Getting ready for the weekend

[concertinette]

We’re having some unknown number of people over to help us out with wallpaper on Saturday. I’m happy to have the help, but I’m suddenly freaking out over how to manage it all. Are we totally dumb for wanting to get (at least most of) the paper down - even off off walls we’re probably going to end up drywalling over? We want to know the real

Comments

[shadefell]

From a health standpoint, leaving the wallpaper up and sticking wallboard over it might be better. The old wallpaper might contain lead.

[concertinette]

I'd be more worried if there were paint under the wallpaper, but there's nothing. We ran hardware-store lead tests on a bunch of things, and the only wall with paint over paper, the paint was fairly new (you can tell by the mid-70's-ness of the paper, as well as the lead test). And all the paper is directly on 1915 horsehair plaster.

Wood trim is a different story, some indicated lead, some not, though I'll be asking people to leave the paper edges largely alone and let us deal with that hazard ourselves.

[_meej_]

My understanding is that lead is, essentially, a non-issue for adults; that the worry is in making sure any leftover lead paint chips, dust, etc are well cleaned up, or in leaving it in place when there are developing kids about. Is that not the case?

As someone dealing with a lot of previous halfassedness in our house, I definitely applaud doing things thoroughly. (Also, I loved the phrase "lurking pinkly.")

[concertinette]

What flavor of half-assedness is your house's lead paint fixes