Prepare for paint rules
This summer I celebrated five years in my first home, a condo in downtown Toronto. To mark the occasion, my condo decided to start breaking down in various ways.
It was like the warranty had just expired (and, no, I am not living in a newbuild). The tap in one of the bathroom sinks needed the washer and plug replaced. The washing machine cut out. The refrigerator chilled its last ice cube. These items were repaired or replaced, and then the shiny new things started to make the older things look even more drab. Especially the walls. Once you see one mark, you see all the marks, and they can never be unseen. It was time for a makeover.
“Paint is the cheapest product with the maximum potential for change,” says Garry Belfall, senior brand manager with Para Paints.
On average, Canadians repaint their homes (whether just a room or the whole dwelling) every two to five years. But painting, when done right, is not as simple as picking a colour then calling a guy with a brush and a ladder — especially if you’re living in a condo.
If you’re looking to give your home a new hue, here are tips from the pros to make the process a smooth, successful one.
Work within the rules
Before hiring a contractor for any type of work, condo owners need to know their unit boundaries. Check your condo corporation’s declaration. If you paint something that is considered a common element, and the board isn’t happy, you’ll have to repaint it and suck up the cost for the extra work as well.
“A lot of new condo owners are downsizing from homes and are not used to rules. They feel like they’re being smothered,” says Marilyn Lincoln, a condo owner, director and author of The Condominium Self Management Guide.
Save yourself potential hassle and extra expenses by inquiring about rules and restrictions before starting the job.
Picking paint
Fifty shades of grey is putting it lightly when it comes to what’s available in just that one hue. Start by figuring out whether you prefer crisp, cool colours (which have a blue tint) or warm (which have a yellow tint). From there, “pick colours that are tonally matched,” Belfall advises.
Before finalizing your selection, put paint chips on walls and see how they look during the day’s different lights. As for sheen, typically the more traffic an area has, the higher the sheen of paint you’ll want, but Belfall says these days designers are looking for the “deadest flat — they don’t want any sheen.”
In response, Para developed an ultrasuede finish, which is lower in sheen, but still durable and washable. An emerging trend, Belfall notes, is painting an accent wall in a gloss finish, “almost a lacquer accent wall.” he says.
Hiring the pros
“If I show up at a house to give a quote, I’m there to get the job,” says Gordon Shibuya, vice-president of Finer Edge Painting and Improvements. It’s standard to get a quote from three companies, but make sure the quotes are based on the same scope of work.
Figure out what it is you need doing — number of rooms, trim, doors, ceilings — and the number of colours you’ll use. This will ensure you “get a real quote and aren’t charged for extras later,” Shibuya says.
Condo dwellers should communicate any work restrictions as well — hours during which the work must be done, whether the elevator needs booking and availability of parking for the crew. Those in condos should also be prepared to pay 25 to 50 per cent more for trade work than those in houses do. Getting the crew and gear from the car to a highrise suite can be vastly more complicated than pulling into a driveway and walking into a house, and this factors into the overall costs.