What does lead paint look like?

It looks like paint. That's the honest answer: lead paint has no colour, sheen or texture of its own, so you can't tell by looking. What you can see are the signs of old paint and the conditions that turn it into a hazard.

Signs of old paint

• Alligatoring: a network of small squares or scales, like reptile skin. Common on old oil paint, especially on exterior trim and windowsills.
• Many thick layers: softened corners on mouldings, door edges and window trim from decades of repainting. A chip that shows several colours in cross-section.
• Chalking: a powdery film that rubs off on your hand, common on old exterior paint.

Where lead paint usually is

In HUD's 1998–2000 National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing (Jacobs et al., 2002), windows and doors had the highest rates of lead-based paint in almost every age group, inside and out. They're friction and impact surfaces too, which is why they so often turn intact paint into dust. Also look at:

• window sills and wells (troughs), sashes and frames
• doors, door frames and jambs
• porches, stairs, railings and banisters
• exterior siding, trim and fences
• bare soil around the foundation, where exterior paint has weathered off for decades

In HUD's 2018–19 survey, about 10.7% of homes had lead paint only inside, 6.6% only outside, and 12.1% in both places.

When it's a hazard

Intact lead paint under newer coats is mostly a problem waiting for a trigger. It becomes a hazard when it's:

• Deteriorating: peeling, chipping, cracking, chalking or damaged.
• Rubbed or bumped: windows that stick, doors that scrape, worn painted floors and stairs.
• Chewable: sills and railings at a toddler's mouth height.
• Disturbed: sanding, scraping, heat-stripping or demolition, which can turn intact lead paint into dust quickly.

If you find paint chips

EPA's advice is to clean up paint chips right away without creating dust. Standard lead-safe practice for doing that:

1. Keep children and pets away from the area.
2. Mist the chips and dust lightly with water. Never sweep, dry-dust or use an ordinary vacuum, which spreads fine dust.
3. Pick up chips with damp paper towels, wet-wipe the surface, and seal everything in a plastic bag.
4. Wash hands, and children's hands and toys, often.
5. Find out why the paint is failing, and test before you repair it. How testing works →

Sources: Jacobs et al., “The prevalence of lead-based paint hazards in U.S. housing,” Environmental Health Perspectives 110(10), 2002; American Healthy Homes Survey II: Lead Findings (HUD, October 2021), Table 4-3; EPA, Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home (2020); 40 CFR 745.223 and 745.85 (lead-safe work practices).