Turn of the century wallpaper removal
Buying 1907 Victorian in Ditmas Park. Wil need to remove turn of the century wallpaper. It’s thick and peeling off in places. There is def lead in there & to keep 22mo son safe I will want to remove it. How is this done? How much does it cost roughly and do you know anyone…
Buying 1907 Victorian in Ditmas Park. Wil need to remove turn of the century wallpaper. It’s thick and peeling off in places. There is def lead in there & to keep 22mo son safe I will want to remove it. How is this done? How much does it cost roughly and do you know anyone who coudl do this? After it’s removed we’ll have to plaster/skim coat the walls which I know is the greatest expense. Any other suggestions on how to handle this?
By the way, that whole thing about the skim coat taking care of all problems is really not quite covering it. The problem is the dust that you kick up while you’re doing the work. That gets on the floors, then on little hands, then in little mouths.
Not to get hysterical–because in truth, most people are more or less safe, even in lead contaminated houses–but the problem with lead is that the effects can be profound (causing mental defects that run anywhere from a coupla points off the IQ to something close to retardation) and the half life is almost 20 years. So, in the worst case scenario, when your 22 month-old is 22 years-old, he’ll have leached out half of the lead in his system.
Unless you have an XRF gun test the walls, there is no way to know about the lead content in the walls (the capsule tests are unreliable). However, if there is paint back there that appears to be pre-1950 you can pretty much bet money it has lead, and at fairly high levels.
Anyone with a child under six years can ask the folks at HUD’s PPP Lead Treatment Program to come in and XRF the walls for free. I was awarded a lead grant, and although it was a bureaucratic challenge, I’m glad my daughter is safe.
I’m happy to talk with you (or anyone else) about my experience if you want. Poverty2112@hotmail.com
I recently moved into a Victorian rowhouse in Boston with the same conundrum. My wallpaper wasn’t as old as yours, but still, the job was overwhelming for me because of the unknowns that lie beneath the paper.
I hired a painting contractor to remove the paper, apply a skim coat, and paint, and it ran me $1400 for a 400 sq. ft. room. Not sure what prices in New York are, but I would strongly recommend getting a professional – they were WAY faster than I could do it, and the results were amazing. Definitely worth the money.
I recently moved into a Victorian rowhouse in Boston with the same conundrum. My wallpaper wasn’t as old as yours, but still, the job was overwhelming for me because of the unknowns that lie beneath the paper.
I hired a painting contractor to remove the paper, apply a skim coat, and paint, and it ran me $1400 for a 400 sq. ft. room. Not sure what prices in New York are, but I would strongly recommend getting a professional – they were WAY faster than I could do it, and the results were amazing. Definitely worth the money.
Once the wallpaper is removed (easily with some water and patience), make sure to remove all glue residue…not for health reasons, but it can sometimes effect the plaster and/or paint.
Why do you say there is lead paint in there? We removed ancient wallpaper from all over our house. The walls had never been painted at all. The wallpaper was paper and the glue was water-based. It was very easy to remove using just a spray water bottle and a paper tiger. Lead paint is found primarily in moldings, not on walls. Before spending lots of money on special removal, you might want to have it tested.
The danger in lead based paint is when it flakes. If you are planning to skim coat that will more than suffice both legally and for the safety of your child. Think about it the paint will be contained under a layer of plaster how would it flake off? 🙂