Condo Painting for Belmont, MA homeowners.

Census counts of units in structure show how varied multi-unit housing is here. Of 10,881 housing units, 29.7% are in two-unit buildings, 8.7% in buildings of three or four units, and 10.3% in buildings with five or more, including 5.1% in buildings of 50 units or more. The census does not say how many of those are condominiums rather than rentals, but the building size tells you a lot about how a paint project gets organized.

In a two-unit condominium, the association may be just the two owners, and decisions about a shared stairwell or the exterior are a conversation between neighbors. In a large building, a board, and possibly a management company, sets the rules for access, hours and paperwork, and an owner painting inside a unit still has to work within them.

Inside your own unit

Walls, ceilings and interior trim inside a unit are generally the owner's to paint, but check the master deed and rules before scheduling. An association may set working hours, require advance notice for contractors, or limit where materials can be staged and how elevators and parking can be used.

Age matters inside units too. With 87.3% of the town's housing built before 1980, a condo carved out of an older house or apartment building may have pre-1978 paint on its doors, windows and trim. The EPA rule on lead-safe renovation covers apartments as well as houses, so prep that disturbs those surfaces has to be done by a certified firm. See our lead-safe painting page.

Hallways, stairwells and other common areas

Common-area painting is an association decision, and it usually comes with more steps than a unit job. Residents need to get in and out while the work is going on, so stairwells may be done in sections, wet-paint areas need clear signs, and lead-safe containment in an occupied hallway has to leave a safe path.

Expect the board or manager to ask for proof of coverage. If a certificate of insurance is needed, the master insurance policy or the management agreement may specify who must appear as certificate holder, and getting those details in writing early keeps the start date from slipping. AJ Painting is licensed and insured.

• Board approval and a defined scope in writing
• Insurance paperwork matched to the association's requirements
• A schedule posted for residents, floor by floor
• Lead-safe practices wherever pre-1978 paint is disturbed

Exteriors in historic districts

A condo building inside the Pleasant Street, Common Street or Richardson Farm local historic district is subject to the same Historic District Commission review as a house. Even repainting the existing colors requires a Certificate of Non-Applicability, and new colors need a Certificate of Appropriateness. When the master deed makes the exterior a common element, the association, not an individual owner, is the logical applicant.

Planning the project

Associations budgeting for repainting can start with our painting cost overview for Massachusetts, which summarizes market data. Owners planning work inside a unit can also read our page on interior painting in Belmont, and boards weighing exterior work can see exterior painting in Belmont. Neighborhood notes are on the Waverley and Belmont Center pages.