Livingston was incorporated in 1813 and named for William Livingston, New Jersey's first governor, but most of the township as it looks today was built after the Second World War. The population was under ten thousand in 1950, more than twenty-three thousand by 1960 and over thirty thousand by 1970. That growth filled about fourteen square miles with split-levels, ranches and colonials, with the Passaic River on the western border, the Livingston Mall at the southwest corner and the Riker Hill park complex among its open spaces. In recent years many older houses have been torn down and replaced with large new homes, so a single street can now hold a 1958 split-level next to a house finished last year. Residential painters in Livingston have to plan for both.
Inside a mid-century Livingston house, the work tends to follow a pattern. Split-levels have short runs of stairs between floors and a tall wall over the main stairwell that needs proper staging, not a ladder balanced on a step. Painted wood trim from before 1978 is handled lead-safe, with containment, wet sanding and HEPA cleanup. Many of these houses have had rooms added or opened up over the years, so a fresh repaint often means blending new drywall with older plaster so the walls read as one surface. We fill, sand and spot-prime the repairs, and use scrubbable premium Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams finishes that stand up to family life.
Newer and rebuilt homes bring different jobs. Two-story foyers and great rooms, open floor plans where every wall is visible from the kitchen, and builder-grade flat paint that marks at the first touch are typical. We bring the staging for high walls, cut clean lines where ceilings meet walls, and recommend a sheen that suits each room rather than one finish everywhere. Outside, vinyl siding needs a vinyl-safe color so it will not warp in the sun, fiber-cement needs its cut ends sealed, and older homes often have wood trim that is overdue for scraping, priming and caulking.
We also refinish kitchen cabinets, restore the oak floors found under carpet in many original houses, and coat two-car garages in epoxy. NJ Painting Co. is a family-owned company based in Morganville in Monmouth County, and we travel north for work in Livingston. We are licensed and fully insured, every estimate is free and includes a color consultation and a written scope, and the work carries a two-year workmanship warranty.
