Condo Painting throughout Wakefield, MA.

Census counts show 2,388 Wakefield housing units, about one in five, sit in buildings with five or more units, and 790 of those are in buildings of 50 units or larger. Another 2,465 units are in two- to four-unit buildings. Not every one of those is a condominium, but owner-occupied homes in the larger buildings number 732, and that is where unit owners and associations share walls, hallways and rules.

Condo painting splits into two kinds of work with different decision-makers. Inside your unit, the choice is usually yours. The halls, stairs, siding and trim are generally common elements controlled by the association.

Before work starts in a unit

Your master deed, bylaws and rules decide what a unit owner may change and what the building needs from any contractor. Read them, or ask the property manager, before scheduling. A building may ask for a certificate of insurance naming the association, a work window that respects quiet hours, and a plan for protecting the elevator or stair carpet while materials move in.

AJ Painting is licensed and insured and can send a certificate of insurance to your manager ahead of the start date.

• Certificate of insurance issued to the association or manager
• Agreed hours and parking or loading arrangements
• Floor and elevator protection along the route to the unit
• Sealed containers and no rinsing of brushes in shared sinks

Common areas for boards and managers

Hallways, stairwells and lobbies take scuffs from moves, deliveries and daily traffic. Repainting them in sections keeps at least one route open, and a scrubbable eggshell or satin on walls makes the next round of touch-ups easier for the building. Handrails, doors and stair stringers are finished in a harder enamel.

For boards planning a larger cycle of work, the property management painting page explains how multi-area jobs can be phased and documented.

Older buildings converted to condos

With 70.8% of Wakefield housing built before 1980, a condo unit can sit inside an older two-family or multi-family house that has since been divided. Pre-1978 paint on trim, windows or stair railings falls under the EPA's renovation rule whenever it is scraped or sanded. In a shared building, containment also keeps dust out of neighbors' units and the common hall. The lead-safe painting page covers how that is done.

Exterior work on a condo building follows the same pattern as any house: the association, not one owner, approves colors and schedule. Details on siding and trim prep are on the Wakefield exterior painting page.

Getting a quote for your building

A unit-only estimate needs access to the unit and the approval rules. A common-area estimate needs a walk-through with a board member or manager and a list of the areas in scope. Interior details such as plaster repair and sheen are explained on the Wakefield interior painting page. Unit owners and boards in Greenwood, Montrose and the West Side can book a visit the same way.