Lead in Vintage Furniture, Painted Decor & Old Paint
Spot it
Chipping or chalking paint on pre-1978 walls and windowsills; repainted vintage cribs, dressers, and painted decor of unknown age; imported painted toys.
Fix it
In pre-1978 homes, keep paint intact and clean window troughs damp; test before any sanding or renovation. Skip vintage painted furniture in kids' rooms unless verified lead-free. Children's products today are limited to 90 ppm in paint / 100 ppm total lead (CPSIA).
Check your address to see what the public records say about this for your home.
Safer swaps
What actually fixes this — the category to look for, not a brand we were paid to name.
Lead test kit (EPA-recognized)
First step before renovating or keeping vintage pieces
EPA Lead-Safe certified renovation contractorService
Required for pre-1978 renovation work — home-services rung
No shopping list for this hazard — the fix is a habit, not a purchase.
Sources cited
Sources
- Lead paint was banned in 1978 — homes and hand-me-down furniture older than that are the assume-and-test category — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (incl. SaferProducts.gov), 1978 (how we check this source)
Every source we cite is checked against our criteria first — see how we check our sources.