Dean paints interiors in Hardingstone, a village in NN4 beyond the A45, around 1.8 miles from the middle of Northampton. Work ranges from thick-walled stone cottages in the conservation area, which need breathable paint, to modern plasterboard homes on the southern estates.
Two Hardingstones under one parish name
Inside work in Hardingstone splits sharply by street. Within the conservation area, the old streets hold houses from the 16th to the 19th century, many built of coursed ironstone or limestone rubble with walls far thicker than a modern partition. South of that core, streets such as Tate Grove, Bay Willow Crescent, Falcon Way and Elm Tree Drive are modern detached and semi-detached homes with smooth plasterboard. Between the two sit the 1930s and 1950s houses and bungalows on the western approach and Glebe Avenue. We ask which of these you live in before we talk about paint, because the answer changes the products, the preparation and how long a room takes.
Old stone walls on the spring line
Hardingstone grew up along a spring line on its slope, and the water has not gone away. In the oldest cottages it tends to show at the base of ground-floor walls as damp patches, white salts and paint lifting a foot or so above the floor. A vinyl emulsion or wipeable acrylic seals that moisture in and blisters again within a season or two. For these rooms we use breathable paints that let lime plaster and stone dry out, brush the salts off rather than filling over them, and leave a wet patch alone until it settles. If the damp looks like something for a builder or surveyor, we say so, because paint will not cure it.
Uneven lime plaster is part of how these houses are made. We fill real cracks and loose areas, but we do not try to skim a centuries-old wall flat with filler. A flat or matt finish suits the gentle undulation; a sheen finish catches every ripple and makes it look like poor work.
Listed interiors: a quick check before we start
The conservation area contains 41 listed buildings, among them The Hermitage at 37 Back Lane, Eathorpe House at 22 Back Lane and the Grade II* early 19th-century pair at 26-28 Back Lane. Listed building consent covers material alterations inside as well as out. Repainting walls like for like is usually straightforward, but stripping historic joinery, removing old finishes or changing a room’s character may need consent. If your house is listed, a short conversation with West Northamptonshire Council before booking is sensible, and we can set out in writing exactly what we plan to do so you have something specific to show them.
Getting in and out of the old core
Stairwells in the older cottages, compact and steep with walls that wander, are a job of their own and are covered on our hallway and stairs page. For ordinary rooms the bigger practical issue is reaching the front door. Yellow lines run through the core, the stretch of High Street from the church to Coldstream Lane has little or no pavement, and the council’s plan asks people not to park on The Green’s verge. Dust sheets, steps and materials are carried in by hand from wherever the van can legally stop, which adds time to the first and last hour of each day. On the newer streets to the south the working day starts sooner.
The newer houses south of the core
Modern homes here are straightforward by comparison: plasterboard and skim, standard ceiling heights and factory-primed woodwork. The care goes into clean cutting in against ceilings, sanding between coats on doors and skirtings, and choosing a scrubbable finish for halls, kitchens and children’s rooms. Any fresh plaster in an extension needs a thinned mist coat before the colour goes on. The 1930s and 1950s houses sit in the middle: older plaster that may carry decades of paint layers, but without the lime plaster and spring-line damp of the cottages.
Our main interior painting service page explains how we prepare and finish rooms in general. We cover Hardingstone from our Northampton base; there is more about the village’s buildings on our Hardingstone area page. For what affects the price of a room, see the painter and decorator cost guide, then phone Dean on 07539 779 036 and he will arrange a free quote.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
