Part H · the register

Older Kirkwood Trim Can Carry Lead Paint Into Your Tear-Off Dust

Fascia and window trim on a house built before 1978 can carry lead paint, and the roof work can spread it. Ask these questions first.

If your Kirkwood house was built before 1978, the painted fascia, rake boards, soffit and window casings around the roof may carry lead paint. Lead pigment was common in house paint until the federal ban on residential lead paint took effect in 1978, so a trim board that has been repainted over the years can still hold a layer from the earlier decades. A roof job does not need to disturb the lead inside the paint film to create a problem, because prying, scraping and grinding break the paint apart. The resulting fine dust settles on lawns, garden beds and the front walk. This page covers how to find out whether the trim is painted with lead, what the contractor has to do about it, and what to ask before the first board comes off.

Town roofing: where the old paint is

Kirkwood has many houses from before 1978, and the older neighborhoods near the center of town hold a good share of them. Wood trim on those houses was usually painted again every few years, so the layers on the fascia and the window casings may run back several decades. On a re-roof, the crew typically removes the gutters first, then the drip edge and any fascia that is rotten or in the way. Rake boards at the gable ends come off on many jobs too. Each of those pieces has painted surface, and each one is handled close to the ground, the foundation or the walk, so the dust has a short path to the places where people spend time.

Lead dust is especially hazardous to young children and pregnant women, and the health effects of lead exposure are well documented. A yard does not need to look dirty for lead dust to be present. That is why the rules for this work do not depend on how the yard looks at the end of the day. They depend on the work practices used during the day.

The federal Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, administered by the Environmental Protection Agency, applies to paid renovation work in homes and child-occupied facilities built before 1978. A roof replacement that disturbs painted surfaces can fall under the rule. A contractor covered by it must be certified by the EPA, must assign a certified renovator to the job, and must follow lead-safe work practices. The rule also restricts methods and tools. It bans open-flame burning and torching of painted surfaces, it prohibits heat guns operated above 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit, and it limits power tools unless they are fitted with a HEPA vacuum attachment. Small-area exemptions exist, so the real question is how much painted surface the roof job removes, and that depends on the trim scope in the bid. Homeowners doing their own work on their own house are not covered by the same certification requirement, but the dust still reaches the same yard.

Lead-safe practice also means containment. Plastic sheeting goes on the ground beneath the work area and is taped along the foundation, warning signs go up, and the crew keeps the drop zone clear of people and pets while the trim comes down. Cleanup uses HEPA vacuums and wet wiping rather than a leaf blower or a dry broom. Some jobs call for a cleaning verification check at the end, which tests wipe samples from the work area before it is released.

The lead question on a Kirkwood roof is not a reason to stop the job. It is a reason to put the trim scope in writing. Check whether the bid says which painted parts come off and which stay on, and whether the old trim is replaced or reused. A rotten fascia board swapped for new material is a different job from a sound board that is scraped and repainted in place, and each one creates a different amount of dust.

What it costs

Lead-safe work adds cost in a few specific places. The crew needs containment materials and HEPA equipment, and it needs more time for slower removal, since a board pulled gently takes longer than one pried off with a bar. A certified renovator has to be on the job, and that person's time belongs in the labor line. A lab test of paint chips gives a stronger result than a surface swab, and it is a separate charge with its own turnaround. The bid should show these items as lines or allowances. If none of them appear, ask whether the crew plans to do the trim work to the standard described above, or whether the cost is hidden inside the roof price.

A do-it-yourself swab test from a hardware store costs little and can give a first read on whether a surface contains lead. It is a screen, not a laboratory result. If a swab comes back positive, or the house is old enough that its paint history is unknown, a lab test of chips from each painted area is the stronger answer. Ask who orders the test and who pays for it before the crew is booked, because the result can change which trim comes off and when.

Disposal needs a line too. Removed trim, containment sheeting and cleaning cloths are waste that has to go somewhere. Ask where the old trim is taken and whether the bid names the disposal site. A bid that says the crew will haul the material away without naming a site leaves both the cost and the responsibility unclear.

What to ask

Before you sign, put these questions to every roofer on your list. A clear answer is short and in writing. A vague answer is a reason to ask again.

• Is the crew EPA certified under the Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, and will a certified renovator be on site every day the trim work happens?
• Which painted parts come off, which stay on, and does the bid name each one?
• What containment goes down before the first board is removed, and who sets it up?
• Are power tools fitted with HEPA vacuum attachments, and is an open flame or a heat gun above 1,100 degrees ruled out in writing?
• How is the yard cleaned, with HEPA vacuums and wet wiping, and is there a cleaning verification check at the end?
• Who orders a lab test of the paint, who pays for it, and how long does the result take?
• Where does the removed trim go, and does the bid name the disposal site?

If the answer to the first question is no, ask who will do the trim work instead and whether that firm holds the certification. Keys Roofing can be reached at (314) 220-2333 if you want to ask these questions before you choose a start date.