Southern Lehigh County
Painting & drywall in Coopersburg.
A stagecoach stop on the Bethlehem Pike that became a railroad town, with a National Register historic district along Main Street and newer houses spreading across Upper Saucon around it.
Coopersburg and its houses
The borough grew around a hotel on the Bethlehem Pike, the road between Bethlehem and Philadelphia that opened in 1755. Log houses came first. The village took Peter Cooper's name in 1832, the railroad arrived in 1856, and by 1880 the borough counted 83 dwellings, nearly all of them, its own history noted, of neat design and substantial build.
Those streets are now the Coopersburg Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1982: 175 buildings over 93 acres in Federal, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles, including plain brick houses from about 1900 to 1910 on State and Fairview Streets. Nearly a third of the borough's homes predate 1940.
Upper Saucon Township wraps nearly all the way around the borough and has grown quickly, from about 12,000 residents in 2000 to nearly 17,000 in 2020. Center Valley, a mile north on Route 309, is part of it.
The houses
What Coopersburg’s houses ask for.
Main Street and the historic district
Along Main Street, Federal houses stand beside Queen Anne and Colonial Revival ones, the three styles the National Register names for the district. Where their original plaster survives, it is usually worth repairing, and their porches and painted trim carry most of the exterior upkeep.
Brick houses on State and Fairview
Plain brick houses from about 1900 to 1910 line State and Fairview Streets. Brick that has never been painted is best left that way, since paint can trap moisture in a masonry wall; the painting here is trim, sash, doors and porches.
The postwar borough
About half of Coopersburg's homes were built between 1950 and 1979, and nearly two-thirds of all its homes are detached houses. Rooms from those decades often need ceiling texture dealt with, cracks at corners and seams repaired, and tired trim brought back.
Center Valley and Upper Saucon
Close to half of Upper Saucon's homes have been built since 1990, the years when two-story great rooms became nearly standard in American suburbs. Under big windows and low sun, those walls are where a Level 5 finish makes its case.
Services
In Coopersburg, specialty first.
Each service, written for Coopersburg’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
“We hired Randy to paint the trim and stain the floor of the porches in our Victorian style home, some light repairs were also required. We had to work around some weather issues but in the end they is an awesome job…”
“Exterior painting on my property Randy is very courteous and flexible to my requests on colors and design Overall I’m happy for the outcome I would recommend Randy’s painting”
Questions
Asked in Coopersburg.
Do you work in Center Valley?
Yes. Center Valley is part of Upper Saucon Township, about a mile north of the borough on Route 309, and Randy serves it along with the rest of the township, Limeport and Lower Milford.
Does the National Register listing limit what I can do to the outside of my house?
Not on its own. The National Park Service says listing places no restrictions on what a private owner does with a property unless federal funding or permits are involved. Local rules are separate, so check with the borough before you change an exterior in the historic district.
Should the brick on an older Coopersburg house be painted?
Usually not, if it has never been painted. Paint on masonry can trap moisture in the wall and is very hard to undo, so the better course is sound mortar and well-kept trim. Where brick was painted long ago, maintaining that paint is generally safer than stripping it.
Can the old plaster in a Main Street house be repaired instead of replaced?
In most cases. Plaster was the standard wall in houses built before the 1940s, and cracked or loose plaster is often in better shape than it looks. It can be refastened, filled and skimmed, with the patching done first, and done well.
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.