Condo Painting serving Salem and Metro West MA.

Shared buildings hold 69.9% of Salem homes. According to Census figures, 38.0% of the city's 21,492 units are in two- to four-unit buildings and another 31.9% are in buildings of five or more units, including 2,072 units in complexes of 50 or more. Single-family detached homes account for 23.9%. Those buildings include both condominiums and rentals, and occupied homes in the city split 49.7% owner and 50.3% renter.

For painting, the condo question is always who owns which surface. The unit owner is typically responsible for the walls, ceilings and trim inside the unit. Hallways, stairwells, lobbies, exterior siding and porches are often common elements that belong to the association. The master deed and bylaws settle it for your building, and they are worth reading before anyone picks a color.

Inside one unit

Painting a single unit looks like any interior job, with a few extra steps. The management company or board may want notice of the work dates, the names of who will be in the building, and proof of insurance. Elevators may need padding, and some buildings limit work hours or the use of shared hallways for staging. Drop cloths and supplies stay inside the unit.

Age matters here too. With 76.4% of Salem units built before 1980, a condo carved out of an older house may have lead in its original trim and window paint. Sanding that woodwork calls for the methods on our lead-safe painting page, and dust control matters more when another household lives on the other side of the wall.

Common areas for the association

Hallways and stairwells take heavy wear: scuffed walls along the stairs, chipped railings and handrails, dented door frames. Repainting them can be planned in sections so residents can always get in and out, with wet-paint signs and a clear route at the end of each day.

• Stairwells, landings, handrails and balusters
• Entry lobbies, mailbox areas and corridors
• Unit entry doors and frames on the common side
• Basement laundry and storage areas
• Exterior siding, trim, porches and back stairs

Insurance paperwork

An association's master policy generally covers the building, not a contractor's work. Boards and property managers may ask for a certificate of insurance before any vendor starts, sometimes naming the association as certificate holder. AJ Painting is licensed and insured, so ask for the certificate at the estimate and give the board or manager time to review it before a start date is set.

Exterior work in the historic districts

If your building sits inside one of Salem's four local historic districts (McIntire, Derby Street, Lafayette Street and Washington Square), a new paint color on siding, trim, doors, porches or storms visible from a public way requires a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Salem Historical Commission, while same-color repainting falls under a Certificate of Non-Applicability. The Commission's guidelines also quote the health rules on paint removal, which require a Health Department permit and prohibit electric sanding on exteriors.

For a closer look at exterior issues, see our Salem exterior painting page. Neighborhood notes are also available for The Point, rebuilt after the 1914 fire, and Broad Street.