So you have wallpaper on the plaster, and then layers of paint over it, one of which contains lead? Or there is paint on the plaster under the wallpaper? If the latter, I'd use chemical paint stripper... I think some that I have called Organic Strip, or the 3M stuff, would fit the bill given the kids and that it's indoors. If the former, I think I would go with your plan A, but as I'm not familiar with the EPA regs I don't understand why you can't in a rental situation. If you don't want to touch it, maybe you could just put a new layer of wallpaper over it? Perhaps with liner paper underneath, or use textured paper? A whole new layer of gyproc seems like serious overkill. By the way, I had some bloodwork done last month and asked to have my lead levels tested as well. 16 years of living in a lead-paint house and doing paint stripping - and I'm normal. I know that was the likely outcome, but I wanted to be sure. KarinL

I've have a silent paint remover and have used it inside and out. Done a lot of trim and doors inside. Done three sides of house outside. One more to go! :) Get and use the scrapers they sell. You don't need any of the fancy ones. Just the plain ol triangular ones. They sell replacement blades for them very cheap, especially if you buy a five pack. I really can't tell you how much better these scrapers work. Keep the blades on the scraper sharp. Very important. I found a sharp blade would last about a days worth of scraping. When the paint literally bubbles off, that's and oil based and will come off the easiest. When is kind of burns off, that's latex. SPR will handle both. I didn't find is useful for detail work, tight corners (like stairs) or windows. To hard to put the heat where you want it and keep it from where you've already stripped. It works great on claps. Contrary to what they say, hit the claps with a random orbital sander using 36 or 40 grit after stripping. A light hand sanding ain't gonna cut it. Not at least on my 200 year old home with every type of paint ever invented. Then prime, then two coats of paint. No need to pressure wash. Oh, they have some tip on their website, for dried out areas, to apply some linseed oil to it a few days ahead of time. Doesn't work. I tried it. Made a big mess. Google search will confirm my results. Also, forget the linseed oil on the claps after priming. Unless you want you claps to be covered with black mold in a few months. To speed things along you MAY consider shortening the fins that keep the SPR off the claps. Stripping paint is hard work. For claps it doesn't require a lot of know how. Just grunt work. You might consider outsourcing this to some day labor. You'd be suprprised how much progress two people can make in day. Here's a good reviews... http://www.houseinprogress.net/archives/000108.html http://www.hereandthere.org/oldhouse/removing-exterior-paint.htm

you really need to post pictures it's hard to really say without them.

This nonsense not only affects those in the paint industry but plumbers,electricians and other people in the trades. As long as it is not disturbed there is no problem. Contractors already know to avoid inhaling the dust and how to contain an area. This is not about the children nor the environment. This is about generating revenue for more government interference. Generations of children grew up in so called "lead infested" homes homes without appreciable higher lead levels in their blood. It is ignorant parents who allow their kids to put their mouths on stuff that doesn't belong there. My kids were raised in homes with lead paint and asbestos. They don't have high levels of lead in their blood. Just the other day I saw a kid around 8 or 9 years old sucking on the corner of a video they were buying. Mom stood right there and never told the kid to take the case out of her mouth. I see this kind of stuff all the time. You just cannot legislate away stupidity! All this trend to removal is adding to the landfills and contaminating the ground water. Some things are better left alone.