But you will only be able to do this when painting your primary residence. The rules for painting your home permit you to place your likes above every other consideration. But you can’t do this when you are painting because you are turning your property into a rental. That demands a different approach than the one you use when painting your home. The wrong paint colors can hurt the success of a rental property.
This is because people have very diverse responses to colors. And the colors a landlord loves may be totally off-putting to a tenant. That is why when painting a rental property, there is less room for being creative or experimenting with bold new colors. Instead, the property owner must play it safe and use colors that will appeal to the greatest number of prospective renters.
Here are the things you should know when painting your rental property, as well as, examples of colors you should and should not use.
1. Avoid bold or statement colors
Most times, the only people who like brilliant colors are the people who selected them. Using statement colors will limit your property to the small number of prospective renters who like those colors. Bold colors will clash with a tenant’s furniture and décor, making it hard for them to know how to arrange and decorate the home.
The goal when painting a rental property is to make it attractive to as many potential renters as possible. And that goal should never be obscured by your personal preference for any color. Using bold colors will force people to either love or hate the room’s colors and that is bad for business.
2. Use neutral colors
The idea of using neutrals throughout the home might be hard to understand because some neutral colors will make a home feel bland. But you can hardly go wrong with neutral colors in your rental property.
Neutral colors make a home feel more spacious and brighter. Most people, even if they are not exactly in love with a neutral color, will have no problems accommodating it in their home.
They also make tenants’ furniture and décor choices easier. But it is still possible to use neutral colors in the wrong way. Here are things to be aware of when painting a rental in neutrals.
● Even though it makes the rental look bright and clean, you should avoid painting it in stark white. Stark white is boring and does not offer enough contrast for displaying wall hangings. Bright white may also feel like a dampener to some people.
● In place of white, use neutral colors that offer some level of warmth and even background. As a rule, lighter tones are preferable for most rooms and spaces in the home. In places like dining rooms and bathrooms, it is alright to experiment with darker tones.
● One of the best neutral colors to use is SW Navajo White. It is a blend of warm off-white and small quantities of yellow, brown, and green. It is perfect because it goes with almost anything in the home. And with this color, you still have room to use bolder accent colors like burgundy, rose, or green.
● Grays, tans, and creams are also highly recommended for rental properties. But when using gray, you should be careful. Very light shades of gray tend to be cold and darker shades may not be suitable to use in the entire rental. Dark neutrals are best for dining rooms, baseboards, doors, and accent walls.
3. Use paints that hide dirt
Another important thing to consider when choosing paint colors for a rental is maintenance. This is one more reason not to use stark white in the property. Even though white fits easily with all the decorative elements in the home, it also shows every speck of dirt.
The same is true for lighter shades; they dirty easily and the walls will require repainting more often. But this does not mean you have to choose dark unattractive colors for the home. You can paint your rental in the colors you want and still keep maintenance costs low if you use washable paints or painting techniques that help to hide dirt.
4. Use good-quality paints
Do not be tempted to buy cheap paint for the walls; if you use low-quality paint, it will come back to haunt you in the long run. Good quality paint will cover the walls more effectively and not need as much maintenance as cheap paint. But this doesn’t mean the paint has to be expensive to be the right choice for the home; a mid-priced paint will work just fine.
We are committed to increasing the value of your home and improve your home’s overall appearance. We also pride ourselves on employing only the most competent and the best painters in San Diego county. Rest assured, we will meet and often, exceed your expectations. Contact The Painting Company San Diego today!
