A post from BRAD recently caused me to re-think the color I use in living room and bedroom. He is right to use color to make apt more appealing. My choice of color was usually something I never gave much thought to before now.

I still use Swiss Coffee in kitchen, bathroom, interior doors and door frames. The flooring would either be hardwood floor or vinyl plank version of hardwood floor (medium level of light / dark on the hardwood) OR if upstairs where noise is an issue for tenant below, then I would go with a medium gray carpet.

I have always used some version of off-white in living room and bedroom.

No more. I'm going with some type of gray for living rooms and bedrooms. It really does add a decorator touch that I now realize makes a difference to many people. BRAD favors repose gray (a Sherwin Williams color) and it is not bad.

Anyone have a favorite gray ?? Not too dark but not too light to show every mark.

It can be from any paint store since there is a database available at some stores that will identify a close color from a different company that the store does sell. Also, they can always match it using their computer matching system.

Thanks.

for 35 + years.

Glidden flat antiques white on walls

Glidden high hiding on ceilings.

I paint for me-- I know funny --- but true. Same color (boa ring) for 80+ homes for 35 years -- the formula has remained the same-- I can get the same blend from H-depot in 50+states.

Dino, don't tell 20 plus,

I took his advise, years ago, on the Repose gray 7015.

We've used a designer friend to help us, starting with kitchens and bathrooms since those hard surfaces and tile or vinyl floors are not easily changed. So we select colors that work with countertops, vanity tops, and floors in those rooms.

Then the adjacent rooms can either be the same color as kitchens / baths or something that coordinates with the kitchen and bath colors so that there's a flow between colors in the different rooms.

We always check colors by laying the paint chips directly on the surfaces they will be near including floors, countertops, appliances, sinks, etc., to make sure they will coordinate.

The light source makes a difference too. We've used SW Malabar in a kitchen where it is perfect, and also in a family room with a fireplace in a different house. It's perfect for both rooms, but looks like a completely different color in each house because of the difference in natural light.

dino,

(shedding a tiny tear) Thanks. Nice to know someone read my post.

BRAD

PS Yes, they WILL walk in a say "Wow I love they grey walls!"

Of you are not getting a WOW consider making a change. People who are WOWed pay more and stay longer.

PPS

The semi gloss white straight from the can for trim makes the grey pop. Swiss Coffee trim will dull the grey.

BRAD

A local guy here has used Behr's Silver Bullet to great effect. He stages it with rich red accents and it really pops. I took Brad's recommendation and have tried Repose Gray in a couple of places. I like how it's not a cold gray, so it goes decently with browns.

It isn't about a prospect saying they wish it was a different color. It is about a prospect walking in, seeing a nice color, clean, bright, and maybe a bit trendy (just a bit which is why grey works). Then they see a nice place to live. To me, all beige, just doesn't do it. It looks dirty. But that is me.

Most of my houses are Behr Navajo White (leans yellow/cream/neutral).

I removed wallpaper in a bathroom at a house and painted using Repose Gray. Tenants first remark, “I love the color you picked for the bathroom.” Another house we remodeled the bathroom, again used Repose Gray. Tenant: love the bathroom colors.

Two houses remodeled to sell painted entire interior Repose Gray. Sold fast.

It isn’t enough to go around painting entire inside of every house to change from Navajo White to Repose Gray but future repaint jobs will be Repose Gray. It does seem to be favored and is a nice, warmer gray.

We use a color called "Universal Grey." Very light grey. It was originally a Glidden color but we have it made up in Behr's Semi-Gloss. Bright white woodwork.

I still tend to leave living room s Behr Swiss Coffee. I’ve been changing the trim Snowy Egret if I need to do trim. It is a bright warm white.

I have been changing some bedrooms to a gray. It is either called French Silk or French Silver. Behr. Daughter did her bedroom in this and I liked it, so have put it into some apartments.

Like MYOB, I have used the same color since I first started in this business. Mine is an off-white but looks warm/light yellow depending the light source. I now use daylight bulbs in my houses and this makes the wall paint appear to be its true color.

Weather can be gray and dreary for several months in the winter. I don't need gray and cloudy outside and more gray inside.

I love the look of crisp white trim, but it doesn't last long with tenants. It shows dirt really fast, shows every mark, and shows its age really fast.

