Should I repair small paint peel in apartment?

[bob]

While preparing to move out of an apartment, I accidentally peel off some paint on the inside window ledge while removing a piece of tape.

The area is about 3 inches x 1/3 inch. The color is greyish with a hint of red. I experimented with a computer paint program and the RGB value of (132,

128, 128) comes close. The area with missing paint may have multiple coats of paint or have a primer because I can see and feel a height difference.

Most of the trim and doors in the apartment are painted this greyish color, so I'm sure the landlord has alot of these paint around for maintenance, and in theory, they should be able to repair it at a lower cost than I can. However, they can also charge me any amount they feel like.

Should I try to repair it? What's a good way to do so? Spray paint can are cheap, but they don't have custom color matching, and maybe hard to paint a small area and blend the edges.

[RicodJour]

Whether you should or not depends on a lot of factors, all of which I am not privy to, but if you want to paint it don't use spray paint. It's hard to control, expensive and almost impossible to tint.

Some people would paint the whole window ledge as differences in paint color are harder to pick up when the transition is in corners and on different planes. The way light strikes those different surfaces makes even the same paint appear differently.

But to answer your question. Hie theeself to a craft or hobby store and buy a small beginner's kit of acrylic paints - it should only be a few bucks. Make sure there's a white in there as well as a black and red. You will probably need only the smallest amounts of black and red added to the white, and possibly a brown, so start with a small amount of white and add a tiny amount of black, and even tinier bit of red, and mix it well. You will need to sneak up on the final color. The dried paint will not be the same color as when it is wet, so mix up something that is _definitely_ lighter in tone, and has less color, than the paint you're trying to match. Brush on a coat and let it dry. Examine, repeat.

It doesn't have to be absolutely perfect. Sand the edges of the existing paint before you apply any paint to feather them down and make sure there's no loose paint. On the final coat, use an almost totally dry brush to lightly feather the paint out onto the existing paint to help blend the patch. You should hardly be adding any paint on top of the existing paint, and what little you do add should be a little heavier closest to the patched area. Then cross your fingers and hope for the best.

R

[bob haller]

most apartment owners paint after each vacancy...... I would just leave it be.......

but be certain the apartment is spotlessely clean

[clare]

Any apartment I've moved into, or moved my kids into, or moved my friends into, has NOT been repainted except for one - the apartment was completely redone - including new drywall and insulation in the outside walls - upstairs of an old house that had not been rented for some time.

[EXT]

Painting is up to you, most renters don't lift a finger to do any maintenance nor repairs, they let the landlord do it or leave it to deteriorate. However, if you want to take the initiative to fix the spot, the easiest and cheapest is to take a paint flake to a paint store to match it as close as possible to a paint color sample. Paint stores sell test samples of a few ounces for about $5.00 or less, it is enough to paint a 2 foot by 2 foot area, much more than you need, even with two coats. Throw in a cheap brush and a few minutes of time and you are done. And you won't have to look at it again.