Lead Paint
Abatement in
Oklahoma City.
No Panic Required.
Phil Sheridan · IICRC Certified · Edmond, OK
Free lead assessment. XRF testing. No guessing.
How Lead Paint Actually Works (And Why It Matters)
Lead-based paint was the industry standard for decades. It lasted. It held color. It resisted moisture. It was excellent at being paint — and it was slowly poisoning the people living inside the walls.
Here's the physics of it.
When lead paint is intact — still bonded to the surface, not chipping, not flaking — it's generally stable. The hazard doesn't come from the paint sitting there. It comes from what happens when the paint breaks down.
Deterioration creates dust. You can't see it. The particles are microscopic — small enough to be inhaled, small enough to settle on a floor where a toddler crawls. Friction surfaces are the biggest generators: windows that slide open grind the paint into powder every time you use them. Door frames. Stair treads. Any surface where painted parts rub against each other.
That dust is the problem. Not the paint on the wall. The dust in the air and on the floor.
My job is to interrupt that chain. Either the surface gets removed, or it gets sealed so it can't create dust. Then we test to prove the job is done. That's what abatement is — not a dramatic hazmat operation, but a methodical process with a specific physics problem to solve. If your pre-1978 home also has asbestos concerns, I can assess both hazards in the same visit.
Oklahoma's Lead Paint Numbers
If your OKC-area home was built before 1978, there's a real chance it contains lead-based paint. The older the home, the higher the probability.
Oklahoma has an estimated 937,629 homes built before 1979, and federal data suggests roughly 72% of those contain some lead-based paint. Oklahoma County has 8 ZIP codes classified as high-risk for lead exposure: 73106, 73107, 73108, 73109, 73111, 73117, 73119, and 73129.
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) administers the state's Lead-Based Paint Management Program. Any contractor performing lead abatement in Oklahoma must hold both EPA RRP certification and Oklahoma DEQ certification. If someone tells you they only need one of those, that's a red flag wrapped in a compliance violation.
Here's something most homeowners don't know: Oklahoma City offers up to $20,000 in homeowner rehabilitation assistance that can be applied to lead remediation in qualifying properties. That won't cover every project, but it can make a significant dent. I can point you in the right direction if you want to explore that option.
How We Handle Lead Paint — Step by Step
Every lead project starts the same way: we figure out what we're actually dealing with before anyone picks up a scraper.
[ Assessment ]
I come to your home with an XRF analyzer — a handheld device that reads the lead content of a painted surface in about three seconds. No scraping, no lab wait. I test every surface in question and give you a clear picture: here's where lead is, here's where it isn't, and here's what that means.
[ Scope and Plan ]
Not every lead-positive surface needs full removal. Some surfaces are intact and stable — they're not creating dust. Others are deteriorating, or you're planning to renovate through them. The plan depends on your situation. If you're a parent with a toddler and the windowsills are chipping, that's a different conversation than an investor prepping a 1960s rental for tenants. Both are valid. Both get a plan that fits.
[ Containment ]
Before any work starts, we isolate the area. 6-mil poly sheeting goes up. HVAC registers get sealed. Negative air pressure in the work zone keeps dust from migrating. This isn't optional — it's how you keep lead dust from becoming everyone else's problem.
[ Treatment ]
Depending on what the assessment showed, we do one or more of these: Removal — the lead-painted surface is physically removed. Encapsulation — a specialized coating gets applied over stable lead paint, creating a durable barrier. Replacement — sometimes the smartest move is to replace the component entirely. We use wet methods wherever possible — spray misting to keep dust suppressed, HEPA vacuums for capture, and TSP cleaning for surfaces after treatment.
[ Clearance Testing ]
This is the part that matters most, and it's the part I don't do. A third-party inspector — independent of 4D Restoration — comes in after we finish. They take dust wipe samples from floors, windowsills, and window troughs. Those wipes go to an accredited lab. If the dust levels come back below EPA clearance thresholds — 10 µg/ft² for floors, 100 µg/ft² for sills, 400 µg/ft² for troughs — you get a clearance report. That report is your proof. Not my word. Not my promise. A lab result from an independent inspector that says your home meets federal lead-safe standards.
When Lead Abatement Goes from "Maybe Eventually" to "Call Today"
A few situations move this from the back burner to the front:
You're renovating a pre-1978 home. Federal EPA rules require certified contractors for any work that disturbs painted surfaces in older homes. If your general contractor doesn't handle lead, you need someone who does — and who can fit into the project timeline without blowing it up. That's what I do.
You've got peeling or chipping paint and kids in the house. This is the one that keeps parents up at night. And it should be taken seriously — not because you need to panic, but because you need to act. An assessment tells you exactly what's happening. Most of the time, the fix is more manageable than you're imagining right now.
You're selling or buying a pre-1978 home. Federal law requires lead paint disclosure. Buyers get a 10-day window to test. If you're selling, getting ahead of this with documentation makes your home easier to sell. If you're buying, an assessment before closing saves surprises later.
