Painting Tips

Periodically, our Technical Director publishes "Lab Notes" to include technical and practical information about paint and paint application. If you would like more technical information, or to speak with a sales representative, fill out the request form or email us.

Lead Paint

Contrary to belief, direct ingestion of deteriorated, lead-based paint is rare and is not the primary source of lead exposure. The most frequent source is from common household dust - transmitted to people by way of dust through hand-to-mouth activities from old, lead-based paint, and from soil and dust "tracked" or "blown" in from outside the home. This soil and dust was previously contaminated by years of exposure to leaded gasolines.

A recent report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) confirms that lead-based paint that is well-maintained does not present a hazard and is best left undisturbed. If deterioration has occurred, in-place management, although not to be used as a permanent abatement method, is comprised of repainting, regular cleaning, dust control and personal hygiene. This has been shown to be a feasible interim approach for protecting children from lead exposure.

Encapsulation as a form of abatement is gaining support by regulatory agencies as a more practical and cost-effective alternative to removal.

Removal of lead-based paint remains a very expensive option and should take place only when the old, lead-based paint has significantly deteriorated - or if earlier renovations have left lead-contaminated dust in the home. Proper procedures must be followed by a professional contractor, trained in proper lead-based removal, or increased risks by improper removal can create new lead contamination sites.

Bennette Paint manufactures products which do not contain lead as a formulary component. As an approach to encapsulation, Bennette Paint's Acrylic 17 Acrylic Enamel (17 series) provides a non-breathing barrier system, promoting strong adhesion to a variety of paints and substrates.