Prepping an older North Jersey home: what's under the old paint

Older houses hide more than they show

A lot of the homes we work on around Irvington, Newark, East Orange and Paterson have been painted many times over many decades. What looks like a simple repaint often sits on top of wallpaper, patched plaster, or old finishes that never bonded properly.

Walking the job first is how we avoid surprises mid-project — and how the written estimate stays accurate.

The five things we check first

• Wallpaper or wallpaper glue left behind under paint — it has to come off or the new coat will bubble
• Plaster cracks and soft spots that need patching rather than filling
• Peeling or alligatored areas where old layers have lost their grip
• Moisture: stains near windows, ceilings and bathrooms usually mean a leak to fix before painting
• Trim and doors thick with old paint, where sanding matters more than the finish coat

Homes built before 1978

Older layers of paint can contain lead. If your home was built before 1978, that's worth raising with any contractor before work starts so prep is handled appropriately. Ask us and we'll talk through it for your specific property.

Turnovers between tenants

For landlords and property managers, we also handle unit turnovers — patch, prime, two coats, clean lines at trim, and done on a schedule you can hand to the next tenant. Whole buildings can be staged unit by unit.