Am I allowed to paint the walls in apartments near UCF?

Sometimes, all we need is a little pop of color to make a house a home. Even though people living in University of Central Florida apartments realize it may be a temporary residence, they may want to personalize their dwelling to create a cozier space. Painting the walls is a great way to spruce up your new student apartment, especially if you're not into the neutral or pure white look. However, while some communities and landlords offer free reign on redecorating your humble abode, many communities do not. If you do not want to get charged at the end of your stay with a hefty redecoration fee, make sure you check, then double-check, with your apartment's office on the rules and regulations of going all Picasso on your living space.

Policies on Painting in Apartments near UCF

If a fresh coat of paint is what will help you settle into UCF apartments, it never hurts to ask. Go to your community's office and ask the manager what the policies are. If the answer is an absolute NO, then you may find yourself having to settle on a brightly painted piece of art or wall hanging. Although, keep in mind that many communities will charge for nail holes that are larger than a quarter as well, so be aware! However, if you're community is pretty cool about you sprucing up the place with some color, make sure you understand all of the stipulations that come along with it. Some communities will allow painting, but will require that you paint the room or rooms back to the original color upon the termination of your lease. In most cases, it must be the original paint too, which can often be provided by the maintenance crew. If you don't mind painting alongside moving out, then this could be a viable option for you. Other communities may be SUPER cool and just say go for it…but you'll never know unless you ask!

Choosing the Right Color for Your UCF Apartment

So let's say you've been given the go-ahead to paint inside apartments near UCF; what should you do next? First off, always get the color approved from your community's office. They may be cool in allowing you to paint, but they may also not want to handle painting over a bright red wall once you leave. Typically, sticking with neutrals or lighter colors will help in the long run. Determining which area of your apartment you want to paint is important too. If you're living in a studio or one bedroom, it may not be difficult to paint the entire unit. However, if you're looking at a 3 bedroom

, or any apartment with multiple bedrooms, you may want to reconsider the price and effort over the amount of work and money going into it. Many residents may settle on painting one room, typically the living room, which most time is spent in. For just a pop of color, many residents may opt to paint an accent wall. This takes much less time and can really define spaces that seem to flow together.

As always, it is always important to paint a test patch as well in apartments near the University of Central Florida. Otherwise, that beautiful taupe hue may actually be more of a pepto-pink on your bedroom walls! Paint always looks different when it dries, and is determinate on the type of lighting in the room you're painting. A test patch is always a smart choice before painting a large surface area.

Along with choosing your UCF apartments paint color wisely, remember to also choose the correct paint finish. Chances are, your apartment may have some cosmetic imperfections. Choosing a flat finish paint will help conceal these more so than the glossier finishes. Flat paint is also much easier to paint over when it comes time to applying touch-ups or re-painting the entire space.

When it actually comes time to paint in apartments near UCF…remember to take your time and use protection! You will want to make sure that you drop cloth everything. And I mean, everything. This is not a dwelling that you own, so remember you are renting someone else's property. You want to make sure you will return it in the same, if not better, condition than what you found it in. Painting is not as easy as it looks, so splatters and spills are bound to happen. Make sure you tape around fixtures, outlets and appliances, as to not permanently stain them. You don't even have to go out and spend a bunch of money on professional drop cloths; using some old bed sheets or newspapers will work just fine! 

These are the opinions of writers and not the opinions of 407apartments.com or any of our advertising partners.