Lead-Safe Painting in Massachusetts — EPA RRP certified.
If your Massachusetts home was built before 1978, lead paint is a real possibility — and federal law requires certified work practices on any project that disturbs more than 6 square feet of interior or 20 square feet of exterior painted surface. We've been doing this work the right way for 17 years.
Lead paint was banned for residential use in 1978. Any older Massachusetts home — Framingham triple-deckers, Worcester Victorians, Sudbury antiques, Newton colonials, Wellesley pre-war traditionals — likely has lead paint somewhere on walls, trim, or siding. Disturbing it without proper containment releases lead dust that's dangerous to children under 6 and pregnant women. EPA RRP certification exists to protect your family while the work gets done.
Why this matters in Metro West Massachusetts
A significant share of our project pipeline is pre-1978. Many homes in Ashland, Framingham, Hopkinton, Sudbury, Westborough, Holliston, Wellesley, and Worcester pre-date 1940 — original substrate, original windows, multiple layers of paint stacked over the decades. We treat every one of those projects as lead-safe by default unless a state-certified inspection has cleared it. That's not paranoia — it's the law, and it's good practice.
How a lead-safe project actually runs
Five layers between your family and lead dust. We document each step.
Initial assessment
On the estimate visit we ask the home's year of construction and visually inspect for chipping, chalking, or layered paint. Pre-1978 homes are flagged for EPA RRP work from the start; the warranty terms, timeline, and price all reflect the lead-safe scope.
Containment setup
Day 1 of the project starts with plastic sheeting, drop cloths, and sealed-off work zones. Interior projects get HEPA-filtered negative-air machines if dust generation is heavy. Exterior projects get ground tarps that catch every paint chip.
Dust-controlled prep
Wet-sanding instead of dry-sanding wherever possible. Power sanders only with HEPA shroud attachments. Hand-scraping into bags rather than onto the ground. No open-flame burning, ever.
HEPA cleanup + verification
End of each work day: HEPA vacuum the work area, wet-wipe surfaces, then run a white-cloth test on horizontal surfaces. We document the cleanup; you can request the photos for your records.
Documented disposal
Paint chips, used drop cloths, and HEPA filter contents go into sealed double-bagged contractor bags and are disposed at facilities permitted to accept lead-containing material. No paint debris on your curb, ever.
EPA RRP work, documented.
- Crew with current EPA RRP certification
- Full plastic containment of all work zones
- HEPA-filtered vacuums and shrouded sanders
- Wet-sanding and hand-scraping into sealed bags
- White-cloth verification cleanup at end of each day
- Permitted disposal of all paint-containing waste
- Documentation on file for your records
Three questions before hiring.
- Are you EPA RRP-certified? Ask for the certification card. The penalty for non-compliance is on the homeowner as much as the contractor.
- How do you contain dust? "We'll be careful" isn't an answer. Plastic, HEPA vacuums, wet-sanding — these are the specifics.
- Where does the waste go? Paint chips and drop cloths can't go in your normal trash. A real lead-safe contractor knows where their disposal facility is.
The legal context (Massachusetts specifically)
Two layers of regulation apply to lead paint in Massachusetts:
- Federal EPA RRP Rule (40 CFR 745). Requires certified work practices on any renovation, repair, or painting that disturbs more than 6 sq ft interior or 20 sq ft exterior of paint in a pre-1978 home. Applies to contractors and DIY landlords.
- Massachusetts Lead Law (MGL c.111 §§189-199). Adds rental-property obligations — owners of rental units occupied by children under 6 must remove or cover lead-paint hazards. Owner-occupied homes aren't directly regulated by the state law but are covered by the federal rule.
For full regulatory text see the EPA RRP Program page and the Massachusetts Lead Law page.
Service areas where pre-1978 homes are common
We run EPA RRP-certified projects across Metro West and Worcester County every week. Some of the cities where we see lead paint most often:
Pre-1978 home? Start with a free EPA RRP estimate.
Our crew is certified, our process is documented, and your warranty is the same as any other AJ Painting project. Call (508) 258-4325.
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