guard has an anti-ingestant called Bitrix in it, which tastes horrible.

Indoor Air Quality Basics
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Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. The American Lung Association reports that the death rate from lung disease has risen faster in the last decade than any other major disease. Countless days of school and work are missed due to respiratory illnesses every year. The EPA ranks poor indoor air quality as the fourth largest environmental threat to our country. Some of the worst polluters of the air you breathe hit right where you live. Biological particles like mold, animal dander, dust mites, bacteria and viruses occur naturally in substances. But in homes that aren t properly ventilated, or when filters aren t regularly cleaned, their concentrations can build up and make them into major irritants. Products of combustion from heating systems, gas appliances, fireplaces and wood stoves include poisonous and carcinogenic particles as well as carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide. And tobacco smoke has proven to be the last thing you want in your indoor air. Make sure your appliances are properly vented, install carbon monoxide detectors and ban smoking in your house to keep your family safe. Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, have also been linked to lung disease. They off-gas from a huge range of building products like engineered lumber, adhesives, carpets, paint and upholstery. But did you know they can also come from dry-cleaned clothing, synthetic lawn and garden fertilizers and pesticides? Other harmful chemicals can off-gas and accumulate from seemingly innocent cleaning products, air fresheners, candles, even personal care products. The best solution is to use natural alternatives wherever you can. Believe it or not, airborne lead dust and asbestos are still causing health problems. If you suspect your home contains exposed lead paint or asbestos that s been disturbed, get a professional inspection immediately. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Painting a Stucco and Wood Exterior
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Bob reviews some of the work done on the house so far. The house was built in 1921 and the exterior stucco walls are in good shape overall. The woodwork, however, was in bad shape as it is 80 year-old wood combined with New England winters. Most of the wood trim was repaired using western red cedar. The gutters on the gambrel roof were also replaced. The porch columns were repaired after suffering insect damage. These stone columns were filled with concrete by mason Kevin Latham. Some new stucco was added where the back door was removed and replaced with a new slider and small window. To add this stucco wall, wire lath is placed over felt paper and plywood. Then a brown coat is added and allowed to cure before the finish coat goes on. Fergus Cullen of CertaPro Painters reviews the issues involved with painting the house. Different parts of the home's exterior are older than others. The old stucco is in good shape, while the new stucco needs to be primed and painted using a couple of coats. The window uses a couple of different materials. The frame has been replaced with Azek, which does not need to be painted but will be painted to match the rest of the trim. The Azek is especially effective in areas where there is a lot of moisture and rot may be a problem. The natural wood surrounding the window will also be primed and painted to match everything else. In some areas the old paint is peeling off in sheets and "alligatoring" or creating check marks in the paint. The old paint used in these sections is likely lead paint and does not have the flexibility New England winter and summer temperature fluctuations. All the areas with chipping and peeling paint will be scraped down, the edges sanded, and then primed. When complete, the texture will be retained but there will be no chipping or peeling involved. Some shingles on the lip of the roof have sustained significant water damage. The damaged shingles are replaced and painted with a solid color stain. This stain looks like paint but penetrates into the wood. There will be a little difference in texture between the old shingles and the new, which comes with having an older home. The most important thing to remember when painting at the end of the season is overnight temperatures. Painting is possible as long as the overnight temperatures are above 35 degrees Fahrenheit. The paint must be given time to cure at the proper temperatures. Painting is also not possible during times of high humidity, which is a problem that plagues hot, humid climates in the South.

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