Lead Paint (Historic) Calculator

Pre-1978 buildings routinely carry lead-based paint under multiple later coats — this calculator estimates the cost of dealing with it across four treatment approaches ranked from least to most invasive: encapsulation (sealing the paint in place, cheapest and gentlest on historic fabric), chemical stripping, mechanical removal, and full abatement. Each method has its own base cost per square foot that also scales up modestly with the number of paint layers present, since more layers mean more material to seal, strip, or remove; interior work then gets a 30% cost multiplier on top of that base rate to account for the containment and ventilation controls required when you can't just let dust and debris disperse outdoors. On top of the treatment cost, the calculator adds XRF testing costs (estimated at one test point per 100 square feet at $25 each) to identify where lead is actually present, plus a flat $300 clearance-testing cost that only applies to the two more invasive methods (mechanical removal and full abatement), since those require post-work clearance verification that encapsulation and chemical stripping typically don't.

The calculator also reports a preservation-impact rating from 0 to 3 that directly mirrors the method chosen — encapsulation is rated as having no impact on historic material, while full abatement is rated severe, since aggressive removal methods risk damaging the historic substrate underneath the paint. Because encapsulation preserves the underlying historic finish while removal methods can permanently alter it, preservation-minded owners should default to encapsulation wherever the substrate condition allows, reserving removal for areas where deteriorated paint or moisture damage makes sealing impractical.