Do you live in a home built before 1978? If so, important legislation was implemented this past April by the US Environmental Protection Agency that impacts you when renovating your home. The Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule was passed in an effort to help prevent lead poisoning in children and at-risk adults. This new law requires renovators and remodelers working in homes or child-occupied facilities (schools, daycares, etc.) built before 1978 to become certified in lead-safe practices by attending an EPA-accredited training program. This course must be completed by December 31, 2010. Wood flooring contractors will be affected when dealing with baseboards, and possibly the wood flooring itself if it previously had been painted or stained.

As a homeowner, you should ask to see proof of this certification, and you should understand that no renovation work can be performed on your home until this certification is received. Violations can result in severe penalties, up to $32,500 per violation, per day.

For more information about this law, visit the EPA’s web site at www.epa.gov.

The National Wood Flooring Association is a non-profit trade organization, with more than 3,400 members world-wide, dedicated to educating consumers, architects, designers, specifiers and builders in the uses and benefits of wood flooring. NWFA members receive the best in educational training, benefits, technical resources and networking, to advance their professionalism and success. The NWFA is located at 111 Chesterfield Industrial Boulevard, Chesterfield, MO 63005, and can be contacted at 800-422-4556 (USA & Canada), 636-519-9663 (local and international), or on-line at www.nwfa.org.