Exterior Painting across Raynham, Massachusetts.

Raynham separated from Taunton in 1731, but most of its housing is far younger. According to the Census, 57.7% of units were built in 1980 or later, and one in four dates from 2000 or after. The 1990s were the busiest single decade, with 1,195 units. Outside, that means a large share of houses from the last four decades, alongside 508 units from 1939 or earlier whose trim and siding may carry many coats.

The siding material sets the plan more than the age does. Painted wood clapboard and shingles need scraping and priming. Vinyl can be painted with the right product and color. Aluminum and steel need cleaning and a bonding primer where the factory finish has worn.

Scraping older siding safely

About 42% of Raynham's housing was built before 1980. On a house from before 1978, scraping and sanding peeling exterior paint falls under the EPA's lead-safe rules for anyone paid to do the work. Outdoors, lead-safe work generally involves plastic laid on the ground out from the wall, avoiding open-flame burning and uncontrolled power sanding, misting before scraping, and picking up chips so they do not end up in a garden bed. Our lead-safe painting page has the details.

Windows, door casings and porch parts are where old paint tends to be thickest, and where bare wood shows first after a few winters.

Damp lots and mildew

The Taunton and Forge Rivers both run through town, and a state reconnaissance report notes that Raynham has a fair amount of swamp land. About 2,700 acres fall within the state-designated Hockomock Swamp Area of Critical Environmental Concern. A house near wetland or heavy woods can stay damp longer after rain, and walls that rarely get sun are where mildew and algae grow.

On those walls, washing with a mildewcide cleaner and letting the siding dry fully matters more than the brand of paint. Paint applied over live mildew lets it grow back through the new film. Raynham is inland, so salt air is not the concern here; moisture and shade are.

• Wash siding and kill mildew before any scraping or priming
• Check the bottom courses of siding and trim near the ground for rot
• Prime bare wood the same day it is exposed when weather allows
• Caulk joints at trim and corner boards, but leave the laps between clapboards open

Vinyl and manufactured homes

Mobile homes make up 7.2% of Raynham's housing units in Census data. A manufactured home may be clad in vinyl or metal siding, and both can be painted. Vinyl needs a paint formulated for it in a color no darker than the manufacturer allows, since dark colors absorb heat and can warp the panels. Metal siding needs chalk removed and a primer where the coating has worn through.

Re-siding changes what gets painted. The Toll House on Broadway, reported to date to 1793, had vinyl siding by the time of the 2005 state survey. If your house was re-sided, the original wood may still be underneath, but the visible surface is what gets painted.

Historic review and timing

As of a 2005 state report, Raynham had no properties on the National Register, and that report recommended the town consider a local historic district bylaw. We have not been able to confirm whether one has since been adopted, so if your house is in Raynham Center or Prattville, ask the town before planning a major color change.

Exterior paint needs dry surfaces and mild temperatures, which in this area usually means late spring through early fall. Our posts on when exterior paint can go on in November and common exterior paint failures explain the limits.