Example Lead Paint Projects in Redwood City

Scope of work

Plastic on the ground well out from the wall and sheeting hung below the eave, the fascia, bracket and window casing stripped with a paste stripper and wet scraping, waste bagged as the work goes, primer and two coats of lead-free paint, and a clearance check of the ground. The lap siding and the window are not part of this price.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1940s wood-sided house in Redwood City have asked two painters for bids and both ask about lead. The paint is cracking in layers on the fascia, the curved bracket and the casing of one front window, and a test shows lead paint on all three.

They want the worst corner stripped for good before the painters start on the rest of the house, so this part is abatement. Form 8551 is posted at the house and sent to CDPH at least five days ahead, and the neighbors are told in writing. The siding is left for the painters.

The goal

The goal is a corner with no lead paint left on it, so the painters start from clean wood.

Process

1. Notice Form 8551 posted and sent; letters to the neighbors.
2. Setup Plastic laid on the ground and hung below the eave.
3. Stripping Fascia, bracket and casing stripped wet, waste bagged as the work goes.
4. Paint Bare wood primed and given two coats.
5. Clearance Ground checked for chips and dust before the plastic comes down.

Planning right

• Do not scrape or sand an old eave dry. The chips land on the lawn and the beds below.
• Soft wood behind the paint is replaced at extra cost.
• The lap siding below may carry the same old paint. Test it before the painters scrape it.
• If the house might be a designated landmark, ask the city before changing its exterior.

Scope of work

Plastic inside the room and on the ground outside, both sashes taken out whole, the old paint on the sashes, frame and center post removed with paste stripper and wet scraping, new glazing putty, primer and two coats of lead-free paint, the sashes rehung, HEPA cleanup and a wet-cloth check of the sill and floor.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1940s stucco house in San Carlos like their wood windows and want to keep them. The twin window is the worst, with white paint peeling to bare wood on the sashes, the frame and the center post. A test shows lead paint on all of them.

Stripping the paint for good is abatement, so the work is done by certified workers with notice and a clearance check. The stucco is not cut and the opening keeps its size. The owners ask the city before changing the window itself, but a paint repair leaves its look as it was.

The goal

The goal is the original window kept, with no lead paint left on it and no dust in the room.

Process

1. Testing Sashes, frame and center post tested before any scraping.
2. Setup Plastic laid inside and outside, the room closed off.
3. Stripping Sashes out whole and stripped wet, frame and post stripped in place.
4. Finish New putty, primer and two coats, sashes rehung.
5. Check HEPA cleanup and a wet-cloth check of the sill and floor.

Planning right

• Old sashes keep their glass and shape, so the house keeps the look it has.
• A window that sticks may need new cords or a new sill. That costs extra.
• Painting the stripped wood the same season keeps the bare wood from taking on water.
• If the house might be a designated landmark, ask the city before replacing the window.

Scope of work

A visit to the rooms the children use and the yard, readings on each type of painted part, eight dust wipes, four soil samples, lab fees, and a written risk assessment that ranks what to fix first.

Project overview

In this example, a family child care provider in a 1950s Menlo Park house wants to know what the toddlers can reach before she takes more children. Her playroom has painted window sills at crawling height, and the yard drips from old eaves.

A risk assessment weighs the paint, the dust and the soil together. It finds lead paint on the sills and door casings, dust on the playroom sills and lead in the soil under the eaves. The report ranks the fixes, so the sills come first and the soil gets cover in the meantime.

The goal

The goal is a house where the sills and the yard are fixed in the order that protects the children first.

Process

1. Booking Build year and rooms in use shared with the inspector.
2. Sampling Readings on painted parts, dust wipes in each room, soil samples from the yard.
3. Report Findings listed by room and yard, with the order of repairs.

Planning right

• Wipe the playroom sills wet until they are fixed, and wash the children’s hands before meals.
• Cover bare soil under the eaves with mulch or turf until it is dealt with.
• A risk assessment is a different test from a paint-only inspection, and it costs more.
• Keep the report for any later repair or sale.

Scope of work

Plastic on the balcony floor and over the stair below, sheeting along the building wall, the railing, posts and door frame scraped wet, primer and two coats of lead-free paint, HEPA cleanup, a clearance test of the balcony floor and the ground below, and bagged disposal. Rotten rail posts are replaced at extra cost.

