Dean repaints shopfronts in Queen's Park (NN2), where Kingsthorpe Road passes through 1.3 miles north of the town centre. The district is mostly residential, so the shopfronts here are a modest run of local businesses along the Kingsthorpe Road frontage towards Kingsthorpe Hollow and a few shops near Stanhope Road, each facing heavy traffic on the A508.
A modest run of frontages
Queen’s Park is not a high street district. East of Kingsthorpe Road it is mostly terraced housing, and west of the road there is an industrial estate. The shopfronts are the smaller businesses facing Kingsthorpe Road as it drops towards Kingsthorpe Hollow, and the local shops near Stanhope Road. They serve the streets around them, so the frontage is seen every day by the same passing neighbours, as well as by drivers on the A508.
On the Kingsthorpe Road side, the pavement in front of the glass is the only space to work from, with A508 traffic on the other side of the kerb, so access equipment and the customer route have to be planned together.
Paint on the front of a main road
A shopfront beside the A508 picks up the same traffic film as the houses, only faster, because it sits right at the back of the pavement. Window frames, the fascia board and the stallriser below the glass carry a greasy grey layer that paint will not stick to. Each job here starts with a degreasing wash and rinse, followed by time to dry.
The stallriser deserves extra thought. It takes kicks from feet, shopping trolleys and deliveries, plus splash from the gutter. We prepare it back to a firm surface and use a harder-wearing finish than on the frames above it, so it keeps its colour longer.
The slope matters too. Kingsthorpe Road falls about 12 metres to Kingsthorpe Hollow, so pavements outside frontages along the descent are not level. Steps and ladders are set up level and footed securely, with barriers placed so people walking downhill can see them in good time.
Keeping the door open
The shops by Stanhope Road share their streets with terraced housing and kerbside parking, and the Kingsthorpe Road businesses face a main road, so neither can easily shut while the outside is done. Before starting, we agree working times with you. The entrance and door frame are done first or last so customers can always get in, the work area is kept to one section of the frontage at a time, and wet paint signs go wherever a hand or bag might brush the new coat. Exterior paint still needs dry weather, so if rain is due we would rather move a day than put on a coat that will spoil.
Older buildings along the road
The Kingsthorpe Road corridor has some significant older buildings. The former Barratt shoe factory, built in 1913 in stone, brick and terracotta, is Grade II listed and carries ‘Boot Works’ lettering on its parapet. The former Primrose Hill Congregational Church has been converted to flats. South of Queen’s Park, the Barrack Road Conservation Area runs down to Kingsthorpe Hollow.
If your premises are in a listed building, any change to the frontage needs Listed Building Consent. If they are inside the conservation area, ask West Northamptonshire Council before a strong colour change. Signage can also need advertisement consent, which is a separate process. Like-for-like repainting of existing joinery is usually simpler, and we can tell you which situation your shop falls into before you decide.
The way we plan and finish a frontage is on our main shopfront painting service page. Units on the industrial estate are covered by our commercial painting service, and other work in the district is on the Queen’s Park area page.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
