For a painter and decorator in Kettering, DH Painter & Decorator covers the town from our Northampton base. Dean and the team take on interior painting, woodwork, wallpaper hanging and exterior decorating, with over 30 years of experience behind every job. We visit, look at the work and give you a free quote.
Decorating a town built on boots and shoes
Kettering grew on the boot and shoe trade, and you can still read that history in its streets. Long rows of red-brick terraces were built in the late Victorian years to house the people who worked in the factories, and many of them are still lived in and loved today. As a painter and decorator, Kettering is a town where you get very good at terraced houses.
We’re DH Painter & Decorator, based in Northampton and working across the county. Kettering is a regular stop for us. We cover the town and the places around it, from Barton Seagrave near Wicksteed Park to Burton Latimer, Rothwell, Desborough and Geddington.
The jobs Kettering homeowners ask us about most
Every house is different, but after years of quoting in the town, the same five requests come up again and again.
1. The through-lounge with two chimney breasts
Plenty of Kettering terraces had their front and back rooms knocked into one long living space. That leaves two chimney breasts, a long run of wall and light coming from one or both ends. Getting the colour right matters here, because a shade that looks good by the bay window can look flat and grey at the back of the room. We’ll happily help you choose, and our colour advice service is there if you’d like a proper session on it.
The chimney breasts are also the natural spot for a feature wallpaper. Old breasts are rarely straight, so they need careful setting out so the pattern doesn’t look off-centre. That’s routine work for our wallpaper hangers.
2. Doors, skirtings and a century of paint
Original four-panel doors, deep skirtings and architraves are one of the joys of an older house. They usually carry decades of gloss, sometimes chipped back to bare wood in places. We scrape and fill, sand back to a smooth, sound base, spot-prime bare timber and knots, then finish in your choice of satinwood, eggshell or gloss. Water-based finishes stay whiter for longer; oil-based finishes are harder-wearing on some surfaces. We’ll explain the trade-off. More on this in our guide to painting doors, skirtings and woodwork.
3. Front elevations and bay windows
The street-facing side of a terrace is small but fiddly. Timber bay windows, stone or painted sills, door surrounds and the occasional rendered plinth all need doing, often with limited space on the pavement for ladders. We plan access carefully and keep the pavement clear for passers-by. If the whole outside of the house needs attention, see our exterior painting page.
4. The narrow hallway and staircase
Terrace hallways take a lot of knocks from bikes, pushchairs and shopping. We usually suggest a tougher, scrubbable emulsion here and a durable finish on the spindles and handrail, so it stays looking fresh for longer.
5. Newer homes on the edge of town
Kettering has grown a lot in recent years, with large new developments on its eastern side. New-build owners mostly call us once the builder’s basic paint has been scuffed and small settlement cracks have appeared. We fill, sand and repaint in a finish that wipes clean.
Common problems in older Kettering terraces
| Where | What we usually find | How we deal with it |
|---|---|---|
| Ceilings | Fine cracks in old lath and plaster | Rake out, fill, and line if needed |
| Chimney breasts | Brown staining bleeding through paint | Stain-block primer before emulsion |
| Rear kitchens and bathrooms | Condensation marks and mould spots | Clean, treat with fungicidal wash, then use a moisture-resistant paint |
| Sash and bay windows | Flaking paint and dry putty | Scrape, prime bare wood, and repaint in exterior-grade paint |
Choosing a painter and decorator in Kettering
There are plenty of painters and decorators in Kettering, and we don’t claim to be based there. People who choose us tend to mention the same things: we turn up when we say we will, we prepare properly before we paint, and we leave the house tidy.
- Over 30 years of experience, working with a handpicked team of skilled craftsmen
- Free, no-obligation quotes and practical advice
- Fully insured and trained
- Published customer reviews
Here’s how one customer summed up a job that grew as it went along:
“I contacted Dean to get the outside of the house painted; the house is all roughcast render. He has done a fantastic job; the house is looking brand new. The same he did for our garage, painted our bedrooms x2, did extra jobs for us like skirtings and door frames, and painted even our gates.”
Getting to Kettering from Northampton
Kettering is about 15 miles north-east of Northampton up the A43, normally around half an hour’s drive. That’s close enough for us to quote at a time that suits you and keep work running day after day without long gaps. If you’re a little further south, we also cover Wellingborough, and the full list is on our areas we serve page.
Get a free quote from a Kettering decorator
If you’ve been looking for painters and decorators near me in Kettering, call Dean on 07539 779 036 or send us your details for a free quote. Let us know which rooms or walls you’d like done and roughly when, and we’ll arrange to come and see it.
