Woodbridge received its royal charter on June 1, 1669, and calls itself the oldest original township in New Jersey. These days it is also one of the most populous, with more than a hundred thousand residents across about twenty-four square miles. Most people don't say they live in Woodbridge. They say Iselin, Colonia, Avenel, Fords, Hopelawn, Keasbey, Port Reading, Sewaren, Menlo Park Terrace or Woodbridge proper, and each of those has its own ZIP code and its own feel. A free estimate from us starts with which of them you live in, because the houses differ a good deal from one section to the next.
Water borders the township on three sides: the Rahway River to the north, the Arthur Kill to the east and the Raritan River to the south. Houses in Sewaren and Port Reading, near the Arthur Kill, and the southern edges of Fords and Keasbey near the Raritan get damp, wind and tidal air that the inland sections don't. On those houses exterior painting is mostly about moisture. We wash off grime and mildew before priming, let the walls dry fully, replace soft wood at sills and fascia ends instead of caulking over it, and finish with premium Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore exterior systems chosen for the exposure. Damp, shaded walls are where a finish fails first, and we scope them separately from the sunny sides of the house.
Inland, most of Woodbridge was built in the decades after the Second World War. Colonia, Iselin and Avenel are full of capes, ranches, split-levels and colonials from that period. Many have aluminum siding hung in the 1960s and 70s that has since chalked to a powder, or vinyl installed over the original wood with painted trim still exposed around it. Aluminum siding can be painted well, but only after it is washed and tested for adhesion. Vinyl needs a vinyl-safe color or the panels can warp in summer heat. Nearly all of these houses predate the 1978 lead-paint ban, so we use lead-safe practices on old trim as standard: containment, wet scraping, HEPA cleanup and a site cleaned every day.
Indoors, the mid-century layout of small rooms, one stairwell and a modest kitchen makes for an efficient whole-house repaint. Cabinet refinishing is often the best-value change in these houses, because the original boxes are frequently better built than replacements. We also refinish the oak floors found under old carpet, and pour epoxy floors for garages and basements. For the offices and retail around Woodbridge Center and the Route 1 and Route 9 corridors, our commercial crews work after hours. NJ Painting Co. is family-owned, licensed and fully insured, and based in Morganville in neighboring Monmouth County. Estimates are free and the work carries a two-year workmanship warranty.
