We decorate hallways, stairs and landings in Brixworth, on the high ground about 6.5 miles north of Northampton. The village has two very different kinds of stairwell: tall, uneven ones in its older stone houses, and short, straight ones on the estates built since the 1960s.
Two kinds of staircase in one village
Brixworth’s housing splits neatly in two. The original village, grouped around All Saints’ Church and the old Hall park, is stone: farmhouses, cottages and some three-storey houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, especially on Newlands and Kennel Terrace. Since the 1960s most new building has gone onto the fields south and east, where houses are red or buff brick with standard layouts. A stairwell in one group has almost nothing in common with a stairwell in the other, so the quote, the kit and the time on site differ a lot.
Three storeys of stone: height and crooked walls
A three-storey house has a stairwell that climbs past two landings, and the wall above the top flight can be well out of reach of any stepladder. We set up stair platforms and boards that stand level on the treads and give a safe working deck at height, and we keep a clear route up and down so the household can still use the stairs.
The walls are the other issue. Older Brixworth houses were plastered in lime over stone, and the surfaces bow and ripple. A hard, flat sheen paint or a strong colour picks out every wave under the light from a landing window. On these walls we usually suggest:
- a breathable matt emulsion, so moisture in solid stone walls is not trapped behind a plastic film;
- lining paper first where cracks map across the stairwell, as it pulls the surface together without hiding its character;
- a slightly off-white or soft colour rather than brilliant white, which shows less of the unevenness.
Banisters, newels and strings in these houses are often pine under many coats of old paint. Where the build-up has softened the detail on turned spindles, we can cut it back before the new finish goes on.
Getting the kit to the door
Newlands, Church Street and Silver Street are narrow, often without pavements, and many front doors open almost onto the road. Stair platforms, boards and dust sheets have to come off the van and into the house quickly, without blocking the lane for long, so we agree a time and a stopping point before the first day. On the estates there is usually a drive, which makes life far simpler.
Inside, the narrow one-room-deep cottages in the old core can have a steep, boxed-in staircase rising straight from a living room rather than a separate hall. Protecting that room, its furniture and any open fireplace becomes part of the job, and dust sheets go down before the first tread is touched.
Estate hallways: hard wearing and quick
In the post-1960s houses around Pytchley Close, Brixworth Hall Park and the south of the village, the hall is narrow and short, with a single flight and a small landing. The challenge here is wear rather than height. Hall walls take bags, buggies and shoulders, so we use a scrubbable matt or eggshell on the lower half, and a durable satin on skirtings, spindles and handrails. A typical estate hall, stairs and landing is a few days’ work, and we aim to leave the stairs usable every night.
For how we handle stairwell access, dust and drying time in general, see our main hallway, stairs and landing decorating page. Costs depend on height, condition and how much woodwork there is, and our painter and decorator cost guide explains what drives them. Other services in the village are listed on the Brixworth page.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
