Unit colors

Rehabbing, Fix and Flip, Rental Properties
1

So next week we are scheduled to start rehab on one of our 4plexes. And it strikes me that there might be some psychology and startegy to having a certain set of color combinations in the units. I’m making the assumption that an eggshell white paint, and light beige colored carpet is a standard. Seems it is easier to match appliances, and furniture with a white then anything else. But then I am by no means an interior designer or in fact someone who has any fashion sense whatsoever.

Do you use the same paint/carpet/laminate combination across all of your properties? And, what are those colors? Assuming of course they are rented to the same class of renters? We are looking at lower end renters here. Running 5-600/mo. Which is the low end for a 800sqft 2/2. I’ve seen rents in apartments with amenities getting up to 1000/mo., with the same sqft.

2

Yes. It’s a mistake to get your “decorator on” when it comes to rentals. Spend time and money being creative and unique only on ‘your’ house, not your renter’s.

That said, you don’t have to limit yourself to carpeting. You can lay quality tile in the units, and theoretically save about three or four carpet installations over a period of ten years, especially in a high turn-over situation.

If you decide to re-carpet, buy a little more than you need, so that you’ve got spare yardage to replace damaged spots/areas. Many times, you can simply cut out the damage without replacing the entire room.

This goes with ceramic tile, too. You want extra pieces to replace those that get broken, chipped, or cracked (if the damage is obvious enough).

It’s cost efficient to stick with the same paint color, same manufacturer, and “box” all the paint so that the color remains as consistent between coats and touch-ups. (“Boxing paint” means mixing all the paint together, so that it’s all consistent in color and application).

We use Sherwinn-Williams “200”, Interior Flat, “Antique White” for all our units. Why? Because it covers well enough, has consistent color for touch-ups, we get a contractor’s discount,’ and they have stores everywhere.

We use “Semi-gloss” for the trim and doors, of course. SW’s version of ‘Semi-gloss’ is everyone else’s version of “Satin” for what it’s worth. In fact, SW doesn’t sell a true “gloss” interior paint. Could be that most landlords don’t use gloss paint in their units in the first place.

Every try to cover gloss paint? It takes twice as much prep work to both apply, and to paint over. No thank you.

3

My usual std is Olympic fast hide 15 yr semi gloss antique white. It’s mixed from a white base with just a slight color added so it’s just barely off white. I can get a 5 gallon bucket at Lowe’s for about 65. It’s what I’ve used in almost every single unit we own. People usually comment on how nice and clean everything looks. I don’t get complaints about it being white. I also try to save hw floors in these old houses if at all possible. I hate carpet as a LL. I just spent several hours scraping old vinyl flooring glue off a LR floor so I wouldn’t have to put down carpet.
I also like Jay’s idea of using tile. Just do it the right way and use backer board when necessary. A few of the houses we bought had tile laid directly over hw floors and it cracked like crazy in some places.
My goal is always low maintenance. That’s why I avoid carpet anytime I can.

4

I go a little more the ‘decorator’ touch, Sherwin Willliams “softer tan” for the walls and alabaster for all woodwork.

Same paint in all houses a couple of places we have painted one room a different color (maybe kitchen), but other than that, you know its softer tan and alabaster.

It’s a little more work than using one color for walls and trim, but my units are a little higher end,and it makes them look a little more ‘custom’

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5

This Building has different entry room tile, different colors, different carpet, different vanities and each one has it’s own Wallpaper Borders!

So Javipa, you go with a flat that is harder to clean than a gloss because the painting over it is more difficult? How often do you repaint the units? And do you even tile the bedrooms? I guess it makes cleaning easier and probably harder to have problem bugs stay around between tenants.

Fortunately the only thing likely for me to find under the carpets is some crappy tile or vinyl. Yesterday as I was pricing flooring options at home depot, Pergo/woodlaminate was .40/.60 a sqft more expensive then carpet and tile.

6

It would be a mistake to make these units feel more custom. They need to be uniform so that we compete on a rent to value situation. The market in the area is awash with rentals and prices are slipping, so we need the value proposition. And wouldn’t want to scare someone off by having it look ‘upscale’ and being afraid to ask the price on the unit.

