Sanding floors in an older house: lead dust and the EPA's renovation rule

Updated November 11, 2026 · KeystoneProGuide editorial team

Is sanding a floor in an older home a lead risk?

It can be, wherever paint is disturbed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says about three-quarters of U.S. homes built before 1978 still contain some lead-based paint, and that any renovation, repair or painting project in such a home can easily create dangerous lead dust. It names sanding and cutting among the common activities that do it. A flooring job in an older house can involve exactly those: sanding a floor that was once painted, taking off painted baseboards and shoe molding, cutting around painted door casings, or refinishing painted stair treads and risers.

The EPA's pages frame the risk in terms of painted surfaces. None of the pages read for this guide says whether a clear finish such as varnish or shellac counts. If a floor's history is unknown, the EPA's general advice applies: find out when the home was built, have it tested, or assume lead is present.

Who is most at risk?

Young children. The EPA says the main concern is children who crawl, play on floors and put their fingers, toys and other objects in their mouths, and that even a project that creates a small amount of dust can pose health risks. On its consumer page it goes further: a home project that creates even a small amount of lead dust is enough to poison a child.

What does the law require of a flooring contractor?

The EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule requires anyone paid to do work that disturbs painted surfaces in a home built before 1978 to be certified, and their employees to be trained in lead-safe work practices, either as certified renovators or on the job by one. The rule covers all firms, including sole proprietorships. Pennsylvania does not run its own version of the program, so the EPA administers it here, and the federal rule is the one that applies.

Pennsylvania adds a separate certification for removal work. Its Department of Labor and Industry certifies lead removal contractors and workers, as it does for asbestos.

The rule does not generally apply to homeowners working on their own homes. It does apply to you if you rent out all or part of the home, run a child care center there, or buy, renovate and sell houses. If you rent a pre-1978 home, the EPA says your landlord must comply when work disturbs paint.

What should a lead-safe floor job look like?

The EPA's description of lead-safe practices for homeowners is a fair picture of what to expect from a certified firm too. It covers:

• Setting up. Remove furniture, rugs and household items; cover floors with plastic and seal doors; build an airlock at the entry if needed; turn off forced-air heating and cooling and tape plastic over the vents; close the windows in the work area.
• Protecting workers. A disposable N-100 respirator, coveralls, shoe covers, eye protection and gloves; no eating, drinking or smoking in the work area.
• Keeping dust down. Misting surfaces before sanding or scraping, wet-dry sandpaper, and power tools fitted with HEPA vacuum attachments.
• Cleaning. Leaving the area clean every day and, at the end, cleaning until no dust or debris remains, then cleaning once more.

Wood dust itself is a further reason for containment, lead or no lead. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says airborne particles from sanding may cause respiratory symptoms and cancer, though the extent of the hazard has not been clearly established.

Does dust-contained sanding cost more?

It usually does. Cost surveys price "dustless" or dust-contained refinishing separately. Angi gives $5 to $8 a square foot for it, against $3 to $8 for a standard refinish. HomeGuide gives an extra $2 to $4 a square foot. These surveys do not say how such systems relate to lead-safe work practices, which are a legal requirement in pre-1978 homes, not an option. Ask the contractor to describe both.

How should you prepare as a household?

• Find out the year the house was built. The EPA's first step. If you cannot, assume lead.
• Consider testing. The EPA recommends a certified lead inspector or risk assessor to test the surfaces to be worked on.
• Keep children and anyone not working out of the work area until cleanup is finished, which is the stated goal of the EPA's setup steps.
• Ask what the crew will do with painted trim it removes, and whether that trim will be stripped or replaced.
• Do not try to remove lead-based paint yourself. The EPA says so plainly.

What happens after the job?

Routine cleaning matters as much as the job. The EPA advises wet mopping floors and hard surfaces to reduce lead dust, and warns against power buffing, polishing machines, scrubber strips and vacuums with beater bars on surfaces that could wear away paint. Inspect painted areas that get heavy wear, such as stairways, for chipping. Problems can be reported to the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-5323.

How to check a contractor's certification is in how to choose a flooring contractor, and the federal and state rules are side by side in what Pennsylvania requires of flooring contractors. Businesses are listed on the flooring contractors directory page.

Sources

1. Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
2. Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Program: Consumers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
3. Reduce the Risk of Lead Exposure at Home, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
4. Lead-Safe Renovations for DIYers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
5. Wood Dust - Overview, U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration
6. Contractor Licensing, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry
7. How Much Does It Cost to Refinish Hardwood Floors? [2026 Data], Angi
8. How Much Does It Cost to Refinish Hardwood Floors? (2026), HomeGuide