DH Painter & Decorator paints interiors across Roade, a village on the A508 about 5.4 miles south of Northampton town centre. Dean uses breathable paints on the lime-plastered walls of the old stone cottages and durable, washable emulsions in the 20th-century houses on the western side of the village.
Two different villages either side of the A508
Roade is split by the A508. East of the road sits a small stone core around the High Street, Church End and Hartwell Road, with cottages that go back to the late 17th century. West of it, most of the housing is 20th-century, laid out in closes and ways such as Bailey Brooks Close, Hyde Close, Manor Close and Wallwin Close. The 2001 census counted 962 dwellings, and the two halves call for quite different interior work.
That split decides almost every choice on an interior job here: which paint goes on the walls, how much preparation the ceilings need, how long a room takes and whether the woodwork is a quick refresh or a slow, hand-brushed job. We work out which kind of house we are dealing with before we write a quote, because a bedroom on Memorial Green and a bedroom on one of the western closes are not the same piece of work.
Lime plaster, spine beams and low ceilings in the old cottages
The cottages on High Street and Memorial Green, including 28 High Street and the row at 9 to 13 High Street known as The Old Forge, are built of coursed limestone rubble. Many began as pairs or short rows of labourers’ cottages that were later knocked together, so a single house can have rooms at slightly different levels, thick internal walls where two dwellings once met and window openings set deep in the stone.
Walls inside these houses are often lime-plastered. Lime needs to let moisture pass through it, and a vinyl emulsion seals the surface and can lead to damp patches and flaking. We use breathable emulsions or clay-based paints on lime, and check for loose or hollow areas before painting rather than filling over them with modern filler.
Chamfered spine beams and bressumers over fireplaces are part of the character of these rooms. We clean round them and cut in neatly, but we do not gloss or emulsion over old timber unless you ask for it and it has been painted before. Low ceilings and tight, boxed-in stairs mean we bring short steps and small platforms rather than full-size trestles.
Georgian sashes from the inside on Hartwell Road
The 18th-century houses on Hartwell Road, such as 1 Hartwell Road and Pear Tree House, have 12- to 20-pane timber sashes. Painting the inside of these windows takes time: every glazing bar is cut in by hand, the paint is lapped a hair onto the glass to seal the putty, and the sashes are left free so they still slide. Window boards and reveals in thick stone walls are usually painted at the same visit.
Several of these houses are listed. Like-for-like redecoration inside is normally fine, but stripping historic finishes or changing original features can need listed building consent, so we raise it with you before any stripping starts.
Emulsion and woodwork in the closes west of the A508
The houses on the western side bring plainer interior work: plasterboard or gypsum-plastered walls, flat ceilings and machined skirtings and doors. Here the job is about preparation, filling settlement cracks and nail pops, and choosing a finish that survives family life. In kitchens, hallways and children’s rooms we usually suggest a durable matt or eggshell that can be wiped down. Extensions and loft rooms finished in new plaster need a mist coat first, which our new plaster guide explains.
Getting to a job in Roade
Roade is about 2 miles south of M1 junction 15 and around 5.4 miles from our Northampton base. The railway cutting runs through the middle of the village, so crossing from one side to the other means using one of the road bridges. On the A508 frontages we plan unloading around the through traffic. For more on how we approach rooms of every kind, see our main interior painting service, or read about the village as a whole on our Roade page.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