7
So Javipa, you go with a flat that is harder to clean than a gloss because the painting over it is more difficult? How often do you repaint the units? And do you even tile the bedrooms? I guess it makes cleaning easier and probably harder to have problem bugs stay around between tenants.

We use semi-gloss on the kitchen and bathroom walls and ceilings only. We use flat everywhere else for speed, marketability, and profit.

I’m more fussy and anal retentive about paint work (and marketability) of a unit, than the average landlord. To overcome my anal problem(s), I have to be more disciplined about controlling costs. Otherwise, I’ve got the painters removing over-spray from outlets and switches with Acetone-soaked Q-Tips (at their own expense), all after failing to follow my instructions about properly taping off ‘everything.’

Meantime, I’ve discovered that painting a unit with semi-gloss is NOT cost-effective, or even the most marketable option. The materials cost more, the application costs more, and the maintenance costs more.

I don’t need any more reasons not to use semi-gloss on anything but kitchens and bath.

BTW, I’ve lost count of the times we’ve attempted to scrub the semi-gloss/gloss kitchen walls only to leave scratch marks, or a dull finish behind, requiring us to repaint the walls anyway.

Unlike flat paint, we’ve got to prepare the walls by re-washing them; re-sanding them; sometimes re-priming them; and then repainting them. Some landlords skip those steps and just paint right over the semi-gloss, stains and all.

Then they can’t figure out why the paint job doesn’t ‘take.’ Never mind the beading issues.

Then later, the renters ‘somehow’ succeed at peeling entire layers of paint off the wall. Then it gets ‘really’ expensive to maintain.

So for us, it’s not cheaper to use semi-gloss. The prep takes longer. The paint is more expensive. Maintenance is more time-consuming. And ‘touch ups’ always ‘show up.’

Flat paint ‘feathers’ beautifully to hide imperfections. Semi-gloss ‘glossness’ can vary from bucket to bucket, depending on how much water was used to thin it, or not.

P.S. Another thing to consider about ‘any’ paint is that it’s a natural deodorizer. Sometimes it’s wiser to repaint an entire unit, even if the paint seems OK, as it will conquer oppressive smells. Of course that also assumes the carpets are clean and deodorized.

So, everything is painted flat, but the doors, trim, kitchen and the bath. Simple, easy, profitable.

P.S.S. You know what is always painted semi-gloss, since money is no object for these ‘people?’ Prisons and schools. No thanks.

8

It would be a mistake to make these units feel more custom. They need to be uniform so that we compete on a rent to value situation. The market in the area is awash with rentals and prices are slipping, so we need the value proposition. And wouldn’t want to scare someone off by having it look ‘upscale’ and being afraid to ask the price on the unit.
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If someone comes into a house to look at it I am VERY upfront with price, including having fliers printed with the price listed,you want them to think “WOW, its this much nicer than the others and the same price”, which is how I keep vacancies to a minimium

9

While I have no problem providing a better living situation than what is around it is a 4plex and not a house. So we tend to see more transient residents. The area is almost section 8 so the quality of tenant that we might attract is not nessicarily the type that is going to be impressed by the quality of the unit. They are much more concerned about pricing. If I was involved in sfh I would definitely be more attuned to the quality issue. And look to attract long term tenants.

10

Don’t think you can’t find good long term tenants for a building like that. Three of the tenants in our small apt building have been there for over a decade. One lady has lived there for about twenty years.

11

Justin,

What weare planning on doing with this property is to sub-lease it to the veterans affairs branch out here so that they can use it as temporary housing. So while we believe they will take care of most of the maintance we are not looking for trying to find our own tenants. So the work that makes it liveable and easy to maintain is our goal. Our other properties we might decide to go a little nicer to attract longer term tenants… so I appreciate the suggestion.

With all the great discussion on types of paint, has anyone found a set of color combinations that make an apartment pop? Most places I’ve lived are white, but if there’s a secret sauce color combination the you use that would be a great secret to share.

12

Secret Sauce: “Clean and white”

13

Is that the shortest reply you’ve ever posted? But its good to know tried is true.

14

I have two colors tan and white
I use the exact same color from lowes on every unit.

Tenants comment constantly about how the tan makes them feel more at home than the sterile white units.
Tan paint looks better much longer than white.
It also covers better especially over stains.
With tan, Ive never had to do more than one coat.

