Questions About Paint And Such
I am new to the board and to the Rental Investment Biz.
We have just purchased our first 2 properties and I am renoing the smaller one right now.
New paint, new carpet and this is where DH and I disagree new floor in the Kitchen (right now it is lino and in my op rough) I think we should install laminate or some other more durable surface.
My question is this....Does all rental houses(apts etc) have to be painted in white? Is there some reason most rentals have white walls etc and flat paint?
Paint is so expensive and buying mismixed paint is a real money saver Behr at Home Depot is $5 a gallon.
If you look around you can get some really nice colors for a fraction of what "white" would be.
thanks
Mal
White because it is neutral. Some folks are not into color. Also it makes the space seem larger. Also, at Sherwin WIlliams or Ben Moore you can get basic white for like $20 for 5 gallon drum
For the floor - I see quite a few posts about some plasic laminate that is hardy. That might be an option[ Edited by linlin on Date 12/02/2004 ]
you can paint it any color you like.......but any neutral works best........km
I buy all the Oops paint in nice neutral colors that I can get my hands on...sometimes they have two gallons of the same stufff. I have four rental homes and only ever got one comment from a prospective not liking all the color....most people liked not having to stare at white and for 5.00 a gallon for 20.00 gal paint you can't go wrong. I always tell my tenants to feel free to paint over it but they have to return it to a neutral color if they do so. I think I have about 15 gallons now sitting in the shop.
I quess that is what I am asking why does neutral work best?
Except tenants not into color.
Does Neutral have to be plain basic white?
TIA
Mal
Neutral colors appeal to the most people. Can't make everyone happy. I have used a lot of off whites and some gray/greens. Neutral doesn't necessarily have to be white. Sometimes, too much white makes the place seem like a hospital or something.
Eggshell, off white, ivory. Basically I use whatever is the result of mixing the various oops paint I buy. It's not hospital white, but it's neutral enough to appear light and airy. Darker colors make rooms look smaller. And if you have trees outside the window or small windows in the unit, darker paint can make the place seem more like a cave than an apartment.
I've also only ever had one person say anything about it. He's a tenant and an industrial painter. So I let him paint one room. He painted one wall in light and dark green stripes. Then decided that just having the back wall in the living room that way is enough. I agree. It looks pretty cool right now. But that's just my opinion. If he moves out, it's going back to a neutral color. Like others have said, you can't please everyone, but you need to focus on the majority.
I use oops paint from Home Depot. $5 for a gallon, mix several together and you get a nice cream/off white neutral color you can spread over the whole place. And I use eggshell or satin, so if the paint is still fine, I can wipe off stains and rent it out - no new paint needed! It's beautiful....
Don't do color. We got silly once - one of our rentals have two hideous bathrooms - the tile is all different colors. So I grabbed a can of light green to match the tile. Our tenant asked if she could paint over it - says she hates green. They're nice responsible people, so I said "so long as you don't pick the dark brown, maroon, or black tile color, go for it." She laughed. It's a light blue now.
I also have a paint policy - my tenants can get my permission to paint, provided the color is not dark and they are very careful not to drip on my floor. They love it, and stay longer because their kids can have their bedrooms the color they want. Makes them happy.
I should add - I love to paint. So I don't care if I have to repaint after a tenant leaves.
i also use oops paint from sher/will for $5 for five gals. my wife buys all her contractor paint from them and they let her have all the oops paint her wants. its a great deal................km