Northampton County
Painting & drywall in Easton.
Nearly two in three Easton homes were built before 1940. Plaster walls, painted brick and slate-roofed Victorians ask for patient preparation, and preparation is what Randy is known for.
Easton and its houses
Easton was founded in 1752 where the Lehigh meets the Delaware, and it grew into an industrial city after the Lehigh Canal was completed in 1829. Most of its older buildings went up after 1850, in Victorian styles that held until about 1920. By the latest Census estimate, 63 percent of the city's homes were built before 1940, and attached row homes and twins outnumber detached houses.
Houses of that age were plastered, not drywalled, and a century of settling, patching and repainting shows the moment low light crosses a wall. Downtown, inside the city's Local Historic District, exterior changes visible from the street need a Certificate of Appropriateness, though paint color itself is not regulated.
Randy has been based in Easton since 2017. He serves the whole city and the boroughs and townships around it, and the first step is the same everywhere: a private walkthrough and a written estimate, both complimentary.
The houses
What Easton’s houses ask for.
College Hill
Houses from the 1830s to 1940 on the hill above downtown, in styles from Italianate and Queen Anne to Colonial and Tudor Revival, most of them under slate roofs. Brick, clapboard, stone and stucco each take paint differently, and the plaster inside has had generations to crack and settle.
West Ward row homes
Built out between the 1880s and 1910s as the city spread west: large houses first, then row homes for middle-class families. Nearly seven in ten West Ward homes were built before 1940, so cracked plaster, wavy walls and deep layers of old paint are the usual starting point.
Downtown brick and stone
The Easton Historic District holds more than 400 buildings, most from 1830 to 1910 and the oldest from 1752. A slight majority downtown are brick or stone, with Georgian doorways and Second Empire mansards. The city's guidelines advise against painting masonry that was never painted, and weathered joints on painted brick should be repointed with soft lime mortar before any paint goes on.
The townships around the city
The houses get younger past the city line. About half the homes in Forks Township were built since 2000, Williams Township is close behind, and half of Palmer Township's date from 1980 on. These are drywall houses, where crisp seams, flat ceilings and a Level 5 finish under big windows count for more than plaster repair.
Services
In Easton, specialty first.
Each service, written for Easton’s houses: what it involves here, what to check, and what people ask.
- Level 5 drywall finishA skim coat over the entire surface, for walls that hold up under raking light and dark paint.
- Skim coatingRough, patched or uneven walls resurfaced smooth, often after wallpaper comes down.
- Plaster repairCracked, loose and failing plaster in older homes, repaired and made sound.
- Interior paintingWalls, ceilings, trim, doors and millwork, prepared properly and finished clean.
- Exterior paintingSiding, trim, porches, stucco and brick, prepared to stand up to Pennsylvania weather.
- Drywall installation & repairNew drywall hung, taped and finished; cracks, holes and water damage repaired invisibly.
- Drywall texture matching & removalTexture matched so repairs disappear, applied where you want it, or taken off for a smooth wall.
- Popcorn ceiling removalOld acoustic texture taken down and the ceiling finished smooth.
- Wallpaper removalOld wallpaper and wall linings stripped without tearing up the wall beneath.
- Wood stainingDecks, porch floors, doors and trim, inside and out, stained by hand.
From clients and job sites
“These guys are great Randy is amazing ! They made my old uneven walls look so nice I seriously would recommend them to everyone looking for any work done !”
“Randy's Painting Service is highly professional, efficient and reliable. Attention to detail is an integral part of Randy's brand. Randy's estimate was as good as his price. Randy is the rarest kind of man…”
Questions
Asked in Easton.
Do I need the city's approval to repaint a house in downtown Easton?
Not for the color. Easton does not regulate paint color in its Local Historic District, and repainting a surface that is already painted does not need a color review. Other exterior changes visible from a street, sidewalk or public way need a Certificate of Appropriateness, and painting brick or stone that was never painted goes before the Historic District Commission. A call to the city before work starts is always worth making.
Should the brick on an older Easton house be painted?
If it is already painted, it usually stays painted; the city's guidelines note that stripping paint from historically painted masonry may not be appropriate. Weathered joints should be repointed first with a soft, lime-rich mortar. Brick or stone that was never painted is better left bare, because paint can trap moisture in the wall and cause the face of the brick to spall.
Can the original plaster in a College Hill house be saved?
In most cases, yes. Cracks, loose areas and old failed patches are repaired, plaster that has come away from the lath is secured or replaced, and the walls are skim coated smooth. Keeping the plaster keeps the original trim, casings and proportions of the room.
Do you work in Forks, Palmer and the boroughs around Easton?
Yes. Randy is based in Easton and serves the whole city, from College Hill and the West Ward to the South Side and downtown, along with Wilson, West Easton, Glendon and the Forks, Palmer and Williams townships.
Consultation
Request a private consultation.
Private walkthrough & written estimate, complimentary. Tell us a little about the house and the rooms, and Randy will be in touch to arrange a time.
- Hours
- Monday – Friday8:30 AM – 5:30 PMSaturday10 AM – 3 PMSundayClosed
- Service area
- Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown and the greater Lehigh Valley; Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Fully insured — proof on request. Residential and commercial.