Is it safe to buy this for my kids?
March 5, 2018 4:34 AM Subscribe
I love this vintage desk and want to buy it. But is there a risk to my kids from the paint? 1960s French -- worried I will just worry about it but I can't find anything similar new in the UK.
Not an answer, but you may want to ask the mods to change out that link to eBay to a link to a photo of the desk without any info identifying where you found it... Otherwise, you risk that someone perusing AskMetafilter is going to buy it out from under you.
posted by amro at 5:05 AM on March 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by amro at 5:05 AM on March 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
If the kids won't be gnawing on the frame, a coat of clear acrylic spray should encapsulate the paint and make it perfectly safe.
If you're still worried, there are places that will strip the frame and repaint it.
posted by H21 at 5:37 AM on March 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
If you're still worried, there are places that will strip the frame and repaint it.
posted by H21 at 5:37 AM on March 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
That is cute! Surely you can have it refinished if you're worried about the paint.
posted by praemunire at 8:24 AM on March 5, 2018
posted by praemunire at 8:24 AM on March 5, 2018
Best answer: How old are your kids? You can get lead tests to test the paint at big hardware stores in the US (Home Depot, Loews, etc), assume something similar is available in the UK.
IIRC, France actually banned lead paint well before the 1960s so you may be totally fine. I just did a quick google and it looks like they actually banned it in 1909 so assuming that desk is newer than that it should be fine. It was the dumb-ass US that was still using lead paint till the 70s. Lead has been known to cause brain damage for more than a century and most of Europe was much more on top of this.
posted by john_snow at 1:58 PM on March 5, 2018
IIRC, France actually banned lead paint well before the 1960s so you may be totally fine. I just did a quick google and it looks like they actually banned it in 1909 so assuming that desk is newer than that it should be fine. It was the dumb-ass US that was still using lead paint till the 70s. Lead has been known to cause brain damage for more than a century and most of Europe was much more on top of this.
posted by john_snow at 1:58 PM on March 5, 2018
Response by poster: Fabulous! Thanks everyone -- bidding on it now. What would I do without mefites?
posted by caoimhe at 2:23 PM on March 5, 2018
posted by caoimhe at 2:23 PM on March 5, 2018
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If they are beyond that, JUST BUY IT. It's totally cute and unique and awesome.
posted by nkknkk at 4:50 AM on March 5, 2018 [11 favorites]