Here's what we do---our house is about the same age as yours and has, I imagine, similar quantities of lead! :)

- Lightly sand the cabinet with a sanding sponge. You're supposed to wet it to contain dust, but I only do this some of the time. Keep kids and pets away since paint dust will flake off; technically you should wear a mask, but again, I only do this if I'm really sanding away a lot of paint. Get any chipping paint off so that it's relatively smooth at the edges. Can be a bit rough here and there if need be---you won't notice a lot of that once it's painted.

- Once chipping paint is off and all paint is sanded (even sand the paint that isn't chipping, just enough to rough it up), clean it with TSP, let it dry for a day, and then use a REALLY good primer. (You can probably clean with TSP before sanding too; I just like doing it after so it gets the little bits of paint off, too.) I like Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3, which sticks to basically everything. We tried to use Zinsser Bulls Eye Zero (no VOC) when we repainted our kitchen ceiling, and it was a disaster---primer came peeling off in strips. BM paint store people strongly advised skipping the zero voc primer in the future and saving it for the top layer, if you're repainting old surfaces. (Should be okay if it's a new surface---it stuck to our new drywall and plaster with no trouble.)

- Then, once the primer is on, you can repaint with whatever paint you're using.

If I *really* want the paint off, I use Soygel, which smells atrocious but is a "green" eco-friendly paint stripper (though you still have to make sure to capture and dispose of the paint it takes off safely). BUT---this will take everything off and bleed into adjacent layers. It is NOT a good idea unless your goal is to get down to the wood and re-prime. If you just want to get chipping paint off, don't use this---you're less likely to encounter lead paint if you're just dealing with the top layers of paint than if you dig down into the bottom layers. The key with lead paint is that it needs to be in good condition---you don't necessarily need to remove it. A good primer followed by a high quality paint (I like BM Satin Impervo, and our cabinetmaker recently used BM Aura Satin which looks really nice so far) will contain the old layers of paint.

Hope that helps! And I still love white for your uppers---maybe a warmer shade of it would work to offset the marble and stainless?? (We used BM Acadia White with a gray and green kitchen, which is warm and creamy---I'm loving the effect so far!)

Artemis - thank you for all the details! Much appreciated!! I'd probably be a bit more cautious just to play it extra safe, having kids and such, but I appreciate it all! E.g. I'd probably wet the sponge sander. ;) Thanks!

A friend of mine used soygel on his fireplace mantels, which some lunatic of a previous owner had painted pink.

But one little note: how old is this paint? Any chance it could contain lead? You can get lead testing kits, which take about 5 minutes to give you the result, at Home Depot and places like that. They cost, I forget, maybe $10-15. If there is any chance that any layer of that paint predates about 1980 it would be a good idea to test it before removing it. The result might narrow your options for removal. For instance, you don't want to sand lead paint. You can get it off, but you have to do it differently than you would non-lead paint.

It's probably a safe assumption that there will be lead in the lower layers given the age of the house, I think---not even sure I'd bother to test it. (They do test for free here, though---I wouldn't be surprised if Portland does too.) Lead was in virtually all enamel/cabinet/trim paint before the late 60s. But you can still sand with the sponges---that's what they're designed for, in part. When they're wet, they'll contain the dust so that it's not all over the place; a mask will also help to make sure you're not breathing it, and then afterwards you wet mop to get up any bits of dust on the floor.

We did the whole lead testing and education bit with our county last year, and it was super helpful. One of the more important things I learned was that while lead is icky stuff, it's largely a concern if it's eaten or inhaled in quantities, so you can do a lot to prevent that and to let older kids know to avoid chipping paint and wash hands after touching it. It's also less of a concern if it's a one-time project than if it's ongoing chipping, like with a window where someone's painted the sash so every time it opens or closes, fine dust comes down. Projects can be more easily secured so toddlers and pets are away from the work. The really important thing they drilled into us was that the surface of the paint needs to be intact---you don't need to remove lead paint, but you do need to have it covered with a good layer of new paint on top. It's worse to take some of it off and open up lower layers to chipping/flaking than just to leave them alone and paint over with good quality paint, unless you have the resources (time, energy and/or money!) to strip down to the bare wood. In your case, I'd only touch it enough to get it into paintable shape.

The biggest problem we had was our dog---lead paint chips apparently smell/taste sweet, which is what attracts babies too. So we would constantly catch him snuffling in an area where work was going on, trying to find the chips. Finally just gave up on that and shut him out of the room all together till we were done!

Ideagirl2 - yes thank you for your concern. It's a 1913 house (original cabs) so I don't even feel the need to test. I knew the previous owners who were the second owners and I know they never removed old lead paint.

Artemis78 - Thanks for more info! Yes I've read that too - that sometimes it's just better to paint over old paint unless you can afford to do it all the way and properly.

I don't want soygel but I do want to know if there's a gel-like material that can "wet" the sandpaper in a way that really grabs and holds on to the dust even better than water. If anyone knows of something like that, please do share!

The issue with lead is long term exposure, especially for young children.

As an adult, I wouldn't worry about an afternoon's sanding, while wearing a mask. Put away all food and dishware, close the kitchen doors, cover the counter with disposable plastic painter's sheeting, when you are done, clean everything up and vacuum well.

Don't go testing for lead and then calling the city about the positive result. You don't want to risk a hassle.

