Lead Paint Test Cost

An average inspection costs around $300. Costs can range from $250 to as much as $700 for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home, depending on where you live.

Pros use a fluorescent X-ray analyzer to detect levels of the substance in the paint. They take pictures, notes, and run a report that indicates affected areas. It takes about three hours because inspectors test every interior and exterior surface.

Hire a pro to test for lead:

• To understand a home's health risks before buying
• Before major renovations to avoid releasing harmful dust
• If you suspect your children have been exposed to harmful levels

Exterior Lead Testing Cost

Pros charge around $300 to test the exterior and interior of a standard 3-bedroom home. It is uncommon to test separately as the rate may not decrease.

Siding and trim often contain the substance in older homes. Exterior paint can flake and enter the soil around the house.

Lead-Based Paint on Interior Walls or Windows

The $250 to $700 cost range includes testing interior surfaces that may contain paint in the home:

• Walls
• Windows
• Doors
• Molding
• Railings

Home Lead Risk Assessment Cost

Risk assessments range between $800 and $2,000.  Assessors investigate the source and severity of the problem. Then, they create a strategy of appropriate solutions for your safety and budget.

Assessments and inspections differ in several ways.

• Assessments usually occur after poisoning is found in children. It is a lengthy and specialized process. Assessors research the source and recommend the best abatement strategies for each home.
• Inspections occur mostly before real estate transactions. These differ because inspectors only tell you if the problem exists and where.

Lead Paint Abatement Cost

Average lead abatement costs around $3,000 and ranges between $1,100 to $5,000.

• Mitigation: more than $1,000
  • Reduces exposure by
    • sealing old paint with new
    • covering affected areas with new siding or drywall
  • Homeowners mostly mitigate
• Elimination: more than $10,000
  • Hire pros to
    • strip and dispose of paint
    • remove and replace affected walls, windows, doors and soil
  • The government sometimes requires property managers to eliminate for subsidized housing

The Environmental Protection Agency offers this tool for finding certified pros. Removal and abatement pros must comply with EPA approved procedures, adding $36 to $376 per project. This is the only way companies may legally remove the substance from your home.

Restoration & Repair Cost Factors

Factor repairs or rebuilds after removal into your overall cost.

Research, plan and budget for restoration when you are planning for any abatement projects:

• Price to repaint the interior: $1,000-$2,700
• Price to repaint the exterior: $1,700-$3,900
• Re-siding cost: $5,000-$14,000
• Cost of replacing pipes: $350-$1,800
• Rate for refinishing floors: $1,000-$2,400
• Landscaping installation price: $1,400-$5,300

DIY Test Kits vs. Hiring a Certified Inspector

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission determined that many consumer test kits did not detect lead when it was there. EPA-approved kits for consumers cost about $25 for eight swabs and will likely require multiple kits.

Hiring a pro to inspect your home will cost around $300 but is the best way to get an accurate reading. They use state-of-the-art x-ray tools, know where to find affected surfaces, and know how to inspect for buried old paint layers.

FAQs

What are the chances my house contains lead?

Homes built before the 1980s probably contain lead. The government banned it from consumer use in 1978. Before this, products such as paint, plumbing, pipes, ceramics and gasoline often had it.

Where can lead be found in the home & how dangerous is it?

Air, soil, water, and home built before the 1980s can contain lead. It was widely used in the production of paint, gas, pipes and ceramics.

• Lead paint in the home can chip and become airborne.
• It can leach into your water through pipe corrosion.
• It may be in your soil from past gas emissions and paint chips.

Children's growing bodies are more susceptible to poisoning. They are also at higher risk of exposure through hand-to-mouth activities.

The Environmental Protection Agency says that if children are poisoned, it can result in:

• Behavior and learning problems
• Lower IQ and Hyperactivity
• Slowed growth
• Hearing problems
• Anemia

Pregnant women are also at risk of exposing developing babies.

What happens if my house tests positive for lead?

If your home tests positive, act. Consider the safety of children and the severity of your family's exposure. Get a risk assessment if your family's blood levels test positive.

For every instance of lead, there is a unique test and removal process. Reducing exposure to lead risks requires time and management. Mitigation techniques may involve hiring a pro and spending more than $1,000. Complete elimination always requires a pro and could cost more than $10,000.

What is the cost of a lead blood test? What if I test positive?

Standard tests cost between $50 to $100. This fee varies widely based on insurance. Call your local doctor or health department to arrange a blood test and ask about pricing for your family's policy.

If tests reveal lower levels, in children five micrograms per deciliter, request a risk assessment. Assessors will create a strategy to remove the source of the poisoning and avoid further exposure.

Severe cases of higher levels, 45 mcg/dL or higher, require further medical treatments through chemical injection or expelling it from your system.

What is an EPA lead certification? What does it cost?

EPA regulations require training and certification for

• Inspectors
• Risk assessors
• Abatement workers

The EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule also requires certification for contractors who disturb lead as a consequence of work in the home.

What does lead paint look like?

Lead paint looks the same as regular paint. Levels can only be determined through testing. If the old paint is deteriorating or flaking, get it tested.