Yes, you should watch for lead. And asbestos too. However, that is not reason enough to cancel the project. More than likely the paint on the wall under the paneling has lead in it. Unless you do a lot of scraping or sanding, the lead will stay in the paint and cause no problems. Asbestos is a longshot, but could be in textures over the plaster or even in the plaster itself. Again, unless you stir it up, it won't be a problem. There are testing services you can send a sample to if you want to check if lead or asbestos is present.

I suggest you carefully remove a panel or two of the paneling and see how it was attached. If it was glued to the wall that could be a real mess to fix. More likely there are furring strips that were nailed to the wall then the paneling applied to the furring. Either way you'll get an idea about the scope of the project and can decide if you want to continue. Worst case you can put the paneling back and put the whole thing off for sometime in the future.

Whether glue or furring the plaster will be messed up when you remove the paneling. However, if you can tape and finish drywall, you can fix scrapes, gouges and holes in plaster. There are posts on this forum that discuss plaster repair. You should find a bunch with a search.

Hi there,

I was the one who posted about lead concerns when removing paneling over plaster.

I found that my state has a childhood lead poisoning prevention program. I gave them a call and spoke with a lead specialist, who gave me tons of good advice and a list of certified lead inspectors. We paid about $200 for someone to come out and test for lead and asbestos. Neither was present so we were able to demo without worrying about creating a hazard.

As for trying to save the plaster, it didn't work out. My husband and I tried removing a few panels but the plaster just rained down in chunks. That paneling was really glued on and the plaster underneath was in awful shape. We're getting new drywall installed as I type. I was really sorry not to have been able to preserve the plaster, but at least we got the opportunity to insulate the room properly.

Hope this helps. It definitely is very messy work!

well I will have to make some calls. As for the paneling it has been nailed up so I am sure it will be all smashed! I wasn't quite sure where the lead would be, I do recall reading a post to clean up with water?? Clean everything with water?? Do not sweep/vaccume? Thank you for the information, Im new here and to owning a older home & will need all the help

Lead would be in the layers of paint under the paneling. If the paint is disrupted, due to sanding or demo, you can have a problem. I believe that is why they suggest wiping down surfaces--so any paint dust containing lead can't become airborne.

Asbestos can be in the plaster or any wallcoverings under the plaster. Hubby and I were told that given the age and location of our house, we had about a 30-40% chance of asbestos in the plaster. We pulled back a panel and provided a sample to an environmental testing company. It came back negative; the test cost us about $50.

The good news for you is that since the plaster is nailed up I bet you have a much better chance of saving it. It may very well be a mess underneath but you could use a product like NuWall to patch it.

By the way, I'm no expert--I just have enough information to be dangerous!

Please help! I am naive about these things, but is dyrwall the same as plaster? I moved back into my childhood home and have a huge living room and dining room that were paneled in the 70's. I want to remove it. I know that they were nailed on. I'm guessing I have to worry about lead and asbestos as well? Don't have a lot of money and it will be a do it yourself project for me. So let me know if I'll have to have tests done as well. Thanks