Water damage hit a painted surface. When water damages old paint, it accelerates deterioration — and that deterioration can release lead dust that wasn't a problem before. If you've had a leak or flood in an older home, the paint condition needs to be evaluated alongside the water damage.
Why Hire Us for Lead Paint Work
I'm Phil Sheridan. I own 4D Restoration. I'm IICRC certified, DEQ licensed, and I've been doing environmental restoration work since I started this company on January 3rd, 2024. Before that, I spent six years in the U.S. Army, including a deployment to Afghanistan.
The military taught me one useful thing for this work: follow the protocol. Every time. No shortcuts. Lead abatement is a protocol-driven process, and I don't get creative with protocols. I follow them because they work.
When we finish a lead project, the proof isn't my word — it's the clearance test. Third-party. Independent. Lab-verified. If the numbers aren't below EPA thresholds, we're not done. That's not a marketing line. That's how this works.
We're based in Edmond and serve the entire OKC metro. Veteran-owned. Not a franchise. Not a national chain. Just a local company that does the work correctly and documents everything.
Lead Paint Questions, Straight Answers
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=01 "How do I know if my house has lead paint?" ▶ ENTER
The only way to know for sure is testing. Store-bought swab kits exist, but they're limited in accuracy. An XRF analyzer — the kind I bring to assessments — reads the lead content of a painted surface in seconds without damaging it. If your home was built before 1978, I'd recommend testing before any renovation work, or any time you notice paint deterioration in areas where kids spend time.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=02 "What's the difference between lead paint abatement and encapsulation?" ▶ ENTER
Abatement is the umbrella term for permanently eliminating lead hazards. It includes removal, encapsulation, and replacement. Encapsulation specifically means applying a specialized coating over stable lead paint to seal it and prevent dust generation. It works well on intact surfaces that won't be disturbed. But if the paint is already peeling or the surface is a friction point — like a window sash — encapsulation alone isn't the answer. The surface needs removal or replacement.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=03 "Is lead paint dangerous if it's not peeling?" ▶ ENTER
It depends on the surface. Intact lead paint on a flat wall that nobody touches? Generally stable. Intact lead paint on a window frame that gets opened and closed? Every time you slide that window, the friction grinds paint into dust you can't see. Stair treads, door edges, and cabinet hinges work the same way. "Intact" doesn't always mean "safe." It means "not visibly failing." The dust can still be happening.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=04 "Do I have to move out during lead paint abatement?" ▶ ENTER
It depends on the scope. If we're treating one room, we seal it off with containment barriers and you live normally in the rest of the house. If we're replacing all the windows in a smaller home, you might want to stay somewhere else for a couple of days. I'll tell you upfront what the disruption looks like so you can plan.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=05 "Will my insurance cover lead paint removal?" ▶ ENTER
Your homeowners insurance covers a lot of things. A tree through your roof. A pipe bursting at 3 AM. Lead paint that's been there since Eisenhower? That's on you. Standard homeowners policies almost never cover standalone lead abatement. But if lead paint is disturbed during a covered event — like a <a href='/services/fire-smoke/'>fire</a> or flood — the handling may be factored in. The same limitations typically apply to <a href='/services/mold-removal/'>mold remediation</a> and <a href='/services/asbestos/'>asbestos abatement</a>. The best move is to get an assessment first so you know the actual scope before you assume the worst.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=06 "What certifications should a lead paint contractor have in Oklahoma?" ▶ ENTER
In Oklahoma, a lead abatement contractor needs both EPA RRP certification and Oklahoma DEQ Lead-Based Paint certification. Both. If someone tells you they only need one of those, find a different contractor. My IICRC certification adds a third layer — it covers environmental restoration standards that go beyond minimum regulatory requirements.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=07 "Can I remove lead paint myself?" ▶ ENTER
You can. Nobody's going to arrest you. But when you go after a 1945 windowsill with a heat gun and no containment, that lead dust goes into your carpet, your HVAC system, and basically anywhere you'd rather it didn't. EPA lead-safe work practices exist for a reason — containment, wet methods, HEPA filtration, proper disposal. If you choose to do it yourself, follow those practices to the letter. If any of that sounds like more than you want to manage, that's what I'm here for.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=08 "What is lead clearance testing and why does it matter?" ▶ ENTER
Clearance testing is the proof that the abatement worked. After we finish, a third-party inspector — not me, not my crew, someone independent — takes dust wipe samples from your floors, windowsills, and window troughs. Those wipes go to an accredited lab. If the lead dust levels come back below EPA clearance thresholds, you get a written report confirming your home meets federal lead-safe standards. That report is the whole point. Without it, you're trusting someone's word. With it, you've got science on paper.
Ready to Find Out What You're Actually Dealing With?
A free lead assessment tells you exactly where you stand — which surfaces have lead, which don't, and what (if anything) needs to happen next. No pressure. No scare tactics. Just information you can use to make a smart decision for your home and your family.
Call Phil.
405-896-9088I pick up the phone.
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"Tell me what you're looking at. I'll tell you what it means."