New Apartment- Painting... WWYD?

So we are moving to new apartment Aug 1st, about 4 weeks before the baby comes.

The current tenants are moving out july 15th, they had some crazy taste... each wall is painted a different color (blue, green, orange, yellow) so the landlord has a LOT of painting to do before we move in (which he offered to do).

The thing is... he said to make his life easier he is going to prime and paint everything one color, off-white. I agreed at that time but now im thinking IM SICK OF WHITE!! My current landlord only let us paint white, im sick of feeling like I live in a hospital LOL.

Since he is going to paint ANYWAY, do you think I can go pick out colors and let him paint the colors I want or is that just wrong? (If we do this option should we split the cost of paint?)
OR
Should I just tell him to prime everything and then my dad can paint whatever I want? (my husband says we are making our life more difficult this way, but then again he is a guy and is more than happy with white )

What do you think I should do?
ETA: I wouldnt be picking a different color for every room. It would be three colors basically:
1 color for the master bdr, living room and dining room.
1 color for the baby girls room
white for the kitchen/cabinets(what the landlord wants).

Message edited 6/28/2010 12:56:41 PM.

Re: New Apartment- Painting... WWYD?

I wouldn't ask him to paint diff colors, I like your idea of asking him to prime only.

Re: New Apartment- Painting... WWYD?

I would either ask him to prime or ask him if you could pick out and pay the difference in cost between white and the custom color you want.

Re: New Apartment- Painting... WWYD?

honestly since you are renting- I would just let him paint and save the money- you can decorate to make the white fade into the background

Re: New Apartment- Painting... WWYD?

Bump- any other ideas/opinions on this?

Re: New Apartment- Painting... WWYD?

I would ask it he could prime and you guys paint - whatever colors you want, with the understanding that when you leave the apartment you will prime the walls (ONLY - not paint) and see what he says.

He's paying less and you're paying more in the long run, but then you get the colors you want, and he does the same amount of work overall - just some now and some whenever you leave the apartment !!

Good luck !!

Re: New Apartment- Painting... WWYD?

It would also depend on how long you are planning in staying in the apt, if I was going to be staying a while I would go for the colors (and offerer to pay for part of the paint), if I wasnt going to be staying a while I would suck it up and deal with the white.

Re: New Apartment- Painting... WWYD?

I would ask the landlord to prime and not paint and would he mind if you painted your own colors.

DH & I own a two family house and we have always told the tenants if they wanted to paint, they could any color they wanted (but black lol) - usually the apt is painted linen white.
I would be very upset if the tenants asked ME to paint in specific colors for them.

Re: New Apartment- Painting... WWYD?

ok thanks ladies... I guess Im ging to ask him to prime only.

We plan on staying there for at least 2 years so I think its worth painting.

Also, yes, the landlord said we could paint any colors we want- he doesnt care.

Re: New Apartment- Painting... WWYD?

i think it's up to you what you want to do. also, you have to talk to him to see what he prefers.

some landlords prefer to paint their own place.

I think its perfectly fine to ask that he paints color's you pick out... but if they are more money then i would offer to chip in for some of the paint cost. I had a friend who got her landlord to paint the place before they moved in... she had him do mostly white on the walls.. but she did pick a beige/tan color for the bedroom and he had no problem painting it.

I also think it's fine to paint it all white then a year after you move in you can decide what paint colors will work best. Sometimes living in the place helps you to pick out perfect colors etc.