How to test and remove lead paint on furniture?

Question

We bought a very old (late 1800’s-early 1900’s) set of industrial shelves painted dark brown. I’ve no idea when it was painted, but we’re worried the paint might contain lead. We want to strip off the paint safely to restore to restore the shelves. There are decorative grooves which might be tricky to remove paint from too. Can anyone suggest a lead paint test kit before we start? Then which paint stripper/safety kit to use if it is lead paint? We could of course just paint over the old paint but it would look awful. Thanks

MitchellMc · Answer

@GoodyG,

Nothing wrong with choosing the safer route. You might like to do a minimal amount of wet sanding on the chipped areas just to blend their edges so they can't be seen under your top coat.

Mitchell

GoodyG · Answer

Thanks Mitchell and JewelleryRescue. given that you’ve pretty much confirmed what I suspected, i’m going to skip trying to remove the old paint and simply entomb it with more paint and sealer. Cowardly, yes, but perhaps a future owner will have more courage, even if they curse me for having to remove 50 layers of paint slathered on in 2023.

MitchellMc · Answer

Hi @GoodyG,

In my experience, just about every older paint I've tested has come back positive to some extent. Some have given an immediate and unmistakable reaction to the kit, and others have reacted slightly. Test kits can also give false results, and it isn't easy to test underlying layers of paint. It's important to remember that just because the tested top layer of paint isn't lead-based, it doesn't mean the lower layers are not. Either way, a significant portion of older paints contained lead, so as @Jewelleryrescue mentioned, it's wise to assume that the paint has lead in it.

I'll direct you to the WorkSafe QLD webpage on working with lead-based paints. It provides information on methods of removal that you can consider and the appropriate PPE to use.

Please let us know if you have further questions.

Mitchell