We hang wallpaper in Guilsborough, about 9.3 miles north-west of Northampton in NN6. In the village's 17th- to 19th-century stone and brick houses, uneven lime plaster usually needs lining paper first, while the later houses at Church Mount generally have flat walls that suit feature and large-pattern papers.
Lining paper comes first on old High Street walls
Many of Guilsborough’s older houses were built between about 1630 and the early 1800s, in lias stone or brick with plaster laid straight onto the masonry. Over time those walls bow, settle and pick up patch repairs in different materials. Hang a modern non-woven paper straight onto that and every hollow, ridge and filled crack shows through, especially under a low winter sun coming across the wall.
So in most of the older houses we start with lining paper, hung horizontally so its joins don’t line up with the joins in the finish paper. It evens out small dips, gives the paste an even surface to grip, and bridges hairline cracks in the lime. Where the plaster is loose or crumbling we make it sound first. Lime plaster is repaired with a compatible lime or flexible filler, never a hard gypsum patch that pulls away at the edges.
Old walls and breathable papers
A solid lias wall moves moisture in a way a modern cavity wall doesn’t. Heavy vinyl wallpapers sit on the wall like a waterproof sheet, and in a damp-prone room of an old stone house that can lead to mould or lifting seams. For those rooms we usually suggest traditional paper-based or non-woven papers that let some moisture through, and we leave vinyls for kitchens and bathrooms in later houses. If a wall already shows damp, we will tell you before any paper goes up, because no paper will hide it for long.
Stripping is its own job in these houses. Old papers may have been painted over several times, and steaming too hard can pull soft lime plaster away with them. We score and soak gently, and stop to repair as we go rather than leaving a wall that needs replastering.
Where the pattern meets a 300-year-old corner
The real skill in an old room is deciding where the pattern’s errors go. In houses as old as Rose Manor or the Old Grammar School, corners are rarely plumb, ceilings slope, and window openings in thick walls have deep reveals that each need papering back to the frame. Our approach is:
- Hang from a plumb line set out at the focal point, often the chimney breast, so the pattern looks straight where you look most.
- Let the unavoidable mismatch fall in the least visible corner, usually behind the door.
- Choose looser, smaller or organic patterns for rooms with obviously sloping ceilings. Strict stripes and geometrics show every degree of tilt.
- Paper reveals with care so the edge against stone mullion or timber casement frames stays tidy.
Feature walls in the newer homes
The houses at Church Mount, built on the site of the old Guilsborough Hall, are much later than the High Street and usually have flatter plastered walls. These suit the papers that struggle in old houses: bold large-repeat designs, metallic and textured non-wovens, and feature walls where a single strong paper is set against painted walls. Lining is still worth doing on patched or previously stripped walls, but it isn’t the default the way it is in the older village.
If a house is listed, as twelve buildings in the village are, it is worth knowing that removing historic finishes can need consent from West Northamptonshire Council. Hanging new paper over sound plaster is normally ordinary redecoration.
Our full wallpapering process, from stripping to trimming, is on the main wallpaper hanging page. For other decorating we take on in the village, see our Guilsborough page. Guilsborough sits about 9.3 miles north-west of Northampton, and quotes are free.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
