Apartment Turnover in NYC: A Floor and Paint Guide for Landlords and Property Managers

When a tenant moves out of a unit in Astoria, Forest Hills, Jackson Heights, or anywhere else in the city, the clock starts. Every week the apartment sits empty is a week of lost rent, and the two things that most often hold up a turnover are the floors and the paint. Here's how we plan both so a vacant unit is ready to list as quickly as possible.

1. Walk the unit the day keys come back

Look at the floors in daylight with the furniture gone. Note pet stains, gouges, water marks near the kitchen and bath, loose boards, and lifted LVP seams. On the walls, mark nail holes, cracks, scuffs, and any spots that need more than paint, like water stains that have to be sealed first. A fifteen-minute walkthrough lets a contractor price the whole job at once instead of finding surprises halfway through.

2. Choose the right floor fix for the unit

• Hardwood with a dull, scratched finish: a screen-and-recoat refreshes it in about a day.
• Hardwood with deep wear or stains: a full sand and refinish. Plan for drying time before the unit can be shown.
• Damaged boards in one area: cut out and weave in new boards, then refinish so the repair blends.
• Kitchens, baths, and units that keep getting damaged: waterproof LVP. It holds up to spills and pets, and single planks can be replaced at the next turnover instead of redoing the room.

For a deeper comparison, see our guide to hardwood vs. luxury vinyl plank, and if the original floors are prewar, our post on whether to refinish, repair, or replace them.

3. Standardize your paint

Pick one wall color, one trim color, and one sheen for all your units and stick with them. Touch-ups become simple, leftover paint from one unit works in the next, and listings look consistent across a building. A washable eggshell on walls and semi-gloss on trim and doors holds up best to tenant wear.

4. Get the order right

1. Repairs: patch walls, fix doors and trim, re-secure loose boards
2. Paint: ceilings, walls, then trim
3. Floors: sand or install
4. Final floor coat last, so nothing gets dropped or dragged across fresh finish

5. Use one crew if you can

The biggest delay in most turnovers isn't the work itself. It's the gap between the painter finishing and the floor person showing up. Having one licensed crew handle patching, paint, and floors removes that wait and gives you one person to call about the schedule.