Rental Property Investor · Ankeny, IA · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
Ok, I’m on my phone and just too lazy to search all the past forums.
I want an indoor paint color that I can put in every room, in every rental that I own. You know the routine. Easy to touch up without needing to match color. Buy in 5 gallon buckets and have it laying around. Easy to repaint entire units after a few years.
Doesn’t have to be a long answer, but what do you use for multiple units and properties?
Real Estate Agent · Katy, TX (Katy) · Member since 2019 · 7 posts · 5 votes
7y
Agreeable gray from SW is another great choice. Or if going cheaper from Home Depot, Smooth stone by glidden is very close. Always satin or semi gloss, pure white trim in semi gloss.
Investor · Gardena, CA · Member since 2017 · 445 posts · 398 votes
7y
For the past 19 years I've been using Home Depot Behr Linen White with a sating finish. It is very washable, but not shiny. The color is not white and not a gray. It is sort of a tannish creamy color that looks great it kitchens, bathrooms and the entire house.
The problem with gray is it does not look so nice in kitchens. So, the Linen White goes in any room.
I am not exaggerating when I say I painted one apartment with 8 different colors before I decided that I would use Linen White for every room, ceilings, doors and moulding.
I even use Line White for the exterior of my commercial buildings and hallways inside apartment buildings. To make a hallway look nice I put a chair molding on the walls and put Swiss Coffee on the wall and ceiling about the chair rail.
Always use paint with a satin finish, or your walls are too flat or too shine. The eggshell finish does not work well because you end up with patches that look a little shiny and patches that are a little dull.
For nice homes, I will paint the walls with Linen White and paint the ceilings, doors and trim with a very light gray, green, or some other color. I like to stay away from white ceilings and trim.
Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2013 · 555 posts · 261 votes
7y
Just look at how nasty beige is.
greys, like beige, will go out of style eventually.
What does not go out of style is any off-white. It makes your decorations, picture frames pop. Look at super rich Ellen Degeneres' house... all white interior.
In fact, head over to Architectural Digest Youtube channel, and look at the celebs' homes. They're all white..
I've had tenants in the past ask me if they could paint beige. I keep everything swiss coffee. If any future tenants want to paint, just remind them that rich people like white.
An added benefit- you don't have to cut in or mask anything when you paint everything white. I just painted the dirty baseboards this week, and I didn't even have to be careful about painting straight.
Real Estate Broker · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2016 · 146 posts · 110 votes
7y
@Anthony Wick
White to grays is the way to go. Even most gray have undertones too such as blue, purple or hue of pink. So if you want some color, gray with undertones is great! Good luck!
Investor · Gardena, CA · Member since 2017 · 445 posts · 398 votes
7y
I agree about the grays. I just went to a real estate club meeting about rehabbing properties and light gray is the preferred choice for everything in the home. I have to laugh at myself because, even recently, all my rehabs have brown earthtone granite, brown linoleum, brown cabinets, etc. amd I am still thinking in the 70's.
All the new homes have everything in gray and everything is 100% square i.e. the door knobs on the house doors, the kitchen cabinet knobs, the kitchen doors, faucets and all the paneling and fences have changed from vertical to horizontal wood. I was really surprised that I never noticed these things and even though I did not want to go to that real estate club meeting to talk about house decor I was actually surprised about what I learned and happy that I went. That is why I go to every real estate club meeting I can.
Real Estate Agent · Seneca, SC · Member since 2017 · 39 posts · 19 votes
7y
@Anthony Wick
Sherwin Williams SW 7029 Agreeable Gray or SW 7036 Accessible Beige with SW 7007 Ceiling Bright White is ALL I see in new construction there days. I’m a Realtor so I show and sell homes by various different builders in the upstate of South Carolina.
Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2013 · 555 posts · 261 votes
7y
Originally posted by @Account Closed:
I agree about the grays. I just went to a real estate club meeting about rehabbing properties and light gray is the preferred choice for everything in the home.
That's what people said about beige not too long ago. History will repeat itself with gray. Notice how you're just following a trend?
If you go back even further in time, you had green walls and pink tiles.
Stick with whites and creams. They're timeless and classy.
As an owner of a professional painting company for the past 10 years my recommendation would be:
Benajmin Moore Scuff X matte for walls, color: OC23 Classic Grey
Benjamin Moore Scuff X Semi Gloss White for trims and doors.
We use this is all of our properties, you will not believe how durable this ScuffX paint is! you can literally take your keys and try to scratch the wall and nothing will happen! not the cheapest paint on the market but worth it!
I just saw some youtube videos on this. Very impressive.
The paint is only double the price of typical big box store paint, so if paint can last more than twice as long, it would be worth it.
Question is whether Magic Eraser can do a decent job for less money on scuffs.
Since scuff-x is such a new product, I wonder if I could go 10 years without repainting. That would be a miracle.
Rental Property Investor · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2019 · 530 posts · 511 votes
7y
@Anthony Wick I use Whitetail from Sherwin Williams. Ceiling walls windows and baseboard. I have yet to stick to a sheen, but usually satin except kitchens and baths will get semigloss. Sheen is my biggest thing since semigloss cleans well but flat hides imperfections and rarely do I have fresh/smooth walls. Doors, jam, and door trim I use a semigloss white. I think the color is High Reflective White but I am not 100% on that. I always want those in SG due to handprints. Now if I could just get my handyman to not get paint on the door hardware, life would be grand!
Naperville, IL · Member since 2018 · 330 posts · 357 votes
7y
Revere Pewter only mixed by Behr at HD. We don't store gallons and gallons though, tastes DO change. When we started in 2009 we did a yellowish beige....and then one day those wouldn't rent. Gotta watch a HGTV show once a month to see trends. (Fast forward to the end of the show for the "reveal", that is all you need to see.)