What is the most important thing to be aware of when updating paint on a historical home?

The absolute most important thing to be aware of is the presence of lead-based paint. It is required by the Environmental Protection Agency that any business doing any sort of renovation work on homes built before 1978 be certified in the specific protocol for working around lead-based paint. Lead-based paint can pose great health risks to workers and residents of homes. Especially in children, lead poisoning can cause long-lasting/permanent neurological and physical impairments and inhibit proper development.

Austin Ilsley
Owner

Austin Ilsley, the owner of Ai Painting Plus, has always loved historic homes, and when given the chance to work on one he jumped at the chance. “In 2019, I was finally given the opportunity to work on a home built in 1907 and the homeowner informed me that they were seeking an EPA-certified company to properly handle the lead-paint scraping and sanding as they had young children and did not want to compromise their safety,” he says. Not until completing the training did Ilsley learn the true risks of lead-based paint and “how serious lead-paint exposure can be and the importance of having proper procedures.”

Now, Ai Painting has five certified renovators on its staff to keep people safe and secure in their homes. When looking for a trusted expert to work on your historic home, Ilsley says it’s important to always do your research. “Look at Google reviews, photos, etc. to gauge the integrity of the company you are going to be working with. After that ask them specifically about their certifications and verify them.”

Being able to be the expert for those in Columbia and working on historic homes has been incredibly gratifying for Ilsley. “It’s not reasonable to say that they will ever look the way they did when they were first built with only prep and paint, but to see a glimpse of their former beauty is quite something.”