In this day and age, the dangerous health effects of lead are well known. In the U.S. and Canada, lead-based paint and other lead contamination in buildings is regulated and has to be remediated before the building can be safely occupied. Other countries around the world are also looking at this important environmental and health issue.
Since 1978 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission limited the amount of lead allowed in any paint and any surface painted before that year has the potential to be a lead hazard. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that firms performing renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in pre-1978 homes, child care facilities and schools be certified by the EPA and that they use certified renovators.
But lead based paint isn’t the only hazard that our LeadX™ clear lead encapsulation coating is used to remediate. Often when older brick or concrete buildings are undergoing renovations for reuse, the brick, concrete, wood or other surfaces will test positive due to lead contamination for one reason or another, especially if it’s an older building. Beyond our clear option we also offer LeadX™ in a custom tinted or white lead encapsulating paint option… paint and encapsulate in one!
As you can imagine, remediating lead by removal or building secondary walls for containment is pretty costly. Plus, if you’re sanding off lead-based paint, every bit of the waste and dust has to be collected according to that particular state’s guidelines. This can cost thousands and thousands of dollars. This is why lead encapsulation coatings are popular.
Cost Comparison For Lead Remediation
According to the EPA, professional lead-based paint removal costs about $8 to $15 per square foot or about $9,600 to $30,000 for a 1,200 to 2,000 square foot house. The average removal project costs about $10,000.
On the other hand if you use a lead encapsulation coating to remediate the lead, it can cost about 40 cents per square foot for the product needed, plus the labor, which is just a fraction of the cost of other remediation methods. That’s why encapsulation of lead, where appropriate, with a lead encapsulating paint is the first choice of many remediators, architects, and engineers.
How Do Lead Encapsulants Work?
Lead encapsulants cover lead paint or other surfaces so that the surface cannot produce dangerous dust, and humans cannot come into contact with the lead.
It’s a much more economical and “surface friendly” way to remediate lead and make a building safe for occupants.
Here are a few facts about encapsulants…
– Lead encapsulants work best on clean, dry and solid surfaces
– Lead encapsulants cannot be used on the following:
? Surfaces that are walked on;
? Surfaces that rub together;
? Surfaces that are badly deteriorated (flaking paint, etc…)
– Conventional paint is NOT a lead encapsulant coating
– Most lead encapsulating paints you’ll find are thick, grey or white colored – Except for ours! LeadX™ is a clear, thin film lead encapsulation coating that lets the beauty of the substrate shine through.
LeadX™ The CLEAR Choice For Lead Encapsulation
A completely unique and much desired feature of our lead encapsulant is that it is clear and provides an invisible, yet powerful, protective shield over a lead contaminated surface.
LeadX™ lead encapsulation coating is chosen for many historical renovations because it won’t change the look of the building and is water-based, low VOC, and environmentally friendly.
Before I talk about a few of our notable case studies, let me address a question that comes in often: “Is your lead encapsulant approved in my state?”
In most cases, the answer is, “Yes!” Lead abatement is regulated at the state level, and each state has their own guidelines. We are happy to look up a state’s regulations and report back about our coating’s qualification in a particular location.
Many states defer to HUD Guidelines for lead abatement, and our LeadX™ does meet those guidelines. Additionally, for a historical project for the Susan B. Anthony Voters’ Block, our product was specifically approved by the New York State Historical Preservation Office.
They Could Have Chosen Anyone. They Chose Us!
Here are just a few of the organizations that have chosen LeadX™ as their lead encapsulant of choice:
- U.S. Navy for the Pearl Harbor Naval Base and Norfolk Naval Shipyard
- American Red Cross for their Central Louisiana Office
- Child and Family Services, Hawaii
- City of Rochester, NY for Susan B. Anthony Voters Block renovation
- Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum
- Smithsonian affiliated, National Museum of Industrial History
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
And that’s just to name a few… You can find out more about LeadX™ lead encapsulating paint and who has used it on our website here.
