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Forrest,
You anwered your own question. “The wife is pregnant with her third child, so lead is a concern, as are fumes.”
Lead is VERY VERY VERY BAD for kids. It interferes with brain development. Not to mention other organs. Unless you want your client to have a high likelihood of having a disabled child, DO NOT sand. Go ahead and risk yourself, but this one is too serious to do to kids. It is very easy for them to get over-exposed to lead, and it will damage them FOR LIFE.
Chemicals are almost as bad, Barry had the right idea, send her and kids on an extended vacation. Matter of fact, a lot of the stuff that goes on during renovation is not good for a pregnancy. Trust me – been there, done that. We ended up putting off a lot of things (untill our daughter was born) just because of the dusts and fumes. Then we get the lead scare from the idiot next door….
But in your case I would think that munchkins and munchkin-to-be should be well away from the site for the duration, use a paste chemical stripper, clean the house (ALL of it, not just the room) with TSP, and test for lead afterwards. This is assuming that you can do the work (legally), for it would be tragic if you got sued for everything later because somebody got sick or whatnot….
As a last resort, cover the ceiling with drywall untill the family can afford, and get away for long enough, for the work to be done. I know – a terrible solution, but better than damaging a kids life.
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If the paint condition is good, why remove? I believe the lead and your liability concerns are real. Lead abatement gets complicated, especially with a family living in the house, but one time I did it in New York City, paint was acceptable for ceiling. Wall and trims had to be removed or covered. If you must have the boards, can you remove them and use the opposite face?
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My clients have an 1836 house with 1 X 8 T&G board ceilings they will keep. I have one room to facelift soon, and have the get the many layers of old paint off to bare wood (my preference) prior to repaint. I have the Porter-Cable paint grinder for clapboards, which works well in that application, but I am cautious overhead, as heavy as it is. Would chemical strippers be a better choice? What about the type with a saturated fabric? The wife is pregnant with her third child, so lead is a concern, as are fumes. Any thoughts out there?
*Unless she and the other 2 children are going to be out of the house for the duration, and past, I would not even attempt it.Check out this site for more info on lead,http://www.leadsafeusa.com/Barry.......
*Hi Forrest,Here is a sander that might get the bulk of the paint off fairly cleanly. You would still have to strip the grooves with something like Peel Away http://www.aittool.com/aitsandvac.htmIt is powered by a Hitachi side grinder.If you do go this route, ask them to cut their abrasive prices or buy from Klingspor.Use a vac with a HEPA filter or better.The Fein is good. Nilfisk better.Good health, Weogo
*Forrest,You anwered your own question. "The wife is pregnant with her third child, so lead is a concern, as are fumes."Lead is VERY VERY VERY BAD for kids. It interferes with brain development. Not to mention other organs. Unless you want your client to have a high likelihood of having a disabled child, DO NOT sand. Go ahead and risk yourself, but this one is too serious to do to kids. It is very easy for them to get over-exposed to lead, and it will damage them FOR LIFE.Chemicals are almost as bad, Barry had the right idea, send her and kids on an extended vacation. Matter of fact, a lot of the stuff that goes on during renovation is not good for a pregnancy. Trust me - been there, done that. We ended up putting off a lot of things (untill our daughter was born) just because of the dusts and fumes. Then we get the lead scare from the idiot next door....But in your case I would think that munchkins and munchkin-to-be should be well away from the site for the duration, use a paste chemical stripper, clean the house (ALL of it, not just the room) with TSP, and test for lead afterwards. This is assuming that you can do the work (legally), for it would be tragic if you got sued for everything later because somebody got sick or whatnot....As a last resort, cover the ceiling with drywall untill the family can afford, and get away for long enough, for the work to be done. I know - a terrible solution, but better than damaging a kids life.
*I think this is going too far in the hsyteria of lead paint.I have done a lot of work on my house including scraping and sanding surfaces with lead paint over the last ten years. My boys are now 7 and 9. While lab tests showed my blood level was raised above the "action" level for a short time, neither my wife or kids ever showed elevated levels. Except while trying to beat the coming winter scraping my porch ceiling, I took reasonable precautions - keeping cloths and chips out doors, not eating while working, etc.; and generally asked my kids to stay away from the mess.Lead paint softened with a heat plate or gun does not necessarilly vaporize the lead. Also, there is much higher levels of on the parkway near any older city street from lead in gasoline than at the base of an old house stripped.If this stuff is so dangerous, how did we live with it for the previous 100's of years?
*One's willingness to expose their own family to it is one thing, I suppose. As long as they know the risks. But, with what we know today about lead and abestos,(and even if only 1/10th of it is true) to go into a clients house and start removing either one without proper precautions may be foolhardy at best. When the woman is pregnant and there are 2 other kids, wouldn't you think it best to err on the side of caution? Not to mention that in some states it would be illegal without the proper certification.i If this stuff is so dangerous, how did we live with it for the i previous 100's of years?Actually, I've known a few people who didn't.........
*i "If this stuff is so dangerous, how did we live with it for the previous 100's of years?"Many people believe the fall of the Roman empire was mostly due to the lead cups they used for thier wine.
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Probably the lead scare is overdone. BUT, it is there nevertheless. So, it seems to me that no matter what method you use to protect the family and your pocketbook they must go for the duration.
Once they are gone suit yourself and crew up in protective clothing, pick a method you are comfortable with and go to town. This isn't really a complicated job once the health and liability issues are gone. This is just one of those cases when you gotta do what you know has to happen even if it isn't what you want.