On Oct 13, 1:53*pm, Chris wrote:
I am about to paint the trim in my stairway.. It has 2-3 coats of
paint. I know the top coat is a latex paint, and the bottom is lead
paint.. I did a swab test and found it out.

What would be best after washing down with a non-soapy detergent- a
light sanding, or using liquid sandpaper? I am going from a medium
blue to a bright semi-gloss white. Would priming be necessary?

WHOA. STOP. Under NO circumstances think about sanding something
with lead paint on it -- even if it's under another coat of paint.
You don't have the training to do this and to get clearance when you
are done. You could SERIOUSLY injure your kids/grandkids, etc.

If you need to sand it, it's a pretty complicated process that
involved WET SANDING, water containment, etc. You really can't use a
heat gun for lead, either, esp. on the interior. With a low heat it
is technically possible but difficult.

Read everything here before you go any farther: http://www.hud.gov/offices/lead/

Make sure you get to: http://www.hud.gov/offices/lead/healthyhomes/lead.cfm
Then read: http://www.hud.gov/offices/lead/libr...ad/pyf_eng.pdf

Finally, get yourself trained: http://www.leadsafetraining.org/

New lead rules go into effect either in 2009 or 2010 (I forget which)
which will require lead training for everyone working on more than 6
s.f. of interior space or 20 s.f. of exterior space. So you might as
well get trained.

Good luck with the project -- but work safely.