Project overview

In this example, the owner of a 1950s apartment building in Redwood City is getting an empty upstairs unit ready for a new tenant and plans to scrape and repaint the railing and door frame of its balcony. A test shows lead paint on the railing, the posts and the door frame.

Scraping and repainting about 100 square feet outside is over the minor repair limit, so the federal lead-safe rules apply. The work is closed off from the shared stair so the tenants below can use it, and a clearance test of the balcony and the ground gives the owner a result to file.

The goal

The goal is a safe balcony, a clearance result on file and an upstairs unit that can be rented again.

Process

1. Testing Railing, posts and door frame tested before any scraping.
2. Tenant notice Tenants told which days the stair is closed off.
3. Setup Plastic on the balcony and the stair, sheeting along the wall.
4. Repair Railing, posts and frame scraped wet and repainted.
5. Clearance Cleaning, then a clearance test of the balcony floor and the ground below.

Planning right

• Tell the tenants what is being done and keep children off the stair while it is closed off.
• Other balconies in the building probably carry the same old paint. Test them before repainting.
• Each new lease on a pre-1978 unit comes with the federal lead disclosure.
• Keep the test report and the clearance result in the building’s file.

Scope of work

Plastic over the floor and across every doorway, the casings and baseboards removed whole and bagged, bare wall edges cleaned, HEPA vacuuming, new casings and baseboards fitted, bagged disposal and a clearance test of the room. Painting the new trim and patching the plaster are not part of this price.

Project overview

In this example, the family in the upstairs flat of a 1940s two-flat house in Redwood City wants new casings and baseboards in the living room. The old ones are thick with layers of paint, and a test shows lead paint on all of them, while the plaster walls test clear.

Taking the lead-painted wood out for good is abatement. The room is sealed off, certified workers remove the trim whole, the neighbors in the lower flat are told in writing, and a clearance test comes before the room reopens. The family keeps living in the rest of the flat.

The goal

The goal is a living room with new trim, no lead dust in it and a clearance result on file.

Process

1. Notice Form 8551 posted and sent; a note to the lower flat.
2. Setup Plastic over the floor and every doorway, the room sealed.
3. Removal Casings and baseboards pried off whole and bagged.
4. New trim New casings and baseboards fitted.
5. Clearance HEPA cleanup and a clearance test before the room reopens.

Planning right

• The family sleeps and eats in the far end of the flat while the room is sealed.
• Painting the new trim comes after the clearance test, not before.
• Test the other rooms of the flat before any casings or baseboards there are touched.
• Keep the clearance result with the flat’s papers.

Scope of work

Plastic over the floor and across the doorway of each room, a sealed stair opening, misting of painted plaster and trim before each cut, HEPA vacuums on the cutting tools, HEPA vacuuming as the work goes and a wet wipe, a cleaning check before each room reopens, and bagged disposal. The carpentry, the stairs and the new drywall are priced separately.

Project overview

In this example, the owners of a 1950s house in Redwood City are turning the attic into a bedroom. The builder will cut a stair opening through the hall ceiling, widen a door and open the attic knee walls, and a test shows lead paint on the hall ceiling and walls, the casings and the knee walls.

Cutting the stair opening and opening the knee walls goes well past the minor repair limit. The builder works with an EPA-certified firm and renovator, each room is sealed and checked, and the family keeps living in the house. The lead-safe cost sits on top of the building work.

The goal

The goal is a finished attic bedroom with no lead dust left in the rooms below.

Process

1. Test Hall, bedrooms and attic walls tested before the builder prices the job.
2. Covering up Floors and doorways covered, the stair opening sealed.
3. Cuts Plaster and trim misted, cuts made with HEPA-vacuum tools.
4. Check HEPA vacuuming, a wet wipe and each room checked before it reopens.

Planning right

• Ask the builder’s bid to say who does the lead-safe setup and cleanup.
• No one sleeps in a room under the work until it has passed its check.
• The stair opening and the new bedroom need a city building permit. Its fee is not part of this add-on.
• Patching the plaster after the stair goes in disturbs paint again. Plan it lead-safe as well.