Any color appliances/cabinets can match with tan/white.
I normally go a little darker than standard with carpets.
I use commercial grade and save all decent sized scraps in the attic for future repairs.

15

I’m going to go out from the norm a little bit. I use sherwin Williams ProMar 400 paint $120/five gallons in their low sheen. It’s washable but as close to flat as possible. I went to using it two years ago and can touch it up without noticing where I did it. My paint color is an off white, but has a hint of gray/purple in it. I got it by asking what the big apartment complexes use. My thinking was that the big complexes were worried about the same stuff as me and knew more about the psychology of paint colors. It worked out very well.

For the vinyl, I use the more expensive sheet vinyl that has a nicer pattern and doesn’t require adhesive. It comes in rolls and gets cut to size, just lays on the old stuff. For the carpet I found that the local paint store carried a medium brown carpet in stock and used it extensively. They agreed to keep a roll of it it there and said they could replace it within two days if they used it for another customer. I used that color. I actually liked it enough I used it in my basement with my rental paint. All my rentals are nicer, rent towards the top of our market - $1000/month give or take.

For my money: look at SW 6232 Misty in Promar 400 Low Sheen for all walls including kitchen and bathroom and SW 7012 Creamy in Pro Mar 200 Semi gloss for trim and doors and Cabinets. I use Shaw Carpet - color Mayville. For my vinyl I use an irregular pattern like stone that is the no glue sheet vinyl.

Something like this:

http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/842374/842374167589lg.jpg

FWIW: Carpet is $14.25/yard installed with 6# pad and the roll vinyl is $26/yard installed.

16

Wrong, wrong, wrong!

It sounds like everyone is using that ol’ landlord dirty white. How can you stand out from other rentals? By having a freshly painted dirty white?

When I started fixing up my first duplex here I stood in that living room and became horribly depressed. It was all painted, yep, dirty white. It had nice glossy hardwood floors, nice layout and windows. Why was it so depressing? It was COLD. White is just plain a cold color and looks good only (IMHO) in Spanish revival houses where there is a lot of wrought iron and architectural ornamentation.

That first duplex apartment, with its north facing windows left me cold. How could I ever rent it if I didn’t even like it? I then remembered that every time I went to the Albuquerque Airport I automatically sought out the Black Mesa Coffee Shop…Why? So I could sit and bask in the happy warmth of the RED walls.

So I did something very scary. I hired a painter and we mixed up a few samples of red gloss paint. Not bucket-of-blood red, but a “cowboy” red. The painter rubbed it on with a t-shirt rag. It looked wonderful. We painted those 2 living rooms red. The first person who saw it loved it. Everyone has loved it.

I can’t even remember how many tenants have said “Thank God, it is not that landlord white with tan carpet.” That red became our signature color and it goes in almost every unit.

Another thing…the color lasts a whole lot longer than white. It ages nicely in place.

Furnishedowner

17

I’ve been at this too long to fall for that, furnished owner. :anon

And just for giggles, your description of ‘white paint’ as being ‘dirty white’ is a matter of opinion!!! :biggrin Your ‘dirty white’ is my “blank slate of imagination.”

For every tenant that ‘loves dirt red,’ I’ll have 10 others with a light blue couch and pink pillows that are fine with ‘dirty white,’ or might ask if they can paint the living room light blue, or pastel pink.

On the other hand, never mind if they actually accepted the ‘dirty-red’ paint scheme against their blue and pink furniture, the place now looks like the lobby of a make-shift whorehouse.

Meantime, there’s a difference between decorating a rental unit, and decorating a hotel room.

As an aside, have you ever noticed that all motels use white paint on their walls? There’s a reason. It’s marketable …and easy to maintain.

Do people reject a motel room because the walls are white? No. However, with white walls, the management can make any upholstery, bedspread, curtain-color scheme work. And ‘those’ schemes are where the money is.

So painting the walls of my rental houses with gawd-awful-dirty- indian-red just makes me cringe. To think about matching the color later when the “patina” sets in, just makes me think “‘over budget’ maintenance item.” Or I imagine how many prospects walked away, because the unit was so dark, despite not working with their current furniture patterns.

