Condo Painting across Arlington, Massachusetts.

Arlington's housing covers every building size. Census estimates put 45.3% of units in single-family homes (detached or attached), 29.4% in buildings of two to four units, and 24.9% in buildings of five or more, with 8.0% in buildings of fifty or more. The census doesn't say which of those units are condominiums, but it does show the range of buildings an association might govern: a former two-family, a small three- or four-unit house, or a larger apartment-style building.

The Massachusetts Historical Commission's 1980 town survey notes that multi-story apartment blocks, a few in a simple Art Deco style, went up along Mass. Ave. between 1915 and 1940, and that plain two-family houses formed the bulk of home building in the same period. A condo carved out of a building that old can come with layers of old paint and original plaster in the shared halls.

For unit owners

Inside your unit, the paint is usually yours to choose, but the master deed decides exactly where the unit ends. The hallway face of your entry door, shared stairs and porch railings can be common elements. Read the documents, or ask the manager, before picking a color for anything you share.

Unit work in a pre-1978 building falls under the EPA's lead-safe rule when paid work disturbs paint, and in a converted house the dust from one unit can travel into shared halls. The rule also applies when you rent out your unit, which is relevant in a town where 38.4% of occupied homes are rentals. More is on our lead-safe painting page.

• Walls, ceilings, trim and doors within the unit
• Kitchen and bath cabinets (see cabinet painting in Arlington)
• Turnover painting between tenants
• Pre-sale refresh in neutral colors

For associations and managers

Common-area work has to happen while residents keep using the building. That means a posted schedule, work divided by floor or stairwell so one path stays open, and finishes that are low-odor and washable.

Boards also need a scope they can vote on. A written estimate broken out by area (halls, stairs, entries, exterior elevations) lets the association phase the work over more than one budget year if needed.

Insurance paperwork

If your association or manager requires a certificate of insurance before work starts in common areas, the master policy or management contract may spell out the exact terms. AJ Painting is licensed and insured. Getting the exact certificate-holder and any additional-insured wording from your manager at the estimate stage gives time to sort out the paperwork before a start date is set.

Exteriors in historic districts

If the building sits in one of Arlington's seven local historic districts, the commissions review exterior design changes but, per their guidelines, not paint color. Replacing trim, siding or porch parts in anything other than an exact match is reviewed, and visible porches and steps must be finish-grade wood. Boards hoping to cut maintenance should know the guidelines bar vinyl siding unless the commission finds it historically appropriate for the building, and don't allow exposed composite or PVC on steps, decks or porches at all.

Whether the association's building is in East Arlington, near Brattle or elsewhere, the outside work itself is covered on our Arlington exterior painting page.