Renting a house, how to paint the interior?

[Alfred_B]

We are considering renting out our house due to a job related move.

I have suggested to paint the house interior like you see in catalogs so that it's more appealing to a larger renter clientèle base. My wife suggests to paint in a uniform whitish color like you see in apartment buildings to minimize the painting maintenance and expense.

What would you guys suggest about the interior paint? It's a one story ranch house.

 

[Noey]

Oh....

Alfred, you want to paint it in a neutral color that doesn't clash with either the renter's taste or their furnishings. Your wife is correct here.

 

[Alfred_B]

Good point, that makes perfect sense.

 

[totegoat]

I agree with your wife.

 

[dishdude]

Sherwin Williams Row House Tan for the walls and Dover White for the doors and trim is still neutral but not as sterile as white.

 

[Nate1979]

When are you going to learn that your wife is always correct?......

 

[mrsilv04]

Some shade of beige. Think of a Toyota Camry.

 

[mrsilv04]

Some shade of unoffensive beige. Think of a Toyota Camry.

 

[Andrew1972]

I'd personally paint it more modern as you may end up selling the home or renting.

You can do color that is neutral and safe. White is a turn off especially ceilings.

 

[demarpaint]

Benjamin Moore Linen White flat or eggshell on the walls, Decorators white flat on the ceilings, white semi gloss trim. Been there done that more times than I can count. It makes the rooms look bigger, there is some color and contrast, and it's very easy to touch up. I prefer flat on walls, but the eggshell finish washes very well.

 

[doitmyself]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
Sherwin Williams Row House Tan for the walls and Dover White for the doors and trim is still neutral but not as sterile as white.


Excellent advice. I have the public areas of my house in a very similar color, Benjamin Moore Bone White shown below. It is very forgiving regarding showing dirt and covers very well. My experience is that the final wall color always seems darker than the color swatch, so be mindful of that.

Computer color rendition is not to be trusted.

 

[Doog]

I am getting my home ready to sell. So I am in the process of painting all of the bedrooms neutral colors. Just go with off whites, cream or beige. The lighter the better as they make the rooms seem cleaner, larger and brighter. Stay with the same color palate that the drapes are so you don't need to change them.

Example: My daughters pink bedroom got an off white with a slight pink hue so we didn't have to change drapes or bedspreads to show the house. Works like a charm. The room is twice as bright and we didn't have to change anything in it.

 

[krismoriah72]

I had to paint 3 rooms this past year.. found out that you can get a pint at ACE for about $2. We tried 12 or so different neutrals until we found what we liked. Nothing worse than buying a gallon painting a whole room then finding out u dont like it.

Spiced Vinegar 314-4 (paint code) was our favorite..its a very nice neutral tan.

Its best to have the paint code with you so that you can get a PPG or Sherwin williams mixed anywhere.

 

[PandaBear]

My parents have standardized all rental units to a color called "swiss coffee", sort of a mild beige like above, to minimize paint inventories.

You don't want any weird color in the American rental market, people like their walls inoffensive.

 

[silveravant]

I use a color called macadamia from Sherwin Williams. Neutral beige kind of color. Used by many builders in model homes. I buy it in 5 gal. buckets. Touches up very well between renters.

 

[Alfred_B]

Should the ceiling and the walls be the same inoffensive beige color?

 

[JayhawkRoy]

I generally preferred a contrast, so I always painted the ceilings white. They were also that way when I purchased the rental properties, and I just continued the pattern.

 

[xfactor9]

I like white ceilings because they make the room brighter. This is especially important if the room doesnt have many windows or if the flooring is dark. Pick a bright white, as ceilings will appear darker than the swatch

The final wall color will appear different than the swatch because of room lighting and floor color.. It's hard to predict

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: JayhawkRoy
I generally preferred a contrast, so I always painted the ceilings white. They were also that way when I purchased the rental properties, and I just continued the pattern.


That's what many people do with rental properties, and in preparation of selling a house. White ceilings give contrast to the walls, and make the room look bigger. It can also be a selling feature, many times people see a nice clean white ceiling and all they do is paint the walls a color they like when they move in. That saves them time and money if they just bought the house.

 

[RhondaHonda]

White ceilings, gray or tan walls. Grays are in now over tan but either one is neutral and looks decent.