Hi everyone! We recently discovered that the exterior doors in our 1960s home contain lead paint, which is now chipping at certain friction points. My wife is pregnant, so I'm really concerned about sanding or disturbing it further. Unfortunately, we can't afford to have a professional handle this either. I'm wondering if encapsulating the lead paint with specialized paints like Ecobond or Fiberlock is a good idea, or if that could make things worse. Would it be better to use a primer like Kilz for a temporary fix? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
4 Answers
Using encapsulation paint can be a bit tricky since it's thick and might cause the door to stick if it continues to rub. I wouldn’t recommend going that route if the door is already having issues with chipping.
Just a heads-up, the EPA recommends encapsulation mainly for areas that don’t have frequent contact, like walls or ceilings. For high-touch areas like doors, they don’t consider encapsulation sufficient to resolve the lead paint issue.
Lead paint is definitely serious business. Ideally, replacing the door would be the safest option, but given budget constraints, I think covering it might be a temporary solution. Just keep in mind it might only delay the problem rather than resolving it.
I’d love to replace it, but finances are tight. So, covering it for now makes sense, right?
What you want to avoid is creating dust from the lead paint. I’d suggest using a chemical stripper, being careful to scrape it all off. After that, you could coat it outside with KILZ or something similar, and then paint it however you like. Make sure to wear a respirator while doing this.
Thanks for your input! So you're suggesting I steer clear of that paint then?