We decorate hallways, staircases and landings in Overstone, the NN6 village about five miles north-east of Northampton. The older lias cottages have tight, steep stairs and lime plaster, while the newer houses off Woodland Avenue and by the lakes have conventional stairwells, so the job is planned differently for each.
Two rooms down, two up, and one tight stair
The 18th-century cottages on Sywell Road, including the thatched row at Nos. 102 to 110, were built on two-unit plans. In a house of that layout the staircase squeezes in wherever the plan allows, so it tends to be narrow and steep. There is little room to stand a step ladder on the treads, no space for a wide platform over the stairwell, and nowhere for freshly painted spindles, handrails or strings to dry without being brushed past.
Because that stair is usually the only way up to the bedrooms, we split the job into stages. One day the wall and ceiling surfaces get done from small hop-ups and a short board. The next, half the treads or one side of the balustrade gets painted, and the other half follows once the first is hard. It takes more visits than an open modern stairwell, but you can still get to bed every night.
Lime plaster and beams on the stair walls
In the old cottages the stair and landing walls are often lime plaster on stone, sometimes with exposed timber beams overhead. These walls need to breathe. A thick vinyl emulsion holds moisture in the plaster, and in time it blisters and powders along the lower parts of the wall where you brush past. We use breathable paints there and fill cracks with a compatible lime-based filler. Hairline cracks that follow the stone are normal movement in a building this age, so we fill them neatly and don’t try to make the walls look as flat as new plasterboard.
Where the entrance is at the rear, as on most of the Sywell Road row, the passage from the back door to the stair takes the coats, bags and muddy boots. On that stretch we suggest a tougher finish low down, or a different sheen on the dado area.
Stairwells in Overstone’s newer houses
Houses on Woodland Avenue near the village hall, and in the lakeside streets such as Pine Crescent, Park Lands, Ashdale Close and High Woods, have stairwells of more standard proportions. The awkward part there is the height: a tall wall that runs from the hall up past the landing. We bridge it with a stair platform set level across the steps, so the top of the wall and the ceiling can be painted safely, and we protect carpets and banisters before any of it starts.
| Surface | Older lias cottages | Newer houses |
|---|---|---|
| Walls | Breathable paint on lime plaster | Durable, washable emulsion |
| Access | Hop-ups, short boards, staged work | Stair platform across the flight |
| Spindles and handrail | Hand-brushed, one side at a time | Satin or eggshell, done in sequence |
| Drying | Limited, so work is phased | Planned around family use |
Before you book
If your house is one of Overstone’s Grade II buildings, ask yourself whether the work goes beyond redecorating. Painting over existing paint in a similar colour is routine. Stripping historic finishes from a staircase, or painting panelling or balusters that were never painted, can affect the listed character and may need consent from West Northamptonshire Council. Our main hallway, stairs and landing decorating page covers the general order of work. For help comparing quotes for this sort of job, see how to choose a painter and decorator. The Overstone area page has more on the village’s older and newer homes.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
