Why you need to paint an accent wall in your apartment
You can and should claim your space and paint that accent wall you’ve always wanted.
What a misleading post intro! I don’t have the authority to tell you to paint an accent wall in your living space. Total click bait. Probably stop reading here.
Well, I gave you an out, so you can’t hold me accountable for the rest of this shiznit.
Welcome to a blog post about my ridiculous habit of painting the walls in apartments I rent. I’ll begin with the reasons this is a bad habit:
Your lease normally says you can’t
Even if your property manager says you can, you probably have to paint it back when you move
Certain colors of paint have been shown to influence mood, and that’s friggin’ witchcraft
Now you’ve broken your lease AND you’re practicing witchcraft
Good. Now those are out of the way, let me tell you why I always paint my apartments. I’ll even throw in some tips I’ve picked up along the way. Trust me, if I can do this, anyone can.
My first apartment was a weird 1980s-style loft in a suburb of Orlando. One night after an angsty “boy I like doesn’t like me back” 19-year-old pity party, I decided I needed to do something to proclaim my sense of self to the world. It was not to get a tattoo or a piercing. It was to drive to the Wal-Mart across the street, buy a can of magenta paint and a $2 paintbrush, and paint my bathroom. And let me tell you: it felt good. At the end of my loft’s lease, my dad was kind enough to help me paint over the exceptionally-deep shade of pink and I got my full deposit back. Some leases, like the studio that Alex and I rent now, gave me permission to paint under the condition I paint it back when we move. Other places, like my first loft, were never the wiser that I had rebelliously painted and then re-painted.
Since the loft, I have painted at least some room of every apartment I’ve ever leased. Sometimes more than once. My living room went from olive green to Friends periwinkle when I broke up with a boyfriend. I threw a party to celebrate the new color scheme. I baked cookies that looked like color swatches. Paint, my friends, is cheaper than therapy. And if you can make a statement and help a place feel more like home, I’m willing to fork over $25 and a little elbow grease.
I unearthed this photo from my Paint Party circa 2013, when photo quality was clearly not up to today’s standards. Observe the Friends purple walls and color-coded candies. And this was before I even had Pinterest.
There are tons of articles and how-to videos that will teach you the basics of interior painting, so if you’re looking for a step-by-step guide of how to paint, this post ain’t it. There are far more qualified people to give you tips on how to actually paint a wall. What I’m here to do is show you how simple the process is and hopefully instill the confidence you need to put brush to wall.
Shades of play
Okay, so let’s assume you’re comfortable risking your lease regulations and you're comfortable with a paintbrush in your hand. You’re ready to tackle that paint project. Where do you start? Here’s what I do:
Single in on colors you love. Part of painting a wall is picking a color. Make a Pinterest board or assemble a mood board, or – heck, go to a paint company’s website and see what colors are trending. You know what colors make you happy and that you gravitate toward. They’re probably the ones in your wardrobe or on your cell phone case or on the spines of your favorite books. Use those as a jumping off point. Colors pack so much emotion and mood, so notice colors you’re naturally drawn to.
A swatch test of Sculptor’s Clay by Behr before I applied it to my creepy white walls.
Road test that color. You don’t get to paint the wall yet, because now we’re entering your cooling off period. Time to clear your head and make sure that impulse-magenta for your bathroom isn’t too crazy pink. (It was.) Or too dark. (It really, really was.) I’ve done this 2 ways: physically and digitally. I literally tape a bunch of prospective colors onto my wall and make myself stare at them for a few days. I pull them down one by one as I realize I didn’t like the way a color looks during different times of day or that it clashes with art hanging nearby. Physical paint swatch tests are always a good idea. The second version: digital mockups. Paint companies have apps with a ton of tools to visualize color on your walls. Or, you can do the Dani version and take a photo of your wall and just Photoshop it. It’s the same thing, but then I get to feel all designer-y and say things like “create a mockup.” Classic.
An old Photoshop mockup of my apartment painted Sculptor’s Clay by Behr using an online photo from the apartment listing. I think I was considering some sort of “leave the top 8 inches white to make the ceilings taller” thing? I ended up painting all the way to the ceiling.
Putting your paint money where your paint mouth is
Do not be intimidated by the wall of swatches or variety of paint options available at the hardware store. Do not be intimidated by questions like “eggshell or satin?” The internet is your guide, and you are going to walk up to that paint counter with the confidence and gusto of a Martha Stewart. You are going to fake it. Here’s what you need to know:
When you arrive at the paint counter, you’ll need to know five things. What color? How much paint do you need? Interior or exterior? What finish? And what grade brand or grade of paint? Don’t freak out. You got this. The order for my bathroom paint last month went something like this: “Hi, can I please get a quart of interior eggshell in this color.” *slides paint swatch across counter* “Behr Ultra is fine. Thanks.” See how easy that sounded? Let’s break that down.
