On the other side are the residential units containing lead paint. The authorities are gradually looking at other areas of residential contamination. Steel structure work has been under way for some time now, and the field is dominated by large-scale technology and environmental regulation. Removal is accomplished primarily by some form of pressurized abrasive, with containment a major concern. Contracts are huge and much of the work is being done by industrial painting contractors, but they are facing increasing competition from big engineering firms with the financial and organizational resources to be competitive.
Residential work is another story.
A potentially bigger market, work is just beginning and the lure to residential painting contractors is great. The basic techniques of the work itself are certainly within the realm of almost all contractors. And the possibility of large, multi-unit contracts accompanied by high price tags is very attractive. However, in both cases, the contractor considering entering the field should realize that getting rid of lead paint is a lot more complicated than it was putting it on. The difference is summed up by the advice of Philip Calvo, whose Eagle Industries in New Orleans produces containment equipment for industrial work.