Can i paint the walls on a brand new property?

Question

I've just bought a newly constructed house and wondered if there is a law against painting the walls

Answer 1

There is no law to stop you, unless it is peculiar to your house. The reason that people don't paint the walls of new houses is because the plaster dries out, shrinks and this causes cracks to appear. You have to fill these in and then repaint. So it is better to let the cracks appear and just paint the once.

It is not such a problem if the walls are constructed of wall board or plasterboard.

Answer 2

After applying thousands of gallons of paint and with all due respect, I agree in part with number 3. You should first get info from the complex management. Most especially you may need "permission"? Obviously no one here can give you any advice about brand, shade, and in not knowing the age or condition of the walls, it's likely a MATCH isn't going to be successful. Usually in apartments the owners use what might be considered a low grade paint, and most often when an apartment is vacated. They likely buy it in bulk and if they have a large number to paint at one time, they may sub out the work. You may not know paint properties extensively, but most apartments are likely done in FLAT which isn't very durable, doesn't clean up very well, and not anything I use any longer. My preference is quality satins, and in some cases semi gloss. Best bet, check with property management, owners, and/or maintenance. I suspect YOU will have to foot the bill, as it's likely not an issue they should be liable for. In fact if left alone they may deduct from your security deposit should you ever move. Without knowing the age, or again, the condition of the walls, IE: normal wear, normal dirt/dust residues/nicotine/ cooking residues, etc. I suspect you'll have to paint an entire area, not just spot paint. Steven Wolf

Answer 3

As long as you own the house, you should not have any problems painting the walls. I have had several new homes, and never had a problem painting the walls. If you don't own the house, then you better consult with your landlord. If they are willing to let you paint, then do them a courtesy of sending paint chips so they can have the final O.K. I think your builder should have asked you what color you wanted the walls during construction. Typically, they will paint what ever color you want, they use the cheap, flat paint. Of course, you will pay extra for the nice paint. I would take your builder to task for not asking. That is poor customer service. Good luck and congratulations!!!!!!!

Answer 4

Inside walls are usually recommended by the builder to be left for a year or two. This is for the plaster to settle and dry out properly. If you paint the walls before allowing this to happen, small hairline cracks will form, it will then be a case of filling them and repainting.
Much easier to wait a while!

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Unless there is a clause in the title deeds, you can paint if you want. but in saying that, I would wait at least a year before doing that, because you will have the salt from the sand that was mixed with the cement begin to show as a white frost after a little while. This would ruin your new paint.

Answer 6

paint is a traditional medium for binding old plaster together and to stop it coming away from the wall
as thi is a new property this is obviously un neccacary so wall paper is the decoration you should be using

Answer 7

I'm not an house owner but if you own the property then i don't think there is a law against it unless it could offend.

Answer 8

Is it your house? If it is of course you can paint it, why would there be a law against that!

Answer 9

Absolutely you can, but be aware that the plaster may well shrink and you may have a line towards the top of your walls. This means that you may have to redecorate again.

Answer 10

Do you mean the inside or outside? If it is your house you can do whatever you want on the inside. Depending on the development they may have rules about the colors that can be used on the outside.