Western Washington Paint Problems that Apartment Managers Need to Watch Out For
As soon as a tenant leaves, the clock starts ticking.
You want to get that unit cleaned, repaired, and filled as quickly as possible. Especially in Western Washington cities where housing is at a premium like Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Puyallup, and Gig Harbor.
But it’s not always clear when a unit needs to be repainted, and when it can last through another tenant.
A good, clean paint job helps you fill a unit faster at top dollar. It keeps tenants more satisfied while maintaining your property’s value. But there’s always a cost-benefit analysis you need to do.
So here are the key paint problems apartment managers in Western Washington need to watch out for to help you decide when a unit should be repainted.
Moisture Damage in the Bathrooms
There are two main sources of water damage to look out for in your bathrooms. First you want to look near the shower, tub, and sink.
Even if there aren’t any leaks, water regularly splashes out and pools in these areas, leading to blistering, cracking, and ultimately mildew and mold. Most of this damage will be concentrated right near the water sources, and usually lower to the ground.
The other source of damage is water vapor, mostly from hot showers and baths. Especially in a wet, cold environment like Western Washington, steam condenses into water droplets that cling to the ceiling and walls, damaging the pain over time.
This damage is often higher up on ceilings and walls, but can also drip down walls, especially in the corners where two walls meet.
Mold, Blistering, and Peeling Near Windows
With the cold, wet winters in Western Washington, indoor moisture often condenses around windows. Over time this seeps into the paint, causing blistering and peeling.
This can cause serious damage to the surfaces beneath the paint. But it also creates a fertile ground for mold and mildew to grow around windows.
This kind of paint damage is a highly visible sign to prospective tenants that your apartment is not well maintained, and potentially dangerous to their health.
Staining and Peeling in High-Use Kitchen Areas
The kitchen has two main sources of damage. First is cabinets, counters, or any painted surface that people are regularly touching or using. This kind of daily use wears paint down and often leads to staining and peeling.
The other source of kitchen paint damage is cooking. Often you’ll find this near the stove. Steam, oil splatters, and general wear and tear will do a number on nearby painted areas over time.
This kind of paint damage can give your kitchens a dingy look, turning off the exact sorts of tenants you want to attract.
Stains on High-Traffic Doorways and Walls
The main source of dirt and grime in any apartment is the people who live there. So anywhere they regularly come into contact with a painted surface, you want to take a close look.
You’ll often see this sort of staining on doors all around the door knob, where hands touch the paint multiple times a day.
But you’ll also find it on doorways, in hallways, or along walls in any high-traffic area, like where the living room connects to the kitchen, or the doorway to the bathroom.
Dirty, Scuffed Baseboards Near Entryways and at Corners
Western Washington renters are constantly navigating rainy, muddy environments. Especially if they’re like most people in the region and love getting out into the beautiful forests and mountains.
That means lots of dirt and mud being tracked back into their apartments, even if they’re careful.
Over time this builds up as dirt, grime, and scuff marks on baseboards. Often you’ll see this in entryways. But you can find it throughout apartments, especially at corners where people are most likely to accidentally hit their shoes and feet against the wall.
Get Quick, Professional Painting and Stop Losing Prospective Tenants
Nothing turns off prospective tenants like seeing mold and mildew in a unit. Most people want to move into a space that looks fresh and new, not one that feels grimy and dingy from all the people before them.
Emerald West Painting specializes in quick-turnaround, professional painting so you can take care of an apartment’s paint issues before you start showing it.
That way you can fill it faster with tenants who value a clean, well-maintained space. They’ll be happier, stay in the unit longer, and your property will face less wear and tear and hold its value better over time.
If you need an accurate, dependable commercial painting partner for your apartments, get in touch and we’ll give you a quick and easy quote.
