Cheap Paint Costs Landlords More In The Long Run
Why Cheap Paint Costs Landlords More in the Long Run.How To Do It Once and Do It Right:
If you're a landlord, you'll know the temptation. A property needs freshening up between tenancies, you're watching the budget, and a tin of basic matt emulsion seems like the obvious choice. It's cheap, it covers well enough, and it gets the job done.
Except it doesn't — not really.
The Problem With Basic Matt Emulsion
Standard matt emulsion with no vinyl content looks fine on day one. But it isn't designed for the realities of a rental property. Tenants cook, clean, move furniture, hang pictures, and live in the space as a home — because it is their home. Walls get touched, scuffed, and marked constantly, and basic matt emulsion simply can't cope. Whilst it is true it can be touched up easily the drawback are far worse - it marks easily, wipes poorly, and often smears when you try to clean it rather than coming clean.
The result? You're repainting sooner than you should be, spending more money than you saved, and — perhaps more importantly — you're presenting tenants with walls that look tired and worn before their tenancy is even halfway through. That's not fair on the people living in your property, and it doesn't reflect well on you as a landlord either.
The Case for Durable Emulsion
Washable paints — also known as durable emulsions — are engineered specifically for exactly this kind of environment. They're built to withstand regular wiping and light scrubbing without losing their finish or colour, which means a scuff in the hallway or a splash in the kitchen isn't a problem — it's just something you wipe off.
In a rental property, the high-traffic areas are obvious: hallways, staircases, kitchens, bathrooms. These are the spaces that take the most punishment, and they're precisely where a standard emulsion will let you down fastest. A quality durable emulsion in these areas is not a luxury — it's the smarter financial decision.
A Product Worth Knowing About
At Upcycle Interiors, one product we particularly recommend for landlords is Crown Clean Extreme. There are various different versions of it that are formulated specifically for kitchens, where moisture, grease, and everyday cooking splashes are unavoidable. Its scrub-resistant technology means you can clean it repeatedly without damaging the surface or fading the colour — and it maintains its appearance over time in a way that basic emulsions simply cannot match.
There are also versions for hallways, and bathrooms.
It's mixed to order, so you get exactly the colour you need, in a finish that's built to last. And yes – it’s more expensive.
What "Do It Once" Actually Means for Your Bottom Line
Here's a straightforward way to think about it. If a basic matt emulsion needs repainting every 18 months and a quality durable emulsion lasts four or five years, the maths is not complicated. Factor in the cost of time/labour (which is the most significant cost in painting), the disruption to tenants, and the cheaper tin was never really cheaper at all.
At Upcycle Interiors, we see this regularly. Landlords come to us having painted a property with the most affordable option available, and within a year or two the walls look dreadful — not because the job was done badly, but because the product wasn't suited to the environment it was asked to perform in.
Doing it right the first time means choosing materials that are fit for purpose. It means your tenants live in a well-maintained home that holds its appearance. And it means you're not back on-site with a roller in hand before you'd planned to be.
Our Recommendation
If you're refreshing a rental property — whether it's a full repaint or just the hardest-working rooms — speak to UIL before you commit to a product. We'll point you toward the right finish for each space, mix it to order in the colour you need, and make sure the job is done in a way that genuinely holds up. For custom and bespoke colours we can leave you with a touch up tin as well… just in case…
Because a property that's painted properly is one less thing on your plate for the next few years. And that's worth paying for.
Ready to get it right this time?
Get in touch with the team at Upcycle Interiors today
call us on 01305 584459,
Or fill in our contact form here https://www.upcycleinteriors.co.uk/contact
We work with landlords across Weymouth, Dorchester, Portland, and the surrounding area, and we're happy to advise on the right products and finishes before a brush even touches the wall. No obligation, no jargon — just honest advice from a team that takes pride in doing things properly.
