Exterior House Painting
Exterior painting for Bergen County homes. Full surface preparation — pressure washing, scraping, sanding, and priming — followed by premium paint application on siding, trim, doors, and fences.
Exterior Painting & Surface Prep
Exterior painting done right starts with proper surface preparation. We pressure wash, scrape and sand peeling areas, spot-prime bare wood and repairs, and apply premium exterior paint or stain. We cover siding, trim, soffits, fascia, shutters, doors, decks, and fences.
- Pressure washing and surface cleaning
- Scraping, sanding, and caulking preparation
- Spot and full priming on bare or damaged surfaces
- Premium exterior paint and stain application
- Siding, trim, soffit, fascia, and shutter painting
- Front door and garage door refinishing
- Deck and fence staining
- Color consultation and sample matching
Pricing and timelines are planning ranges. Final cost and schedule depend on site conditions, access, structural requirements, materials, permit review, inspections, weather, material lead times, and scheduling availability.
Serving Bergen County homeowners across Englewood, Tenafly, Fort Lee, Ridgewood, Paramus, Teaneck, Hackensack, Closter, Fair Lawn, and Bergenfield — plus every town in between.
Exterior Painting Guides
What separates a 3-year repaint from a 10-year finish: prep, primer, and seasonal timing.
Surface Preparation Guide
- Glossy and chalking surfaces sanded or deglossed so topcoats bond — adhesion failures start here.
- Rot and failed caulk repaired before any paint; coatings hide damage, they don’t fix it.
- Pressure washing precedes everything — paint bonds to substrate, not to pollen and chalk.
- Scrape-and-sand feathering at failed spots keeps old edges from telegraphing through new coats.
- Lead-safe practices apply on pre-1978 homes — containment and certified handling, not optional.
Planning a project like this? Get an estimate.
Primer Selection by Substrate
- Chalking surfaces get bonding primer, tannin-bleed woods get stain-blockers, and bare metal gets rust-inhibitive — the substrate picks the can.
- Spot-priming every scraped and sanded repair is what keeps sheen uniform on the finished wall.
- Primer is where adhesion lives; finish coats get the compliments, primer earns them.
- Bare wood gets primed the same day it's exposed — overnight dew undoes prep.
- Masonry and stucco take masonry-specific primers — alkalinity eats standard products.
Planning a project like this? Get an estimate.
Paint System & Sheen Selection
- 100% acrylic latex flexes with siding through Bergen County’s freeze-thaw swings — the chemistry that stopped the peeling era.
- Satin or low-sheen on the body hides substrate imperfections; semi-gloss on trim and doors takes the handling and the washing.
- Two finish coats at spec thickness outlast one heavy pass — film build is measured, not eyeballed.
- Dark colors run hotter and stress substrates on south faces — reflectance ratings guide saturated choices.
- Manufacturer temperature and dew-point windows are real constraints — paint applied outside them fails early.
Planning a project like this? Get an estimate.
Wood Repair & Carpentry Coordination
- Rotted trim, soffit, fascia, and casings get replaced before paint — coating rot buys a season and loses a warranty claim.
- Repairs use rot-resistant or composite stock at the chronic spots (sills, corner-board bottoms, gutter lines) so the fix outlasts the paint.
- Carpentry surfaces get primed on all faces before install — end grain drinks water; sealed end grain does not.
- Probing finds soft wood that eyes miss — the screwdriver test at sills, corner boards, and gutter lines.
- Flashing gaps found during prep get corrected before coating — paint is not waterproofing.
Planning a project like this? Get an estimate.
Color & Sample Strategy
- Test patches go on multiple exposures — the same gray reads blue on the north wall and greige in full sun.
- Colors get judged at morning, noon, and dusk before commitment; the swatch card lies indoors.
- Body, trim, and accent selections are locked as a set — the door color that sings depends on the body it sits in.
- HOA and historic-district palettes get verified before sampling — approval first, love second.
- Trim-body contrast decisions read differently at house scale than swatch scale — the sample patch is the truth.
Planning a project like this? Get an estimate.
Seasonal Timing & Cost Guide
- Body-and-trim repaints commonly $8k–$22k; full elevations with extensive prep, carpentry repair, and multi-color work run higher.
- Scraping failed coatings, replacing rotted trim, and lead-safe practices on pre-1978 homes are the real budget movers — not the gallon price.
- Late April through late October is the reliable cure window in Bergen County; weather holds can stretch a one-week spray into two.
- Two-coat full repaints outlast one-coat refreshes by years — the labor is the cost either way; film build is the value.
- Booking shoulder-season slots (spring, early fall) gets better scheduling flexibility than peak summer.
Planning a project like this? Get an estimate.
Your Exterior Painting Process
Walkthrough & estimate
We assess all exterior surfaces, note any rot or damage, and provide a written scope.
Surface preparation
Pressure wash, scrape, sand, caulk, and prime all surfaces before any paint is applied.
Paint application
Premium exterior paint or stain applied in proper coats with protection for plantings and hardscape.
Final inspection
We walk the job with you and touch up any areas before calling it complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
Average-size Bergen County home (1,800–2,500 sq ft) typically runs $4,000–$9,000 for full exterior paint including prep. Larger homes, multi-story access, or significant rot repair will increase cost.
Quality exterior paint applied over proper prep typically lasts 7–12 years in NJ conditions. Direct sun exposure, moisture, and wood quality all affect longevity.
Yes. We identify and repair rotted wood, damaged caulk, and compromised trim before painting. Surface repairs are included in our scope or quoted separately for major structural work.
We use premium exterior paints (Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, and similar). We discuss brand and sheen selections with you before the job starts.
Bergen Restoration is a registered New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor (NJHIC# 13VH08865500) with commercial general liability and workers’ compensation coverage; documentation available on request.
Late spring through early fall — coatings want dry surfaces and steady temperatures to cure. We watch dew points and overnight lows, not just the daytime forecast; paint applied outside its window fails early no matter the brand.
Pressure wash, scrape and sand failing areas, degloss shiny spots, replace failed caulk, and spot-prime bare wood and stains. Most exterior paint failures are prep failures — the surface, not the paint, is usually what gives.
Yes — each with its own system: masonry primers for brick and stucco, vinyl-safe colors that won't warp panels in the sun, and manufacturer-compatible coatings on fiber cement to keep its warranty intact.
Both. We can match what's there, or sample real swatches on the actual walls — color reads differently on a sunlit elevation than on a chip. Large-format samples beat guessing from a fan deck.
Prime where needed plus two finish coats is the standard for a lasting job. One-coat promises on weathered siding are how a repaint comes back in three years instead of ten.
Pre-1978 homes get EPA lead-safe renovation procedures where painted surfaces are disturbed — containment, safe scraping, and cleanup. It's a compliance requirement and we treat it as one.
Related exterior services: Siding Repair & Replacement, Gutter Replacement & Downspout Systems, Interior Painting, and Whole-Home Renovation.
Get Your Estimate
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Commercial general liability and workers’ compensation coverage. Documentation available on request.
Let’s Talk About Your Project
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