Condo Painting across Braintree, Massachusetts.

Census figures show 22.0% of Braintree's housing units sit in buildings of five or more units, including 971 units in buildings of 50 or more. Another 9.1% are in two- to four-unit buildings and 3.7% are attached townhouse-style homes. The census counts structures, not ownership, so those numbers mix condominiums with rental apartments, but they show the range of shared buildings in town, from a converted two-family to a large complex.

Zoning shapes where those buildings can go. The town's 2023 Master Plan says Residence C, roughly 2% of Braintree's land, is the only district where apartment buildings and two-family homes are allowed by right.

Owner or association: who paints what

Your master deed and bylaws define the line between your unit and the common elements. In many associations, interior walls and ceilings fall to the owner, while exterior siding, trim, hallway walls and shared stairwells are common elements; your own documents are what count. Gray areas include entry doors, balcony rails, decks and window sashes, which may be limited common elements: assigned to one unit but still controlled by the board's rules on color and contractors.

Reading those documents before you collect estimates saves arguments later. If a board rule requires approval for colors visible from the hall or the street, get it in writing before the start date.

Painting a unit

Unit interiors call for the same prep as any home, with a few added constraints: elevator reservations, protected hallway floors, quiet hours, and parking or loading rules set by management. With renters making up 22.4% of the town's occupied homes, an owner who rents out a unit may need a quick turnover repaint between leases, timed around move-out and move-in dates. Our Braintree interior painting page and the cabinet painting page cover the work itself.

• Walls, ceilings, trim and doors inside the unit
• Turnover repaints between tenants
• Kitchen and bath cabinets
• Patch and repaint after repairs or water damage

Common areas and building exteriors

Corridors, lobbies and stairwells stay in use during the job, so the work is best split into sections, with notices posted ahead and a clear path kept open. A washable, scrub-resistant sheen suits walls that take daily traffic and moving-day bumps, and low-odor products help in enclosed corridors.

Exterior projects on a shared building often need a board vote and a reserve-fund plan. A written estimate broken out by building, elevation or phase lets the association spread costs across fiscal years if needed. Siding, trim and historic-district rules are covered on our Braintree exterior painting page.

Age of the building and lead

Of all Braintree housing units, 74.7% were built before 1980. In a building from before 1978, paid work that disturbs paint in units or common areas falls under the EPA's lead-safe rule. Because dust from a shared hallway can travel to several doors, containment and cleanup matter even more than in a single house. Our lead-safe painting page explains the steps.

Insurance paperwork

If your association or management company requires a certificate of insurance before contractors work in common areas, the master policy or management contract may dictate who must be named on it. AJ Painting is licensed and insured; send the exact certificate-holder name and wording with your estimate request so the paperwork is ready before the first day.