We decorate hallways, stairs and landings in Kislingbury, NN7, 3.6 miles out from the middle of Northampton. The village ranges from narrow stairs in 17th and 18th-century ironstone cottages to formal staircases in houses like The Old Rectory, so access and detailing are planned house by house.
Two very different kinds of staircase
The stairs in Kislingbury follow the age of the house. Many of the listed cottages are two-storey-and-attic buildings with two- or three-unit plans. In houses of that layout the stair is often tucked beside a stack or between rooms, steep, narrow and sometimes turning sharply, with an attic flight above. There is little room to stand a platform, and ceilings and stair walls are rarely flat or square.
At the other end is the formal 18th-century house. The Old Rectory, of around 1710 to 1720 and listed Grade II*, has an open-well staircase with barley-twist balusters. Kislingbury Hall on The Green is three storeys high. Staircases of that type bring a tall stairwell, a long run of balusters and handrail, and plenty of moulded woodwork in one space.
Reaching the walls safely
A stairwell is the one area of a house where a stepladder will not do. We use stair ladders, adjustable platforms and boards that sit on the treads, set up so the drop is covered and the stairs stay usable for the household between working sessions. In a tight cottage flight that may mean working in shorter stages and moving the kit more often. On a taller well it means a proper platform at height for the top of the wall and the ceiling.
Getting equipment in matters too. Cottages on Church Lane, Hodges Lane and School Lane stand close to the road behind stone boundary walls, with limited parking. Boards and platforms are carried in through the front door, so we measure the hallway and the turn of the stair at the quote visit.
A three-storey house such as Kislingbury Hall raises a different problem. The stairwell can climb past two landings, and the top wall and ceiling are well beyond a domestic ladder. Those jobs are planned flight by flight, with the platform rebuilt at each level, so no part of the wall is painted from an unsafe reach.
Detail work on balusters, strings and handrails
Barley-twist and turned balusters take longer than any other part of a hallway. Every twist has to be keyed, cut in and painted without runs gathering in the hollows. We paint balusters with a small brush, a few at a time, and lay the finish so it does not sag into the turns. Strings, newels and handrails are prepared separately. Handrails get a harder-wearing coat or are left in natural wood if that is what you have.
In the older cottages the stair walls are often old lime plaster. Those need a breathable paint and gentle filling rather than a heavy filler skim. Exposed timber such as a chamfered beam or bressumer across a hallway is cut in by hand so the wall colour does not creep onto the wood.
Hard-wearing, without looking new-build
A village hallway takes muddy boots in a village with open fields on its edge, so the lower walls need a finish that can be wiped. On uneven plaster a scrubbable matt tends to look more natural than a sheen, which picks out every bump. For the full method, including how we keep a staircase in use while it is being painted, see our hallway, stairs and landing decorating page. If you are weighing up the work before booking, the painter and decorator cost guide explains what affects the price of a stairwell.
If your Kislingbury cottage is listed, alterations to historic balustrades or panelling may need consent. Repainting existing painted surfaces is normally maintenance, but ask West Northamptonshire Council before removing or stripping anything original.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
