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Jenny, I had the same question when I bought an apartment in NY. Everything was remodeled except the radiators and the paint was flaking from them. So I brought in a professional to test them.

I dont remember the firm, but I called 3 and got quotes before I picked one. I believe they have to be licensed by the state, so check for that. I thought the people I picked were very professional and did a great job explaining everything to us and sending us a easy to understand report from the lab.

Depending on the quotes you get and what your state allows, it might just be easier (cost-wise if not time-wise) to buy a wet-removal, lead-fixing stripper to get rid of the flaking paint, prime with something like AFT Safecoat Transitional, and repaint. It cost me maybe $100 to do this to my kitchen. And this way you can pick a zero-VOC paint to get rid of other nastiness.

You can buy lead testing kits at a good hardware store. They look like cigarettes and have chemicals inside them that when they come in contact with lead will turn pink.

I wouldn't worry too much about lead paint unless it is chipped or peeling or you have small children.

I had my home tested for lead before buying it, be aware that that testing must be stored permanently and disclosed to the next buyer. I found lead paint all over my porch that was peeling and flaking. I hired a professional lead contractor to safely scrape it and paint it. I did not have the "abated" which requires all kinds of permits government oversight and through the roof costs. The rest of the lead in the house was minor, a few windows and the walls in closet. I kept my family safe by keeping the house clean. I had two babies in that house and both maintained very low blood lead levels.

If you have children under 6 or plan to have children you are right to be concerned about flaking paint or possible lead paint on friction (painted window components rubbing against eachother as they go up and down) and impact (door stops, baseboards that are hit by chairs)surfaces in the house. As a general rule lead paint is most often found on trim, in the kitchen and in the bathroom, though it could be used anywhere.

Flaking paint should be repaired. You can do it yourself by wearing a mask, spraying the flaking paint with water then scraping it. Be sure to very thoroughly clean the area afterward and perhaps discard your clothing.

Door trim can be stripped and repainted, be sure to clean up thoroughly. But it is much harder to remove windows, strip them, and reinstall them, if you wish to do that I would hire a professional. The best way to keep your family safe is to keep your home clean. By wet wiping and mopping the flat surfaces in your home weekly and washing your childrens hands before eating and going to bed you can keep them healthy and safe.

Also be sure to have your children tested for lead poisoning when they are one and two or if they might have been exposed to a house that is being renovated or that has flaking paint.

There is also the possibility of old pipes being soldered with lead, always let the water run until the pipes are flushed of water that might have been sitting in the pipes absorbing lead for long periods of time like overnight and cook with cold water.

I'm a real estate agent, so I deal with this question often. Lead-based paint is essentially going to be present somewhere in every house built before 1978, so it's really a waste of money to test for it. Also, you abate lead-based paint by painting over it, so just repair any chipped/peeling paint, which you should really do anyway, and you should be fine.

I don't think that is true, lead paint was being phased out as early as 1950, the older the home the greater the chance it will have lead paint. Be careful with your terminology people get very litigious when their children are poisoned.

Abatement is a very specific term that means permanently addressing the problem using one of four techniques: removal (completely removing the paint); replacement (replacing the contaminated window); rigid encapsulation (covering it over with something hard like drywall or siding); and/or liquid encapsulation (using a government approved paint that will seal in the lead).

Remediation, activities like painting are only temporary solutions, but can have a big impact.

We rent, and I can tell you that our home actually has a "this area contains chemicals known to the State of California to be harmful to humans and cause birth defects..." it goes on a bit. Basically, yes, our house has lead paint, and LOTS of it. We just keep the paint in good shape, wear a mask when sanding, and repaint regularly to keep chipping to a minimum.

Then again, we have no intention of ever having children, and I'm more worried about my cats eating onion than lead, so... yeah.

If you are worried enough to have the place tested, have it done professionally, so that you don't have to worry weather or not you did it correctly. Also, be sure to include a clause in your escrow that allows you to get out of the purchase if there ARE high levels of lead, or that require the current owners to fix it, or something. You don't want to be stuck buying a house full of lead without any recourse.

As Meredithvp said, any formal test results must be kept permanently and disclosed to every buyer down the road. Sometimes it can be better not to know for sure. Just assume that older paint contains lead, maintain it properly, and take appropriate precautions when renovating or otherwise disturbing the area.

Lead paint was not phased out in 1950s. The amount of lead in paint was lower after the 50s, but that is totally erroneous information.

The sale of Lead paint for residential structures was terminated after 1978. Just keep in mind that contractors were allowed to use their stockpiles.

For good information see http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/leadinfo.htm#buy

Presume anyplace built prior to 1978 has lead paint unless proven otherwise.