Renovating an Older Home? Here’s Why You Should Test First
Renovating an older home? Before you get going with full force, it’s worth asking: What’s hiding in the walls, floors, ceilings, or water pipes? Whether you’re a seasoned contractor or a DIY renovator, you know old houses come with risks. From asbestos-laced insulation to lead-painted trim, leaded pipes, and hidden mold, these hazards are not just unpleasant, they’re potentially dangerous.
Traditional lab testing can be slow, expensive, or too complex to fit into a fast-moving project schedule. That’s where SimpleLab’s mail-to-lab testing comes in. We’ll explore a number of key kits that are remarkably easy to use to test for serious health hazards.
Table of Contents:
- Basic Drinking Water Test Panel
- Mold and Fungus Surface Swab
- Basic Asbestos Materials Test
- Lead and Heavy Metals Testing
- Why SimpleLab?
- Contact Us
Basic Drinking Water Test Panel (with Bacteria)
In any renovation that involves plumbing or fixtures, especially kitchen and bathroom renos, the quality of the drinking water could be impacted. We recommend testing the drinking water before renovation to establish a baseline and again, after construction is completed, to understand the impacts.
Testing is especially important in older homes with:
- Galvanized pipes
- Private wells
- Aging infrastructure
Many homes and buildings constructed before 1986 used plumbing materials that contained lead. Additionally, in older cities, lead water service lines may still be in use.
Galvanized piping, on the other hand — which contained a zinc coating meant to protect steel pipes (sometimes containing lead itself) — proved particularly prone to corrosion over time. Corroded piping can lead to discoloration and unpleasant-tasting water; while corroded zinc linings can grab the lead in the water from old service lines and release it later.
Why it makes sense:
SimpleLab’s Level 1 Drinking Water Test Kit screens for 51 important drinking water parameters, as well as E. coli and total coliform bacteria. Key features include:
- Analysis for common drinking water health concerns, such as heavy metals (e.g. lead), coliform bacteria (including E. coli), nitrates, and general chemistry parameters (e.g. pH, TDS, Hardness).
- Free overnight shipping
- Certified laboratory analysis
- Shareable, easy-to-read report
It’s the perfect complement to plumbing overhauls, especially in homes with private wells or galvanized pipes, all in an affordable, easy-to-use kit.
Drinking Water Test: Level 1 + Bacteria
$179.00
Mold & Fungus Surface Swab Test
Even though it may not be obvious upon first glance, mold can thrive in homes behind the drywall, under carpet pads, or in attic insulation. When disturbed, those spores can quickly get airborne.
How Mold Grows
One of the most important resources that mold needs to grow is water. While some molds need very little water, mold growth is usually an indicator of a water intrusion problem — either a leak or a spill that soaked an area in the building. It’s vital to fix the source of the problem because simply removing the mold (e.g. by replacing the drywall) without addressing the source of the water, the mold will return.
If you’re about to open up an old bathroom, basement, or kitchen, a surface swab test can provide some clarity about what it is you're going to encounter.
Why it makes sense:
- Certified laboratory analysis for genus level identification of mold spores
- Swabs and clear instructions make for easy sample collection
- Free 2-day shipping
- Secured, shareable digital report
Mold and Fungus Surface Swab Test
$59.00
Mold and Fungus Surface Swab Test (4x)
$129.00
Basic Asbestos Materials Test
Homes built before 1980 may still contain asbestos in textured (e.g. popcorn) ceilings, floor tiles, old insulation, or wrapped pipes. If you're cutting, sanding, or otherwise disturbing any of these materials, you're potentially sending breathable asbestos fibers into the air.
Asbestos and Building Materials
Asbestos fibers make their way into building material in two main ways:
- Asbestos was added during the manufacturing process to all sorts of building material: floor tiles, pipe wrapping, drywall joints, ceiling tiles, mastic or adhesive, cove bases, and many others.
- Secondarily, asbestos appears as a byproduct of other fibrous minerals, such as talc powder, where asbestos is a natural contaminant.
Why it makes sense:
SimpleLab’s asbestos materials kit is ideal for pre-demo sampling by helping you screen suspect materials before you disturb them.
- Targeted analysis for all six regulated asbestos types by polarized light microscopy (PLM). Note: Not appropriate for soil or vermiculite.
- All materials necessary for safe sampling
- Free 2-day shipping
- Secured, shareable digital report
Basic Asbestos Materials Test
$59.00
Regulatory Note: Asbestos sample handling and lab submission are regulated in many states. Check your state laws before offering this test commercially. (EPA Asbestos Regulations)
Lead and Heavy Metals Testing
If your home was built before 1978, there’s a strong chance lead-based paint was used and is still lurking under newer coats. Over time, paint flakes off and can become a potential hazard — particularly for small children.
