Are you worried about what might be lurking behind the siding on your older Seattle-area home? Are you concerned about how lead paint could affect your health or your family’s safety if it’s uncovered unknowingly during a project?
If your Seattle-area home was built before 1978, the risk of lead paint hiding beneath your siding is real. And if your roofer needs to remove or cut into that siding (whether to install flashing, repair rot, or access other materials), you could be at risk for exposure to toxic lead dust.
At RoofSmart, we’ve worked with many Seattle homeowners who were completely unaware that lead paint was used on their home’s siding. Our crews are trained to identify lead paint before cutting into it and help you determine if it needs to be removed or just covered up.
This article breaks down exactly what happens when lead paint is found during a roofing project, how to identify it, and the safe and legal steps your roofer must take to handle it properly.
How do I know if my home has lead paint in the siding?
Any home built prior to 1978 might have lead paint. It’s really common to have it if you've got an 80- to 100-year-old house. According to the EPA, 24% of homes built between 1960 and 1978 have lead paint.
Within the Greater Seattle area, you're usually going to find lead paint on older Seattle, Tacoma, or Bremerton houses.
If your home was built before 1978, it’s a good idea to test for lead paint before doing any remodeling. That way, you know what to expect. You can do an at-home test using a kit or hire a trained professional to do a test.
The safest option for you and your family is to assume your home has lead paint and ask a professional to help with testing. That way, you’re best protected from the dangers of lead paint.
Watch out for paint on your home’s siding that is peeling or chipping like this:
Image from Cromwell Environmental
Once the lead paint gets to this point, it’s not salvageable. It needs to be removed completely, especially if there’s a leak in this area. Any damage to the paint can cause further issues.
You cannot paint over peeling or chipping lead paint because the top layer of paint will start peeling as well. You can only paint over lead paint that is still in good condition.
What makes lead paint dangerous?
Lead paint becomes dangerous when it gets cut, and lead paint dust gets stirred into the air. So, when cutting siding, doing window trim, or repairing rotten fascia, it can be an issue.
If the lead paint is on something that you have to remove or cut, especially cut, you need to exercise caution. You should avoid cutting into it with a power saw (or any other tools) at all costs.
The lead paint may be underneath new paint, but that's not a problem as long as you don't hit it with a power tool. If you've got trim with lead paint, you can just tear it off and throw it away.
Just tearing things off is less of an issue because you’re less likely to create lead dust (but it can still potentially be dangerous).
What are the health risks of inhaling lead paint dust?
Lead paint is extremely dangerous and can cause a lot of harm if you breathe it in.
In children, it causes:
- Developmental and learning issues
- Cognitive delays
- Behavioral issues
In adults, it can cause:
- Kidney issues
- Fertility and reproductive issues
- High blood pressure
What steps will my roofer take to remove siding with lead paint?
Lead paint is pretty rare in roofing materials, but your roofer might encounter lead paint when they work with your siding. You typically don’t think of your roofer ever coming in contact with your siding, but it actually does happen regularly.
For example, they might need to get behind the siding because it's too high up, or if it comes down too far on a multilevel home, they have to cut it.
If your roofer encounters lead paint on siding that they need to cut into or remove, they’ll need to take extra precautions. This will add extra time to the project (and raise the cost).
The removal process will look different depending on where the lead paint is found and how much there is, but here are the steps that your roofer will generally take:
- Testing for lead: If your roofer suspects that your siding has lead paint, they will most likely do testing to confirm it (unless you already had a test done).
- Calling in a professional: If your roofer isn’t trained and certified to deal with lead paint, they’ll have to call in a professional. If they are certified, then they can choose to take care of it themselves.
- Warning your neighbors: Before your roofer (or any other contractor) begins removing lead paint on your home, you should notify your neighbors. That way, they know to stay away while the removal is happening.
- Lead paint removal: This will look different depending on what you and your roofer decide is best for your home. They might scrape the lead paint off or remove the siding entirely. The City of Seattle requires that you follow EPA-regulated precautions for removal.
If the lead paint is found on the outside of your home, you might not have to leave your home during the removal process. Make sure that you refer to the EPA guidelines and the recommendations of a certified professional to determine the safest option.
How can you make sure your Seattle roofer is qualified to handle lead safely?
The thought of finding lead paint on your home is stressful enough, but can you trust your roofer to handle it safely? When toxic materials come into play, it’s important to find a roofer (or any contractor) who is licensed and trained to deal with lead paint removal.
Finding a qualified contractor is also important for making sure that the rest of your roofing job goes smoothly and your roof gets installed properly. It’s crucial that you ask your roofer the right questions to make sure that they’re reliable and experienced.
Read our article “Is Your Seattle Roofer Actually Good? Here’s How to Tell Before It’s Too Late” to learn exactly what to look for when choosing a qualified Seattle roofing contractor (and how to avoid the ones who cut corners).
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