We decorate hallways, stairs and landings in New Duston, NN5, the part of Duston parish that runs up to Harlestone Road, 2.8 miles from Northampton town centre. Here that means three quite different jobs: communal stairwells in purpose-built flats, the open stairwells of larger detached estate houses, and narrow stairs in older stone and brick cottages.
Three kinds of stairwell in one neighbourhood
New Duston packs very different staircases into a small area. Its housing, as the Duston Neighbourhood Plan describes it, leans more towards flats and council homes than Old Duston’s does, alongside a large estate of two-storey brick houses to the west and the stone and red brick cottages of the original settlement. Each brings its own access problem, its own wear pattern and its own way of being organised.
| Property type | Main challenge | How we approach it |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose-built flats | Shared stairs that residents use all day | Section-by-section working, clear signage, low-odour paints, agreed with the managing agent or council |
| 1980s-2000s detached houses | Tall wall over the stairs, often with a window or open landing | Stair platform and staging to reach the full height safely |
| Older cottages | Narrow, steep stairs and uneven walls | Compact stair ladder, lining paper where walls need it |
Communal stairwells in flat blocks
In a block of flats the stairwell is the one space every resident walks through, and it is often the escape route as well. Decorating it is usually booked by whoever manages the building, whether a private landlord, a letting agent or a housing provider, and they will normally set the colours and paint type. We work a flight or a landing at a time so there is always a clear route up and down, keep wet paint signed and kept out of reach of handrails people need to hold, and leave nothing on the stairs overnight. Scuff-resistant, washable finishes suit these areas because they have to cope with bikes, pushchairs and furniture being carried up for every new tenant. Handrails and balustrades get a hard-wearing coat that will stand constant handling.
Tall stairwells off Wrenbury Road and Rochelle Way
The western estates were built mainly as two-storey brick houses, and many of the larger detached ones have an open stairwell rising the full height of the house to a landing. The wall above the lower flight is the part people cannot reach themselves. We use adjustable stair platforms and boards rated for the job, never a ladder balanced on a tread. Houses of this age may be on a second or third colour scheme in the hall, with filler showing at plasterboard joints and cracks where the stair stringer meets the wall. Those are cut out and refilled before painting, so they do not reappear in a month. The general method for stairwell access is explained on our main hallway, stairs and landing page.
Narrow stairs in the original cottages
At the old Port Road junction, the cottages have tighter staircases with less room to set up equipment. Here the challenge is less height and more space: turning a board on a narrow half-landing, protecting a carpet that runs right to the wall, and working around any front door near the foot of the stairs. Walls in older houses are rarely flat, so where the plaster is uneven we may suggest lining paper before painting, which gives a better surface without replastering. Stair spindles and strings in these houses may carry many old coats, so we check how sound the paint is before deciding whether to key and repaint or take some layers back.
Keeping the house usable
Whatever the property, the stairs have to stay in use. We plan the order so the ceiling and high walls are done first, then the walls you can reach from the floor, and woodwork last, with treads protected throughout. More on the other work we cover locally is on our New Duston page, and our cost guide explains what affects the price of a stairwell job.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
