In turn, manufacturers in each camp often paint the other camps' products an ugly shade of inferior. But each category of encapsulant will find a niche in the lead abatement field, predicted Susan Guyaux, division chief of the environmental lead division of the Maryland Dept. of the Environment. There's no one category that's better than the other. The challenge for painting contractors will be determining which encapsulant is right for a given job. Painting contractors know those rubbery paints called elastomerics well.
Some products incorporate a reinforcing fabric for extra strength.
Because they stretch, elastomerics bridge small, hairline cracks and resist cracking themselves, good features for a lead cover-up. These paints also tend to be thick, making it harder for lead to leach its way out. They're easy to apply and require little worker training. Yet some cheaply formulated elastomerics will become brittle at cold temperatures and fall off the wall like glass. Check the so-called glass transition temperature in the product's spec sheets.