Multi-Family
The Landlord's Guide to Fast, Cost-Effective Apartment Turnover Painting
· 5 min read
For a rental unit, painting is a scheduling problem as much as a finish problem. The goal is a clean, durable repaint that gets the unit listed again with as few vacant days as possible.
Turnover timelines
A standard one- or two-bedroom unit with normal wear typically paints in a day or two once it is empty and clean. Heavier scope — full ceilings, trim, unit-wide color change or real drywall repair — extends that.
We schedule turnovers around your lease dates so the unit is dry, aired out and photo-ready for the listing.
Color and sheen strategy
Standardizing on one neutral wall color and one trim color across your units is the single biggest time and cost saver. Future touch-ups match without repainting whole walls, and leftover product carries between units.
- Walls: eggshell or satin — washable, resists scuffs, still forgiving on older walls.
- Trim, doors and frames: semi-gloss for cleanability and impact resistance.
- Ceilings: flat white to hide patching and previous repairs.
Patching versus real drywall repair
Standard turnover prep covers nail and anchor holes, small dents, scuff removal and spot priming of stains so they do not bleed through. Damage beyond that — holes, water staining, failed tape joints or damaged corner bead — is drywall repair and is quoted separately so you can decide what is worth doing this cycle.