Once lead paint is confirmed, the work changes shape. It gets slower and more methodical, and most of the effort goes into keeping dust in one place rather than into the painting itself.
Containment comes first
Before anything is disturbed, the work area is sealed off. Plastic sheeting isolates the space, drop sheets catch debris, and garden beds, play areas, rainwater tank inlets and vegetable patches get covered. Windows and doors stay shut. Anyone doing this work should be in coveralls with a respirator rated to Australian Standard AS/NZS 1716.
This step does nothing visible, and it is the step that protects the rest of the property.
Wet methods, not dry
Dry removal is what turns lead paint into a health problem. The accepted alternatives all share the same logic, which is keeping particles bound or trapped:
- Wet scraping and wet sanding hold the dust in water
- Chemical stripping lifts the layers without creating airborne particles
- Power sanders fitted with HEPA extraction capture what they remove
- Low-temperature heat processes soften coatings without vaporising lead
What is ruled out is equally clear. No dry sanding, no ordinary power sanders, no abrasive blasting, no open flame, no high-temperature heat guns.
Sometimes removal is the wrong goal
If the existing layers are sound and well adhered, sealing them in place with an encapsulating coating is often the better outcome. It is less invasive, it generates no lead dust, and it removes the exposure risk without the disruption of stripping. Replacing a component outright, such as a badly degraded window sash, is also a legitimate option.
Removal is one tool among several, not the default.
Waste and water
Disposal follows state, territory and local government requirements, and those vary, so the rule is to check rather than assume. Small quantities of dried waste may be accepted with household garbage in some areas while larger volumes need to go through hazardous waste channels.
One rule has no exceptions: contaminated wash water never goes down a drain or onto the garden.
The DIY question
It comes up constantly, and the honest answer is that the equipment matters less than the method. Containment, wet technique, personal protection and disposal have to all be right at once, and getting one of them wrong is what puts lead dust into the soil and the roof cavity of a house people live in.
If you are exposed or concerned, a blood lead test through your GP is straightforward and worth doing.
