As part of my children's (ages 5 and 3) exploration of the physical world around them, they kicked out several balusters in our front porch railing. They also got a lesson in truth and consequences.

I got a Weekend Project.

It was clear that I was dealing with lead-based paint. While the paint on the railing is in generally good condition - not what would typically be considered a lead paint hazard - it was also clear that my repair project would be disturbing it, with the potential to create a hazard where none had existed before. It was actually amazing how much paint debris was created during this relatively minor undertaking.

Lead-Safe Work Practices can be distilled into three parts:

• Work Smart - prepare the work area and follow the best practices

• Work Wet - use water to minimize creation of lead dust
• Work Clean - Clean up the work area to remove any lead dust created during the project

The following is a demonstration of Lead-Safe Work Practices on an exterior repair project. It's not perfect, and I will discuss areas where I would recommend different practices and where I would do things differently the next time.

The Project

Here is what remains of the railing. Luckily, all the balusters were recovered.

Supplies and Set-up

Here is a list of the project supplies. Not all of them are shown in the photo below.

• 4-mil Poly Sheeting - I used 4 instead of 6-mil because this was a relatively short project and I was not going to beat it up. Use 6-mil for tougher jobs.

• Masking tape - I used regular masking tape. I would not recommend blue painter's tape because it won't stick as well. For tougher jobs, use duct tape.
• Various scrapers - The 5-in-one painter's tool was the most useful. Also shown is a rigid putty knife and a plastic scraper (not useful at all).
• Spray bottles - Have more than one. You can use it for clean-up if you don't need it for the actual job.
• Paint brushes - A bad one for the stripper and decent ones for painting.
• Paint stripper - Read the instructions and use proper PPE (personal protective equipment), particularly if you are working inside.
• Metal can - To hold the chemical stripper
• Cordless drill and bits - While I had all the plastic out, I decided to resecure the railing as well.
• Screws - 2-1/2 deck screws
• Rags - Invaluable for cleanup. You will throw these away, so don't use good ones.
• Paper towels - Again, for cleanup.
• Primer and paint - I used a spray primer so I wouldn't chance getting lead dust on a brush.

It is important to have all the supplies on hand because once you start work, you should not leave the work area. Leaving the work area creates opportunities to track lead dust into an otherwise clean area. In the same vein, drink a healthy glass of water before starting as well. Having food and drink inside the work area is a no-no because of the potential for you to consume lead dust.

Once you have all your supplies and tools assembled, the next step is to contain the work area. It is recommended by HUD and the EPA to lay out plastic sheeting a minimum of 10 feet in all directions of the work area. Close all windows and doors within 20 feet of the work area.

Since a portion of the work area was on the deck, I taped the poly sheeting down to the deck. This is typically done on interior work to prevent lead dust from getting underneath the sheeting. I cut it around the columns and taped it to the them to prevent lead dust from getting through.

I also had to contain the area on the outside of the deck to prevent paint chips and lead dust from falling in the planting area below. I rolled bricks in the sheeting to prevent it from blowing in the wind (if you use this method, roll the bricks from underneath so any paint chips and/or water that fall, don't contaminate the brick. It is important to create a "lip" at the edge of the sheeting in order to catch debris and dust.

After getting the sheeting set, I laid out all the tools and supplies on the plastic. The whole set-up took about a half-hour.

The project

The balusters were caked in paint, particularly around the base where they connected to the bottom rail. It would have been impossible to reattach them safely (so the paint wouldn't chip), so I opted to remove the paint completely using a chemical stripper. If I had to do it again, I would either cut new balusters or wrap them in plastic, take them to a stripping company, and have them do it. The DIY chemical stripper results were not worth the effort.

My first order of business was to start the chemical stripper. I set up a section towards the side of my work area to do the stripping. My thought was to do the wet scraping and railing repair while the chemical stripper was "cooking".

Next I got started with the wet scraping by spraying down the rail with water. Saturate the scraping area completely.

I found the 5-in-one tool to be the most useful for getting all the gunk and chipping paint. Unfortunately, a previous owner had used construction adhesive as a temporary fix to secure the balusters. The 5-in-one made prying that out a little easier.

Keep the sprayer in one hand and the scraper in the other. make sure the area you are scraping stays wet. Your poly sheeting will collect the water and debris.

HUD and the EPA recommend wearing protective disposable gloves. I did not have any on hand, so I made sure to wash my hands thoroughly after working. In the future, I will wear latex gloves.

After wet scraping, I secured the top and bottom rails. First I drilled pilot holes. Then I used a 1/4" bit to drill out a small countersink (to be filled with wood putty before painting).

I secured each rail section with a 2-1/2" coated deck screw on each side.

Then I cleaned up the rails with water and rags.

Once this was done, I was ready to scrape the balusters. This was horrible work, and like I said before, not worth it. I didn't feel I could clean the 5-in-one adequately after scraping the chemical stripper because it was covered in lead-paint goo. I threw it away (see "clean-up" below).

After the scraping, I set the balusters on a new piece of poly to dry.

By this time, the rails were dry and ready to prime. I used spray primer to make sure that I didn't get any residual lead dust on my paint brushes. I also caulked the seams and edges where the rail meets the porch column.

Clean-Up

After this work was done, it was time for clean-up. Each tool was carefully wiped down with soapy water and a paper towel, and then rinsed. I opted to dispose of a couple of the scraping tools that didn't appear that they could be cleaned well enough. The chemical stripper goo was just too invasive, and I didn't want to risk getting lead dust on my hands every time I used them in the future, and possibly contaminate the rest of my toolbox. This is another reason I would choose not to use chemical stripper on future similar projects.

The poly sheeting allows for a quick clean: simply roll the sheeting up onto itself and tape it closed. All the used rags and paper towels were folded up in the plastic.

I had a few feet left in my 25 foot roll, so I went ahead and double-wrapped the package.

Then I wrote on it with a Sharpie "Lead Paint Residential Waste". As of December 21, 2004, the state of Iowa does not require that lead paint waste from a residential renovation or repair project be treated as hazardous waste. It can be disposed of as part of regular residential waste.

All clothes went immediately into the washer. An additional empty cleaning cycle was run after the clothes came out.

Next came repairs to the balusters: filling areas where the wood had split off from being kicked. After the repairs, all pieces were primed before being reinstalled. I back-primed the ends of the balusters as well.

They were reinstalled and pinned in place (toenailed at the bottom and top) with stainless steel finishing nails. The the entire assembly was painted with an exterior semi-gloss latex paint, matched to the original.

All told, this project took about 4 hours (not including drying time and purchasing supplies). Simply tacking the balusters back in place would have been much faster, but ultimately, would have been a stop-gap solution that would have created a lead hazard in a location where children frequent. Lead paint is not an unknown - we know that it is harmful to children in particular, so I was unwilling to compromise on this repair.