House Painters in Raritan, NJ

Raritan is a Somerset County borough on the Raritan River, with one ZIP code, 08869. It began as a subdivision of Bridgewater Township in 1868 and became a fully independent borough in 1948. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries it was a mill town on the river, and on July 2, 1921, President Harding signed the resolution ending American involvement in the First World War at Senator Joseph S. Frelinghuysen's estate here. It is also the birthplace of John Basilone, who received the Medal of Honor for his actions at Guadalcanal, and the bridge that carries traffic across the river bears his name, while the 1886 Nevius Street Bridge still carries people on foot.

Raritan's housing has two ages. The Census Bureau's American Community Survey for 2020 to 2024 counts about 3,300 homes in the borough. Twenty percent were built in 1939 or earlier and 58 percent before 1980, yet 29 percent date from 2000 or later, with 12 percent from the 2010s and 6 percent since 2020. The old town shows in its landmarks: the Relief Hose Company No. 2 engine house, an 1894 High Gothic firehouse; the General John Frelinghuysen House of about 1801, given to the borough in 1970 and still the public library; and the train station of 1891 to 1892, on the National Register since 1984.

The borough's Historic and Cultural Committee, set up by ordinance, collects records and identifies significant sites rather than reviewing paint. We found no local historic district that regulates exterior colors on private homes, so on most houses the choice is the owner's. If your home is in a townhouse or condominium association, check its rules on exterior colors and doors before you choose.

The age split decides the work. On an older Raritan house, clapboard and trim are scraped back to sound paint, bare wood is primed, and joints are caulked before premium Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore finish coats; inside, fine hairline cracks are filled and sanded as part of normal prep before repainting. Homes from the last twenty-five years usually need builder-grade flat walls upgraded to a scrubbable finish, nail pops filled, and cabinets refinished. For the 58 percent built before 1980, the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies: paid work that disturbs more than six square feet of paint in a room, or twenty outside, on pre-1978 housing requires a certified firm. NJ Painting Co. is not EPA Lead-Safe Certified; if that limit would be passed, we will tell you at the estimate that this part needs a contractor who is.

NJ Painting Co. is family-owned and based in Morganville, Monmouth County. Every Raritan estimate is free and written.