Condo Painting in Malden, MA.

More than two-thirds of the housing here (68.2%) is in buildings of two or more units. Census tables show 21.5% of units in two-unit buildings, 12.1% in three- or four-unit buildings, and 34.6% in buildings with five or more units, including 17.3% in buildings of fifty or more. The census does not separate condos from apartments, but the range tells you what a condo association can look like locally: two neighbors under one master deed, or a board answering to dozens of owners through a management company.

The brushwork is the same either way. The paperwork, approvals and communication change a great deal.

Small associations

In a two- or three-unit condo, the owners may serve as the trustees themselves. Common-area painting, from the front hall to the exterior, needs agreement among people who live a staircase apart. A written estimate that separates each area helps: owners can see exactly what the shared stairway costs versus the porch or the siding, and split it according to the percentages in the master deed.

If one owner wants to paint a door or porch that is a limited common element, the deed and bylaws decide whether the others must approve. Settle that question before a contractor is booked.

Larger buildings and managers

A management company may have its own vendor requirements, which can include a certificate of insurance naming the association and the manager. AJ Painting is licensed and insured; send the holder wording the manager wants on the certificate. Rules on work hours, elevator padding, parking for work vehicles and where materials are stored come from the board or manager, so share them early.

About 15.2% of local housing was built in 2000 or later, and a newer building brings its own concerns: painted drywall corridors that scuff, steel doors and frames, and sometimes a developer's original color schedule the board wants matched.

• Hallways and stairwells, phased so residents always have a clear exit
• Unit entry doors and frames on a common schedule
• Lobby, mailroom and trash-room touch-ups
• Exterior trim, siding, railings and porches

Older buildings and lead-safe common areas

Older stock is still the majority: 70.9% of units here are in buildings from before 1980. In a pre-1978 building converted to condos, sanding the stair balusters, hall doors and window sills creates dust in a space every resident uses. EPA lead-safe rules require certified practices for that work, with plastic containment, wet methods and HEPA cleanup; see the lead-safe painting page.

For exterior changes that go beyond repainting, such as replacing trim, siding or windows, the Malden Historical Commission administers a delay ordinance whose application covers alterations as well as demolition. Check with the commission before the board approves that kind of project. The siding and prep side is covered on the exterior painting page.

Owners painting inside their units

Unit interiors are normally the owner's call, within building rules. With renters occupying 58.7% of occupied homes, a unit that is rented out is easiest to repaint in the gap between leases. Interior prep for older plaster is on the interior painting page. Associations in Edgeworth, Maplewood, Linden or the West End can schedule a walkthrough with the board.