Condo Painting in Lynn, MA.

Lynn's housing stock is split roughly in thirds. Census estimates put 35.0% of units in detached single-family houses, 32.5% in buildings of two to four units, and 28.3% in buildings of five or more, including 11.0% in buildings of fifty or more. The census doesn't say which of those units are condominiums, so an association here could be two owners in a converted two-family or a large board with a management company.

The painting is similar in both cases. What differs is who approves the work, how it is paid for, and how residents are kept informed while it happens.

Painting inside your own unit

Interior walls and ceilings are generally the unit owner's responsibility, but the master deed defines exactly where a unit ends. Entry doors on a common hall, windows, and balconies or porches may be common or limited common elements. Read the documents, or ask the manager, before painting anything visible from outside the unit.

Renters occupy 51.9% of the city's occupied homes, and a rented condo has its own timing: painting between tenants or before a listing, where one consistent palette makes later touch-ups easier. The interior painting page covers plaster and trim in older units.

• Walls, ceilings, trim and interior doors
• Kitchen and bath cabinets, quoted separately
• Turnover repaints for rented units
• Plaster repair in converted older buildings

Hallways, stairwells and entries

Common areas have to stay open while they are painted. Work can be split by floor or by stairwell so one route is always clear, with wet areas marked. Scuff-resistant finishes hold up better where residents move furniture and bikes. Notices should go up in the building, and out by email if the association uses it, well before the first day.

The census puts 78.1% of the city's housing in buildings from before 1980, the nearest decade break to the 1978 lead-paint ban. In an older building, sanding stair rails, doors and window stools in a shared hall puts dust in everyone's path. EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires lead-safe certified contractors for work that disturbs paint in pre-1978 housing; see our lead-safe painting page for what containment involves.

Insurance certificates and board approvals

A manager or board may require a certificate of insurance before a contractor works in common areas. AJ Painting is licensed and insured; ask for the certificate holder to be the association or management company. Send the exact wording the manager needs before the start date.

For a board vote, ask for an estimate broken out by area: each hallway, each stairwell, and the exterior body, trim and porches. Owners can then compare scope line by line and phase the work across budget years if needed.

Exteriors and historic districts

A building in the Diamond, Lynn Common or Central Square National Register district still belongs to its owners to maintain. The National Park Service says listing does not restrict what a private owner does with a property unless the project receives federal assistance; we have found no local color review for repainting, but a board planning a dramatic color change should confirm with the city first. Exterior prep and siding are covered on the exterior painting page.

Associations in the Diamond District, East Lynn, Sagamore Hill and the Highlands can book a free walkthrough with the board or the manager.