Lead Paint vs. Lead Dust
Anytime you are painting, sanding, or doing construction inside of an old building, you should check the surface for the presence of dust. Window sills and floorings tend to be high accumulation spots for lead dust, and this warrants testing.
SimpleLab’s Lead Surface Wipe kit (also available in 4-packs) is non-invasive, allowing you to wipe a wall or sill and get results without having to take anything apart.
Lead Dust Surface Wipe Test
$59.00
Lead Dust Surface Wipe Test (4x)
$129.00
Lead paint chips, on the other hand, are more common during full renovations and demolitions. SimpleLab’s Lead Paint Chip Test kit (also available in 4-packs) requires actual paint chips, which is useful when plans include larger scale actions like scraping or demo’ing a wall.
Lead Paint Chip Test (4x)
$225.00
Lead Paint Chip Test
$75.00
Understanding what kind of remodeling or renovation you’ll be doing helps determine the right kit for the job.
Heavy Metals Beyond Lead
Lead isn’t the only potential hazard you’ll encounter. Renovations can disturb dust and debris that may contain mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and chromium, especially in older industrial or urban areas.
SimpleLab’s RCRA 8 Metals Surface Wipe test (also available in 4-packs) expands beyond lead to include seven more heavy metals including arsenic, chromium, and mercury.
RCRA 8 Metals Surface Wipe Test
$211.00
RCRA 8 Metals Surface Wipe Test (4x)
$875.00
SimpleLab’s CAM 17 Metals Surface Wipe test adds an array of metals also known as “Title 22,” a list of metals regulated by California's Code of Regulations for hazardous waste, including antimony, beryllium, and vanadium.
CAM 17 Metals Surface Wipe Test
$234.00
Three proven tiers of testing:
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Good: Lead Paint Chip Test (4-pack) or Lead Surface Wipe (4-pack)
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Better: RCRA 8 Metals Surface Wipe Test (4-pack)
- Best: CAM 17 Metals Surface Wipe Test
Regulatory Note: Testing for lead is regulated by the EPA in many states. For official risk assessments or abatement, certified professionals may be required. (EPA Lead Regulations)
Why Testing With SimpleLab Makes Sense
SimpleLab’s mail-to-lab testing was designed with contractors, inspectors, and property owners in mind. We took a process that can be rigid, frustrating, and time-consuming, and made it flexible, easy, and convenient:
- Priority access to 200+ ISO 17025 accredited commercial laboratories
- Fast, easy ordering for professional sampling kits and laboratory tests
- Simple instructions, no extra tools or training needed
- Prepaid shipping to you, your customers, or your jobsite
- An all-in-one online portal for managing kits, logistics, test progress, and analytical results
- Secured, shareable digital results
- Real human support by email, phone, or chat, whenever your team needs assistance
Whether you're renovating for resale or your forever home, don’t let unseen hazards derail the project. You don’t need to subcontract out the testing, chase down a lab, or delay your demo. You just need to test smart — then build with confidence.
Questions? Contact Us!
With SimpleLab, you're not adding complexity, you’re adding clarity. Our testing process means you don’t have to be a lab tech or environmental expert. We handle the logistics, you keep the project moving forward.
Reach out to our expert customer support team for a free consultation. We’re happy to help talk through any questions or concerns you might have to find the best setup for your workflow.
The SimpleLab Standard
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Proven Reliability: SimpleLab partners with North America's leading analytical institutions—including Eurofins, Pace Analytical, SGS, and Microbac—each with their own rigorous quality control protocols to ensure top-tier accuracy. Our certified labs are located across all 50 states, making logistics a breeze.
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Simplified Sampling: Every kit includes professional-grade materials, clear instructions, automated chain of custody, and free return shipping— making accurate testing effortless.
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Seamless Experience: We combine human support with automated logistics to help make complex lab analyses accessible to all. From our user interface to our lab reports, we ensure a time-saving, frustration-free process.
In her role as the Senior Research Scientist at SimpleLab, Samantha leverages her expertise in water chemistry and engineering to ensure that all SimpleLab and Tap Score products and communications are held to the highest scientific standards. Samantha has Bachelor's and Master's degrees in environmental engineering and five years of laboratory research experience in environmental analytical chemistry. In her free time, Samantha can be found out running trails, sitting in a coffee shop or hanging out with her dogs.
About SimpleLab
SimpleLab combines world-class laboratory science with customer service to ensure testing your environment is simple, fast and factual. Everything we do is driven by data and supported by a team of experts ready to answer your questions.