There are different finishes to paints. That’s just a term for how shiny the paint is when it’s on your wall. You know how sometimes doors and trim in a house are glossy, and the wall is more matte? Those are different paint finishes. My dad used to say that the Semi-gloss and High-gloss were for doors and trims, Eggshell (less shiny) or Satin (little shinier) for walls, and Flat for ceilings. Are there exceptions for all of these? Totally. But in an effort to not overwhelm you, I’m going to suggest Eggshell works for an accent wall 99-percent of the time. So, meet your new insider term: Eggshell finish. Oh, and for what it’s worth, I’ll tack on that the term “finish” will only get you shine, not the addition or removal of wall texture.
There are different ranges of paint. You know when you go to buy eggs, there are a staggering number of varieties at the store? They’re all eggs. And this is all paint. While there’s a difference between a dozen free-range, pasture-raised organic eggs and a budget Styrofoam carton of eggs, they’re still all eggs. Sensing a theme? I can’t begin to break down the differences in the paint ranges with names like “regency” and “advanced” and “premium,” but the paint companies sure try to. It’s all a way of categorizing prices and benefits. My advice is to pick one in the middle of the range that has a built-in primer, and then say it with confidence. This is my very un-scientific approach, but it’s worked so far. I know the least expensive doesn’t cover as well as the most expensive, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten.
It’s better to have too much paint than not enough. If you’re just painting an average-size accent wall or small bathroom, a quart will probably be plenty. If you’re very nervous about running out, or if you’re doing a whole room, get the gallon.
Now get the right accessories for the job. So here’s the thing. You don’t need to buy the entire painting department for an accent wall. A 2” thin angled brush is all I need to whip up an accent wall or a bathroom. It takes a little time, but I like the control I have over the paint. You could roll or spray, sure, but there’s something comforting about just you and a paintbrush, painting your little accent wall. A single paintbrush is also way less cleanup because you can paint right out of the quart can. In terms of other gear, a stepstool or some other way to safely reach the ceiling is essential. If you’re painting over carpet, or just feel more comfortable preventing any drips, pick up a drop cloth. (You can also tape trash bags together if you’re being thrifty). Finally, you can use blue painter’s tape if you’re nervous about edges, but if you go slowly and keep a steady hand, you can “cut in” like the pros do. That’s it. Seriously, a paintbrush and stepstool are all I need. Drop cloth and painter’s tape optional. Everything else gets way too expensive and disposable and complicated for my needs.
You only need to know five things when you walk up to the paint counter: What color? How much paint do you need? Interior or exterior? What finish? And what grade brand or grade of paint?
The secret is in the fearlessness
I approach painting the same way I approach most things in life. With a strategic, “should the worst happen, I think I can still manage” approach. Knowing that I could probably fix any major mistakes is the approval I need to proceed. If I’m not sure I could cope with the worst-case scenario, I take that as a red flag. So let’s play out the worst-case scenarios:
You hate the color. You repaint it. And you’ll probably be faster repainting your second time around because you’ll know what you’re doing.
You drip paint onto something. Paper towels, soaked in water, as soon as possible. I keep a roll nearby when I paint because time is of the essence. Like wine or curry, these pigments stain surfaces quickly, so stay calm and act fast. If it’s a hard, non-porous surface like a toilet or a tile floor, you can risk letting it dry to peel it off later, but wiping immediately is always best.
You spill the entire quart on the floor. Oof. This is going to be a lot of paper towels and water. If this is a legit fear you have, consider a plastic drop cloth in advance. This is especially important if you’re over carpet. Otherwise, just make sure you treat the paint like a puppy and are careful with its whereabouts and fragility at all times.
You run out of paint. Head back to the store and order a small amount of the exact same color, finish and grade. The new color should be a damn close, if not perfect match. When you get home, blend the new paint over the old paint a bit so it’s not a stark “starting line” of the new batch. Don’t worry if the wet paint color looks different from the already-dry paint – they should be the same when dry.
You’re ready to move out. A couple options: you could hire someone to repaint the wall, you could paint it yourself, or you could take the security deposit hit. If you disclosed that you’ve painted, ask the property manager for the paint finish and color so you can repaint to their exact specifications. If you didn’t, grab a few paint swatches at the hardware store to find a close match and then take a stab at guessing a paint finish and color.
So there you have it. Everything I’ve learned from painting dozens of apartment walls over the years.
Remember that life is short, and that’s what makes it precious. So if you’ve been dreaming of a “someday” accent wall, I’m going to obnoxiously remind you that we’re not promised any somedays.
Paint the wall. Live your beautiful life. What’s the worst that could happen?