Condo Painting in Stoneham, MA.

Three in ten local housing units, 30.0% of 10,196, are in buildings with five or more units, and 20.8% are in buildings of twenty or more. Two- to four-unit buildings hold another 11.7%, and single-family attached homes such as townhouses add 4.0%.

The census does not say which of those units are condominiums and which are rentals, and 29.0% of occupied homes are renter-occupied. A single building can contain both owner-occupants and units rented out by their owners. The 2024 Historic Preservation Plan adds a piece of history: in the 1970s, zoning was revised to further limit multifamily development.

Inside a unit

Unit owners generally control the paint on their interior walls, but the master deed and the association's rules decide where a unit ends. Entry doors facing a hallway, balcony rails and shared porches can be common elements with a required color. A quick question to the manager before color samples go up avoids redoing a door.

Unit work covers walls, ceilings, trim, doors and closets, a neutral repaint before a sale, and kitchen or bath cabinets, which follow the process on our cabinet painting page for Stoneham. Building logistics, such as permitted work hours, elevator padding, parking for a van and where drop cloths and ladders can be staged, get confirmed with management in advance.

Common areas, scheduled around residents

Corridors, stairwells, lobbies and laundry rooms stay in use while they are painted. Work is divided by floor or stair so one route is always open, notices go to residents ahead of each phase, and finishes are chosen for scrubbability where carts and furniture scrape the walls. Handrails and door frames, which collect the most contact, get a harder enamel than the walls around them.

For a board comparing bids, a clear scope helps: which floors, which surfaces, how many coats, what repairs are included, and the order of work. Exterior trim, siding and railings on a small association's building follow the prep described on our exterior painting page.

• Hallways, stairwells, lobbies and entry vestibules
• Unit doors and frames on the corridor side
• Handrails, balusters and railings
• Exterior trim, siding and porches on smaller associations
• Phased schedules and resident notices

Insurance paperwork and lead rules

An association or its manager can require a certificate of insurance naming the association before work begins. AJ Painting is licensed and insured, and the certificate request is handled as part of scheduling.

Age is the other compliance issue. With 70.3% of local housing built before 1980, an older multi-unit building can fall under the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, which covers paid work disturbing paint in pre-1978 housing beyond 6 square feet per room inside or 20 square feet outside. Hallway trim, stair rails and window sashes in an older building are places where that limit can be reached. Our lead-safe painting page explains containment and cleanup.