A Lead Paint Horror Story.. - Posted by Tom (PA)

Posted by Jimbob on December 20, 1998 at 11:25:58:

Tom,

Lead Based Paint is a serious matter as you well know. If your crash and burn investor friend had trouble with it, I suspect it was because he didn’t do anything to the units until he had to. That means giving the place a paint job, etc. It’s amazing how many people buy investments and do nothing to improve or repair them because they are too cheap, they think they’re going to buy something, throw tenants in there, sit back and get rich…Wrong!

If you currently own property or are thinking of buying any which you suspect may have lead based paint, have the property tested. If it comes back positive, don’t panic. You merely have to take some precautions such as patching up any loose or peeling spots with spackle and sanding it smooth, I prefer to use Beadex Taping Compound on the walls and any good quality putty on the wood.

Next you want to fill in any cracks around surfaces between doortrim and walls, in wall corners, etc. with a latex acryllic sealer you can buy in tubes and apply it with a caulking gun. Cut the tip of the caulking tube with a utility knife at an angle and don’t cut too much off the tip. Run a bead of caulking along the area to be filled in and then run your index finger along the bead of caulk to smooth it out, you will be surprised at how good it looks after you run your finger along the bead. I prefer to use brilliant white caulking.

When everything is patched and sealed, you will want to paint the surfaces with a latex acryllic semi-gloss enamel paint, preferaby a paint which is made for walls, door trim, kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms. I prefer to use an air-less paint sprayer, there is a lot of prep work but you can paint a 2000 sq. ft. house in about 3 hours, and it looks great. When the paint dries, the acryllic and enamel in the paint forms a hard shell on the surfaces and will seal in any lead particles that may have been underneath.

One other thing to check for is mini-blinds, if you have any of these, some were made with lead based paint in them, kids love to chew on the ends of the blinds, get rid of them and replace them with a vinyl or plastic mini-blind.

By taking these precautions, you will save yourself a bundle in legal fees down the road, it’s worth it!

Jimbob

A Lead Paint Horror Story… - Posted by Tom ¶

Posted by Tom ¶ on December 20, 1998 at 09:01:13:

After reading the lead paint posts below, I remembered that I wanted to ask a question regarding a story that was told to me by a crash-and-burn investor in the 80s. He had said that TWICE tenants with small children moved into his apartments, and shortly after, had their kids tested for traces of lead poisoning - which came up positive! From what this man said, his places were in good condition - no loose chips. Could these people have been poisoning their children? The tenants stopped paying rent, and he had to bring in contractors to cure the building - not just the affected apartment (which I think is the law now in PA). Other than intensely screening tenants and checking with their past landlords, how do you avoid this nightmare and protect yourself from tenants who are out to intentionally do this?

Re: A Lead Paint Horror Story… - Posted by Gerry

Posted by Gerry on December 21, 1998 at 01:33:14:

Tom:

The best course of action is to remove all chewable surfaces that contain LBP. These would include all wood trim, doors, and windows.The trim can be replaced inexpensively with 4" pine. Merely covering or encapsulating the affected surfaces will do no good if a child bites into the wood.

I have seen lead paint test kits for sale in the paint department at Home Depot.In the event that you cannot find a lead paint test kit,you can make a solution of dry sodium sulfide and water. Sodium sulfide can be purchased from a chemical supply distributor-be careful, its’ kind of nasty.

Once you’ve prepared the sodium sulfide solution, take a utility knife and make a small, diagonal cut into the
painted surface so as to expose all layers of paint all the way down to the wood.Apply the solution to the cut area. If the solution turns black, it has become lead oxide-there is a presence of lead.

If available in your area, obtain a lead free or a lead safe certificate from a licensed lead paint inspector once you are sure your building is free of lead. File this certificate with your local building dept. or board of health. This way if a tenant has a child
with lead poisoning, you have proof that your building is not to blame. Unfortunately, many public buildings are not required to be lead safe (including schools!)
kids can get lead poisoning anywhere. Mr. Landlord is the easiest one to sue so CYA!

Hope this helps.

Gerry

Re: A Lead Paint Horror Story… - Posted by DavidV

Posted by DavidV on December 20, 1998 at 19:16:04:

The lead in the paint around a building can seep into the soil around the house. I have known some munchkins to actually eat dirt (yuck).

Re: A Lead Paint Horror Story… - Posted by Rob FL

Posted by Rob FL on December 20, 1998 at 17:25:30:

The only time I have ever had a tenant concerned about lead-based paint was about 4 years ago. Before moving in the lady asked if I knew of any LBP and I told her no that the house was built in 1989 so there shouldn’t be any of it in there. She was very concerned for her 2 year old daugther’s health.

Come to find out, her and her husband were chain smokers. That poor little girl had to breathe in their second hand smoke all day long. But all mom was concerened about was LBP not the smoke. People never cease to amaze me.