Lead paint?

[Monkfish99]

Hi all. Just looking for some advice. We're in the process of redoing our bedroom. We've been told by a plasterer that some of room needs replastering The ceiling has a textured white paint on it that the plasterer has said we should remove so he can reskim.

When I scrape the white paint, there's a pale blue paint underneath that is on the original plaster. The blue paint comes off as dust when I scrape off the white layer. The house was built around 1900 so I'm concerned that it could be lead paint. Is this likely? I've read that the tests are unreliable so Is there any way I can be sure?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

It is likely a paint called 'distemper'. You can buy a Notromores lead test kit, from the likes of B&Q, to make sure, but if it comes away as a dust, it is less likely to contain lead.

 

[Nige F]

Lead was only used in oil based primer undercoat and gloss paints - not distemper,

 

[Wayners]

Distemper or I call it whitewash.
Old folks still say whiten the ceiling..

They also used it to make white lines on football pitches ect.
Terrible stuff Vs modern vinyl paints.

Powder. Mixed with water. Grey/ blue tinge to it when wet. Dries white.

Wash and scrape off. I vacuum sand it off.

No lead in it.

 

[Monkfish99]

Thanks for the replies. Very reassuring.