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Lead Paint: What You Can’t See Can Hurt You

Lead in paint can be a hidden, very dangerous threat to many.   April 22, 2010 is the date that changes everything in home renovation for contractors.  This is the date that the new EPA law goes into effect regarding lead.  All pre-1978 homes have the potential to have lead paint present. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has long made it a priority to reduce exposure to lead, especially for young children.  Exposure to high levels of lead can be particularly damaging to children whose nervous systems are still developing and to pregnant women, whose unborn children are growing.  Children with these high lead levels can suffer from nervous system damage, behavioral problems, learning problems, slowed growth, headaches and other debilitating conditions. The Environmental Protection Agency has been working for three decades to reduce exposure to lead in lead paint, and on April 22, 2010, new federal laws will require all contractors “performing renovation, repair or painting projects that disturb lead based paint…to be certified and to follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.”

Contractors today must jump through numerous hurdles to guarantee that they are meeting these rigorous safety standards when working with lead paint in homes, businesses and other child related facilities. Thousands of workers performing renovations will have to be trained and certified as “Renovators” by EPA-accredited trainers. Paint professionals and other home improvement professionals will be trained in how to effectively protect household items and how to seal floor coverings from potential contamination while work is in progress. In addition, training will be given in how to use high-powered equipment while working with lead paint and how to contain the dust that accumulates during renovations.  The EPA in its' wisdom, has estimated the additional cost per contract will only be $36.00.  Unfortunately this is far from accurate; the cost of working on pre-1978 homes where lead is present will greatly increase the cost to the homeowner.  While they have greatly underestimated the cost, the safety concerns they have are very legitimate.

The process is to educate the homeowner.  A contractor is required to give the homeowner or property owner the new EPA “Renovate Right” pamphlet. A certified firm will determine if lead is present and if so the rest of the steps must be taken. When the work is being done it is all about containing the dust, chips, and potentially hazardous material.  The containment process is the most critical part of the process, as it is directly related to property owners exposure.

This new law is all the more reason to check out any contractor that you are hiring.  Do your homework on the companies you hire, the internet provides a wealth of information on them.  If you have a pre-1978 home, the contractor must be certified.  Ask them to show you their certification, as they are required to show it.  If they are not certified then thank them for them time, and move on to a contractor that is.  Due to the high cost to become certified, many contractors are avoiding the new regulations.  It is critical for your protection that the contractor is certified, and it is the law.  Feel free to call the staff at Brooks painting for answers to your questions concerning this new law.  Brooks Painting is already a certified lead paint renovator.

Our Promises to You

1. We’re committed to your project’s success

A lot of painters do the bare minimum, just to get by and move on. That’s not who we are or how we’ve built our reputation.

2. You can feel comfortable with our team

From the estimator to our office team, field employees to Crew Leader, we want you to know that you’re valued, cared for, and safe.

3. We’ll do the job correctly

You deserve total transparency, accountability, and exceptional work. No skipped steps or opting for the “easy way.”

4. We’ll stand by our job

Because we know we’re doing it all the right way, we can confidently stand by our work. We’re picky, and we want you to be 100% satisfied.

Most trusted painting company in the Greater Sacramento & Davis Areas

4.9 rating from 350+ reviews

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Brooks Painting gets in gets it done and out! Quality job, great price. Touch base daily with a report on progress of job. It's important to have confidence in a company that works for you. Brooks is that company.

Jeff Allbright, Nugget Markets Corp.

Listened to my needs and offered good suggestions. Customer confidence in value and quality.

John K.

Efficient, prompt, dependable, quality, respectful, friendly and caring.

Marilou R., Winters

The crew is as neat and reliable as the actual painting job and paint used. No boom boxes!! Cordial staff spoke English. The crew got along with each other and worked as a team. The actual finish is / was beautiful. We would like to use Brooks again!

Donna H.

Brooks did a fantastic job on our exterior and interior paint jobs. Quality was high, price was reasonable, and the team was extremely professional and detail-oriented. Mark was our crew lead and the team performed a number of exterior wood repairs, a door re-stain, interior and exterior painting. Mark clearly takes a lot of pride in his work and went above and beyond to ensure the work was high-quality, including finding exact matching siding to fix dry rot, and performing minor repairs that weren't even included in the quote. He and the team were all consistently positive and personable, joking with each other throughout the day, while also genuinely complimenting each other on the quality of their work. It was great to see, and that positivity definitely showed through the work they did. We couldn't be happier with the end result.

Ryan Schauland
Google

Brooks Panting Inc. just finished painting the exterior of our house. The crew did a terrific job. The house is a mid century modern with redwood paneling and an unusual amount of trim work. The Brooks crew was efficient, the quality of the painting was exceptional and the work was completed on time! Because of the age of the house several panels needed to be replaced. Brooks had the expertise to closely match the new paneling with the old paneling. I would not hesitate to recommend this company. They are professionals!

Daniel Dykstra
Google

My experience with Brooks Painting has been outstanding, and, if it were an option on Google, I would assign 100 stars to their work. Mark and his crew were exceptional in painting both the inside and outside of my Central Davis home. They were considerate, careful, and respectful of my furnishings and yard. Kristen and her office staff were also responsive to my queries and were timely in scheduling the work. Thank you Brooks Painting for assisting in transforming my house into a beautiful home!

Hollis Skaife
Google

Great job in every way- quality of work to customer service.

Debbie M.

Very professional, live up to their billing! [The] company was very cooperative, on top of everything. [They] followed through with their commitment.

Marylan T.

We chose Brooks Painting based on their excellent reputation. It was an excellent choice! We had them do a complete exterior and almost complete interior painting of our two story house. They were done separately, while we were out of town. We are very pleased with the quality of the work. They even fixed up a few mistakes made by a crew that painted a portion of our interior ceilings a month prior (removal of asbestos popcorn ceiling), at no extra charge. Cleanup was great, also. They repaired some dry rot that was uncovered (extra charge, but worth it), and they even moved furniture back into place as well as put back the curtain rods that I had taken down, which wasn't expected. I highly recommend them, and will use them again for any future paint jobs.

Charlie Russell
Google

They are on time! They show up! It was a big job and they were good and fast. Very nice guys.

Tracy W.

Hiring Brooks Painting was an easy and professional process the whole way through, from the estimate to the completion of having my very high walls edged, where I was unable to reach them. Crew Leader Eric was prompt and super capable, which was a relief since he had to maneuver and climb a very tall ladder. He was also in the process of teaching a newer painter and I admired his positive and encouraging manner. In addition, he was willing to respond to my requests with ease. No regrets here! The edging looks amazing and only took 4 hours to complete.

Serenity Now
Google

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COREY SCHMIDT

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Residential Estimator Ryan is a fantastic new addition to our sales team! If you have a residential interior, cabinet or exterior project, book with Ryan!

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    Why Work with Brooks Painting

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