Hey, ‘patinas’ are reserved for my collection of antique guns, not the walls of my rentals. :biggrin

OK, I really don’t care this much about it, suffice to say that there’s reason that when we sell real estate, we make the carpet and walls a neutral color. It allows the buyer to imagine more easily what his furniture and ‘life’ could be like, after moving into the house. Same goes with our rental color schemes, and for the same reason(s).

But, please, continue making your units look like fresh crime scenes. It reduces my competition.
:shocked :beer :biggrin

18

The Bathroom in one unit was painted a Dark Blue. It stood out alright, made me think that whoever lived there didn’t like to look themselves in the mirror in the morning. One wall of the living room was painted Sunset Orange, another Gold, and another A Dull Yellow. I got a headache just looking at them.

The Dirty White Makes the place bright and vibrant compared to dark tones that were in there. The Light Tan Trim makes the doors and cabinets pop a little, but not too much.

So I did something very scary. I hired a painter and we mixed up a few samples of red gloss paint. Not bucket-of-blood red, but a "cowboy" red. The painter rubbed it on with a t-shirt rag. It looked wonderful. We painted those 2 living rooms red. The first person who saw it loved it. Everyone has loved it.

I can’t even remember how many tenants have said “Thank God, it is not that landlord white with tan carpet.” That red became our signature color and it goes in almost every unit.

Another thing…the color lasts a whole lot longer than white. It ages nicely in place.

Furnishedowner

Yes but your properties are Furnished and Short Term Rentals right? You don’t have to worry about tenants bringing their own stuff into the apartment?

19

I’ve been in the rental business for over 17 years. I’ve bought half empty apartment buildings with strange colours on the walls like wine, yellow, etc. and I still couldn’t rent it out. I painted them with semi-gloss white from Lowe’s, Home Depot or Walmart, and they all rented within the same month. Off colours appeal to that 5% of population who like that colour, a neutral colour like white appeals to 99% just as it is for selling a house. Unless you’re living in an area with a 2% vacancy rate or consider yourself very lucky, you’re gonna end up with an apartment empty for a couple months using anything other semi-gloss white unless you’ve got low standards and are renting to crack heads and dead beats.

I always go with semi-gloss white with a rental. I never have a problem with paint peeling unless some idiot before me painted over an oil base paint without sanding the walls first or the walls were not prepped with TSP if there were smokers in there prior. Unless there are plaster walls and the tenants left the window open in the winter the plaster might peel, but that’s about it.

I highly recommend semi-gloss white as it’s easy to clean and most marks easily come off with the mr clean magic eraser.

And I paint everything white now. Scratched countertops with white melamine, pink bathroom tile painted with white melamine, rusted bathroom fixtures painted white. If it doesn’t rent, I paint it white and I find a qualified tenant.

Another thing to consider is turnover costs. If someone comes to take a look at the apartment while it’s rented and you show it and they don’t like wine, what are you gonna do? It’s now gonna be empty and you’ve got to paint it before the new tenants move in. You’re not saving money by racking up big turnover costs.

Coloured walls or flat paint in a rental is just asking for trouble down the road when dealing with turnover costs. You can’t wash flat paint. The whole apartment has to be repainted. Flat paint also doesn’t prevent paint from peeling on a poorly preped wall.

For flooring, I either redo with black carpet, tile, resand hardwood with a dark walnut stain (and touch it up in the future with stain), or peel and stick and it rents. I might put down vinyl carpet the first time in the kitchen, but after the first tenant moves out and rips the vinyl floor from moving a stove, fridge or kitchen chair it’s ruined, I buy peel and stick and put it on top of the vinyl carpet and never do that apartment in vinyl carpet again. Vinyl carpet makes for good underpadding for peel and stick, but that’s about it.

Hope that helps. If you want to experiment and learn the hard way and waste your money doing it differently, more power to you. I’ve tried other methods and found that my system saves the most money. Good, free advice. If you can’t make good money you can spend on yourself in the present, what’s the point of being a landlord? Building equity down the road is just icing on the cake and not a reason to be a landlord, imo.

20

I just used flat paint on some stuff at my house. I’m amazed how fast it looks bad. My one year old has destroyed it. I’ll never use it again on anything.