Basically, off-white and eggshell paint is exciting. (Service Spotlight).

While apartment design and marketing seem to be in constant flux and apartment maintenance gets more and more complex, the basic can of paint used in apartment communities has not changed much.

"Our industry is very boring," said Powell, with a laugh. "It's all white and off-white, and it's been that way for 30 years."

A brief foray into brightly colored accent walls and custom wallpaper borders in the early 1990s did not last long because owners found them too expensive at turnover, and apartment walls have gone back to basics.

Community managers, however, can find somewhat exciting results in terms of turnover rates and resident satisfaction by sticking with basic light, neutral colors. Powell said they can make apartment turnaround quick, easy, and even inexpensive. It also can lower routine maintenance, particularly in apartments rented to students or families with young children, where walls can really take a beating.

And though white or eggshell can seem like the simplest things in the world, Powell said there is a more to choosing paint than finding just the basics.

Managers Do It Themselves

One big change in recent years that Duron has noticed is that instead of hiring painting contractors to apply a fresh coat on an entire apartment once a year, managers now are more often doing the work themselves.

"It's a cost containment issue," said Powell. "They can do it themselves cheaper than hiring contractors."

Fortunately, painting is a relatively simple operation that does not require special certification. As technology has changed, it remains one of the few maintenance tasks that almost anyone can do.

That being said, when renters move out, many managers opt to spot paint rather than coat an entire apartment. Because they are using plain white or eggshell white, painting only where necessary--where large pieces of furniture leaned on walls or over fingerprints, for example--this is an economical way to freshen an apartment during turnover. It also can save days of time. "If the painting is done in-house and if it is a relatively clean apartment, the community can get away with not painting the whole thing," Powell said. "Normally, if a painter is hired, they are asked to paint the entire unit."

Spot painting also is a good technique to use in apartments that do not turn over every year. Brushing out dirt and scuff marks will brighten an entire apartment, making it a more pleasant home for residents. Also it shows prospective residents that the manager cares.

NSC Members Who Provide
Paint and Wallcovering Services

Duron Paints       800/723-8766 Ext. 3500

Sherwin-Williams   800/524-5979

Kim Fernandez is a freelance writer for trade and consumer publications who lives in Bethesda, Md. A former Managing Editor for Units, she has written about the multifamily housing industry since 1994.