What the paint stores said
A Globe reporter recently visited a dozen retail paint stores in the Boston area and asked: How do you recommend removing paint from the interior woodwork of an old home? Here are the answers she got:
City Paint & Supply
1472 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington
Did staff inquire whether paint could be lead-based? No
Suggested method: Chemical stripper
Did staff suggest different method when told paint could be lead-based? Yes; suggested encapsulation*
Was industry brochure on lead-safe painting and home improvement available? Yes
City Paint & Supply
2564 Massachusetts Ave., North Cambridge
Did staff inquire whether paint could be lead-based? No
Suggested method: Chemical stripper
Did staff suggest different method when told paint could be lead-based? No, but said self-removal of lead paint is ``not the best thing in the world to do" and suggested first testing for presence of lead
Was industry brochure available? Yes
Drive-In Paint Mart
229 Old Colony Ave., South Boston
Did staff inquire whether paint could be lead-based? No
Suggested method: Chemical stripper
Did staff suggest different method when told paint could be lead-based? No, but said do not scrape or sand
Was industry brochure available? No, but employee provided similar printed information
Hillside Hardware and Paint
325 Boston Ave., Medford
Did staff inquire whether paint could be lead-based? No
Suggested method: Chemical stripper
Did staff suggest different method when told paint could be lead-based? Yes; suggested encapsulation*
Was industry brochure available? No
The Home Depot, South Bay Center
5 Allstate Road, Dorchester
Did staff inquire whether paint could be lead-based? No
Suggested method: Chemical stripper
Did staff suggest different method when told paint could be lead-based? No
Was industry brochure available? No
The Home Depot, Assembly Square Mall
75 Mystic Ave., Somerville
Did staff inquire whether paint could be lead-based? No
Suggested method: Chemical stripper
Did staff suggest different method when told paint could be lead-based? Yes; one employee suggested ``sanding a little" and then encapsulating*, but later said sanding ``might be dangerous . . . if you inhale it." Another employee advised first seeking permission from the local board of health.
Was industry brochure available? Yes
ICI Paints
38 Wareham St., Boston (South End)
Did staff inquire whether paint could be lead-based? No
Suggested method: Chemical stripper
Did staff suggest different method when told paint could be lead-based? Yes; said ``let a professional do it . . . so you don't inhale it."
Was industry brochure available? Yes
Salem Street True Value Hardware
89 Salem St., Boston (North End)
Did staff inquire whether paint could be lead-based? No
Suggested method: Advised against stripping paint in general because is time-consuming and messy
Did staff suggest different method when told paint could be lead-based? Said homeowners are not permitted to remove lead paint themselves, so must contact state officials and have work professionally done
Was industry brochure available? No
Sherwin-Williams
10 Camellia Place, Lexington
Did staff inquire whether paint could be lead-based? Yes
Suggested method: Chemical stripper, but only if house was built post-1978
Did staff suggest different method when told paint could be lead-based? Said ``we really don't get into that" and advised calling lead paint hotline
Was industry brochure available? Yes, prominently at front counter, next to sign urging anyone planning to renovate a house built before 1978 to read it
Supreme Paint & Wallpaper, Ball Square
720 Broadway, Somerville
Did staff inquire whether paint could be lead-based? No
Suggested method: Chemical stripper
Did staff suggest different method when told paint could be lead-based? No, but suggested first testing for presence of lead paint
Was industry brochure available? Yes, by entrance
Tags Ace Hardware, Porter Square
29 White St., Cambridge
Did staff inquire whether paint could be lead-based? No
Suggested method: One employee recommended sanding or paint thinner. Another employee recommended chemical stripper
Did staff suggest different method when told paint could be lead-based? No
Was industry brochure available? No
Wanamaker Hardware True Value
1298 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington
Did staff inquire whether paint could be lead-based? No
Suggested method: One employee recommended sanding. Another employee recommended chemical stripper.
Did staff suggest different method when told paint could be lead-based? Yes; said do not sand
Was industry brochure available? No
*Encapsulation involves applying a liquid coating that dries to form a watertight jacket over the lead-based paint, providing a barrier between the paint and the environment 