So ... Im working on an exterior paint job in Sierra Madre. Old house with alot of prep needed. There are old windows on this house of the casement and louvre types. It had been agreed that I would power sand the casements (they open inward) in the closed position to minimize dust. This I did last thursday, when I did all the window sanding. Yesterday morning, (Tues.), I got a call from the homeowner who lives in Northern California. He had received a frantic email around dawn from the tenants living in the house in question. They were claiming that the inside of the house was covered with toxic dust, and that the whole place would need to be cleaned. They enclosed the two pictures here, showing the supposedly massive dust incursion. The one with the louvres is in the bath, and the other in the bedroom. The third one I took, showing the extent of sanding from the outside, and showing the fully closed vinyl-backed drapes Here is the email she sent. Keep in mind that nobody EVER mentioned lead paint to me. I only mentioned a heat-gun in reference to another function, and that when I sanded these windows - occasioning the small amount of seeped dust that you see on the sills - all drapes were tightly drawn, all windows were closed and latched, and nobody was at home. Oh ... and keep in mind that I did all this sanding last Thursday. No mention of any issue was made Friday when I saw all members of the family, or Monday, when she was home all day and we spoke pleasantly at length about us talking the landlord into changing the color scheme. It was agreed that I would bring 5 color samples for her - at my expense - to aid in this process. The email: Roger, We have major issues... The inside of our house in now covered with paint dust. Paint that is very old and contains lead. Eli and I have both spoken with you and Dave about our concern about the toxic chemicals within the paint. Not only does that risk our health but a two month old baby as well. Dave said that because the paint is so old he would use a heat gun to remove the paint. This clearly has not been the case. Our whole bedroom and bathroom is covered with dust. Our bed, clothing, curtains, floor, and even the babies bassinet. Dave will not be aloud to continue work until this issue is resolved. We are sleeping in the living room tonight because the clean up will take clearing the the whole room and washing all floors/walls. I am not even sure what to do with the babies bassinet. Not to mention the bathroom. I am not sure how a professional painter wouldnt understand the severity of these issues. We have expressed these concerns with both you and Dave, unfortunately they have been over looked. We need to address this issue asap. Eli will call you first thing In the morning. Thanks for your understanding. Eli, Nikki & Phiona So thats the letter sent by the couple who was enlisting my help to try to change colors. Somehow they had lived in a dust-coated house for 5 days before noticing. I sent pictures of my prep process to the homeowner in No Cal, drawing his attention to the tightly closed drapes and the time-lapse between sanding and complaint. I also suggested that they were trying to game him. Later he copied me on a note he sent to them, saying that I was doing a great job, and basically telling them to cooperate with me. I hope they can learn to love the old color-scheme, because Im not gonna change anything. (note to Nikki and Eli ... This aint my first rodeo. Ive been dealing with entitled fools like you two since before you were born. And for Gods sake ... if youre gonna throw me under the bus, learn to spell.)
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 16:40:37 +0000
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