One thought - recall that the perceived color of white paint is quite influenced by the color of the light reflecting off the paint. If you have ''cold'' light sources, you might try changing the bulbs to ''warm'' ones, and seeing if that changes your perception of the color.

If the paint is in okay condition, you might save yourself a project. Painting can be a pain in the . . . For example, were the lower cabinets brush-painted or rolled or sprayed, will it bother you if the upper cabinets do not have the same brush strokes or lack of same? Are you going to remove all the hardware to paint, will the doors line up the same when you re-attach them? Etc.

Just depends on how much appetite you have for kitchen work at this point.

Thanks John. I see your points. The uppers are old brushed-on paint and the lowers were sprayed on but before long they'll probably get a brush-on extra coat cause they've gotten a fair share of abuse since being installed (at least needs touch-ups in places). They definitely need more paint. If you saw close-up pics you'd agree! I think I'm also just ready for something besides white since I've had white forever. But I may keep some white, e.g. window area white and cabs a cream or cabs the gray-green as below, but keep window white. Or my latest thought is paint the uppers that gray-green color, then do the window and all the floor-to-ceiling cabs on the perpendicular wall a buttery cream. The only hesitation about changing the window trim from white is that without a window skirt (which I happen to notice more than anyone else, at this point), straying from white may accentuate that lack of a window skirt. To some people anyway, who notice such details about old houses!

If you do decide to sand and repaint, you might want to pop to the hardware store and buy an inexpensive orbital sander (aka palm sander) and appropriate grades of sandpaper. Much faster than hand sanding. Some have dust collection built-in, too. $40?

If you have a lot of sanding to do, this will speed it up a lot. For sanding between coats of paint, if you do that, you'd still do it by hand.

John, isn't it illegal to use an electric sander on lead paint? i have one of those (or at least it's one of those hand-sanders that takes round sandpaper) - it sure would make it all get done much more quickly! Maybe hand-sand the bad areas then do a super light electric sand on the top coat, if possible, elsewhere. SO don't want lead dust in my kitchen.

You'll have loose dust whether you hand sand or use an electric sander. Either way, you are sanding - the electric just does it faster. If your electric has dust collection, there will be less loose dust. If you hold the tube of a shop vac or canister vacuum to the sander, better yet. Either way, you will want to wear a mask and clean up carefully. You can wet sand with an electric, using a damp sponge to keep the paint wet, if you really want to.

I don't know the regulation you mentioned. As you are a homeowner and not a contractor, and the project is small, there are probably fewer requirements, potentially none. Again, this is a situation where I would simply do what makes sense, without worrying about regulations.

I have tried to sand and blend old paint, but all I seem to get is smooth but visible transitions from the old to the new. I'm not sure if you are planning on using a gloss or satin on the cabs, but that would be obvious with those finishes.

Not sure if you are interested in renting a tool that could do the work in a day, but I have the Silent Paint Remover, and I swear by it. I recently used it in my own kitchen remodel- 1919 house, probably 6 or more layers of lead and latex paint. The tool removes to the bare wood, does require a light sanding in some instances, but you get basically a clean piece of wood to start over on. Oh, and for interior wood, I don't use a scraper, just a 5-in-1 tool to gently remove the paint that has bubbled up. I originally bought the tool after This Old House recommended it as a safer method of lead paint removal for exterior wood, rather than that tool that chomps through the paint, creating chips. Anyway, long story short- it's a great tool! In fact, I've spoken about this tool so much, you'd think I worked for the company- but I don't! Just very happy with a tool that says it does something, and actually does it.

I have linked a previous message I responded to on the old house forum, in which I've included pictures of the work I did on the exterior of my house. The company does rent them- and it does an incredible job- clean up is really not that bad at all. For my interior wood I just wiped with mineral spirits and let them dry before painting. I'm sorry but I don't have any photos of the kitchen trim I did, and my camera is not working....

Here is a link that might be useful: Silent paint remover

Oh man, when I suggested testing, I definitely was NOT suggesting then calling the city afterwards to alert them to a positive result! I just meant to find out for yourself, so you could decide how best to remove the paint.

I would think soygel and similar products would be far and away the safest way to remove it, since there's no dust and the paint is contained within the gel.

Lead crosses through your skin--breathing and eating it are not the only ways it can get into your system--so wearing rubber gloves is a good idea regardless of which removal method you use.

I was curious, so I looked to see what Portland's lead program is. It's through the county, and it's pretty identical to our county's program. If you have a child under age six, they offer a free lead assessment, and if you're under a certain income level, they'll help you abate lead if you have dangerous levels of it. They also have a loaner HEPA vacuum (our county does this too, and if you don't already have a HEPA vacuum or don't want to use yours on lead dust, this is great to get while you're doing your work. Our city tool library has one too, so that's another option.) Beyond that, I don't think the City is going to be too concerned about whether you have lead, since it's the norm rather than the exception. But agreed, no particular reason to notify them!

One thing to bear in mind is that removing all of the paint is a BIG project. If you really want to go that route, you might check to see if there are any local dip-and-strippers who will take the doors and strip the paint (we have a couple in the Bay Area, and I know people who've done that with doors and windows---much easier). But really, if you're going to repaint anyway, I wouldn't open that can of worms. I think it's okay for an old house to have a little character in the form of slight imperfections in the paint! Heaven knows ours does. :)