I take the color card and paint the walls the light end of the card and do trim in the dark end of the card (the one with more color intensity.)

No one has ever disliked it and it holds up to tenant hard usage a lot better.

[[[[......The color gray reminds me of a jail cell....]]]]

To those stuck in the past, the good residents want up to date colors. Off white is years out of date. They will walk rather than sign, or ask to repaint, or just repaint without permission.

Find what people want and let them pay you for it.

We used a Martin-Senour gray in our own home back in 1995. We changed it to a warmer color in 2012, when the cool grays were starting to come into vogue and we were just departing from them. We're not fans of beiges, or the yellowish neutrals. Look at SW "Jogging Path" as a warm neutral with a hint of gray. But I probably still wouldn't use that in a rental.

I do think grays are slowly becoming outdated. And I also agree with Brad that off whites are years out of date. The LRV (light reflective value) is too high in off whites. You want something with an LRV between about 53 and 66 depending on the room features (such as flooring and hard surfaces) and the light sources.

I wish I could post some photos of rooms at our rentals with SW Malabar and SW Maison Blanche (but I tried posting photos some years ago and that never worked). Neither of these colors read beige or yellowish at all, but are yet warm neutrals with gray undertones. Very hard to describe, but we've heard a lot of "oohs" and "aahs" over both of these colors. SW Maison Blanche is stunning next to natural red oak floors. And SW Malabar next to vinyl plank floors has also grabbed a lot of compliments. These colors will also go with everyone's furniture.

You can get the hex codes for these colors and get them mixed in any brand; it doesn't have to be SW.

Danno - how much did it cost you to have painted and how much will it cost to repainted once he vacates?

We use the white 5 gallon buckets of Behr and when a long term tenant leaves, we spray ceilings and walls all at once. We used to use a designer beige, but this is much faster and actually brighter/cleaner look.

The kitchens and baths get custom colors since they’re put on with a roller.

We painted all rooms in a light gray, almost white color.

LisaFL, the tenant provided me with one gallon of paint to do the job on August 12th. I had one painter perform the work on the next day. As it turned out, the paint didn't cover completely in many areas. I then took a picture of the paint label and took the lid (which had the formula mix and order# information on it) to the Sherwin Williams paint dealer, where the tenant had initially purchased it from, to order another gallon. I almost suffered a relapse, when the clerk stated that purchase would cost $62.00, final price after adding the sales tax. The clerk discounted the price by $10.00, after finding out the tenant had established a homeowners account. (I later found out if I had a contractor's account established, that gallon would cost $35.00 ... what a racket!). Armed with that receipt, the tenant reimbursed me in full for that second gallon - of which he of course was allowed to keep.

Regarding the mention of LRV earlier in this thread, I'm not great with colors so I do try to use some objective info such as LRV.

For example, I've used a color that showed every mark on the wall so I decided to go to a lower LRV (darker color) next time and was definitely happier since the walls looked better for longer and I assume the tenant was happier with the place as a result.

This was without trying to pick some decorator color. However now I'm trying to use LRV and the appeal of the color itself which is why I decided to be a little bolder and try something other than an off white. It will be a gray although not quite sure which one at this point.

An LRV of 53 looks fairly light and bright with darker floors such as most vinyl plank floors (though light can make that vary a lot).

Our approximate upper LRV limit of about 66 is probably a little too light with those same darker floors, but is great with lighter floors such as natural oak floors.

Colors with LRV's of about 76 and up are more appropriate for things like trim and cabinets. They are way more likely to show scuff marks and such (unless gloss or semi-gloss for trim and cabinets).

(For fans of SW Repose Gray, it has an LRV of 58, which is a good value for darker vinyl plank floors - might not look too great with light color carpets or natural oak floors that don't have a darker stain.)

At one time, a tenant painted the interior of the house a light lavender.

I was surprised at how good it looked. Fortunately, future tenants also liked the color so I left it.

Smart move Danno! At least you covered your potential expenses.

Before I heard about gray color for walls, I painted a unit that I was selling, a light green color.

When a friend asked me about a color I was choosing, I blankly answer: green - like the American‘s dollar.

It works. The place was sold for the asking price.