Dean of DH Painter & Decorator hangs lining paper and wallpaper in Nether Heyford and Upper Heyford, roughly 6 miles west of Northampton. Uneven lime-plastered walls in the old cottages are lined first with breathable papers, while the estate houses suit feature walls with little preparation.
Why the cottage walls get lined first
Walls in the 17th and 18th century cottages of Nether Heyford rarely run true. Coursed ironstone and limestone, plastered in lime and settled over two or three centuries, leaves bellies, dips and corners that are far from square. Hang a patterned paper straight onto that and the pattern drifts as it follows the wall, the repeat leans, and every bump catches the light from a small casement window. On these walls a lining paper goes up first, hung horizontally so its joints never coincide with the finish paper. It evens out minor undulation and gives the decorative paper a consistent surface to grip.
Lining will not hide everything. Where a wall bows badly, we plumb the first length from the centre of the main wall or chimney breast and let any small mismatch fall into the least-seen corner, often behind a door. A bold geometric on a crooked cottage wall will always show the wall; a small, loose, all-over pattern or a plain textured paper is far more forgiving, and that conversation happens before you order the rolls.
Paper for lime and cob walls
Lime plaster and cob need to release moisture. A heavy vinyl paper behaves like a plastic sheet across the wall, and on solid stone that can mean mould behind the paper, lifting seams and brown staining. For the older houses, including 1 Furnace Lane, where the walls are thought to be partly cob, we steer people towards breathable papers: traditional pulp, or non-wovens without a vinyl face, hung with a paste that suits the surface. Where old paper has to come off lime plaster, steaming is done gently, because soft lime can come away with it. In any of the listed houses, removing historic decoration may need consent from West Northamptonshire Council, so it is worth asking first.
Feature walls on the post-war estates
The other half of the village is very different. Out on the Wilsons Estate, round Brook Farm and Watery Lane, and in the closes by Heyford Brook, the houses are mostly 3- and 4-bedroom, many of them detached, and their gypsum walls are close to flat. They suit a chimney breast, a bed wall or a dining-room wall in a strong print without heavy preparation. Typical work is stripping a previous owner’s paper, which in houses of this age may be woodchip or paper painted over more than once, repairing the plaster skin underneath, sizing, then hanging. At Bliss Close, built in 2012, and Hillside Crescent, built in 2019, the plaster is newer and is sealed before any paper goes on.
Springs, brooks and walls to leave alone
Nether Heyford’s northern half sits on the flat Nene valley floor, and the local geology produces numerous springs. Three brooks pass under the village in culverts, and Heyford Brook, also known as The Luddle, is the boundary at the bottom of many gardens off Winston Close, Ridgeway Furlong and Roberts Field. A wall with rising or penetrating damp will push paper off within months whatever paste is used. Before quoting, Dean checks suspect walls with a moisture meter; if one is wet, he will say so and suggest the cause is dealt with first. In bathrooms and kitchens on that side of the village, a fungicidal paste and a paper rated for humid rooms are sensible choices.
Arranging a papering job here
We cover The Heyfords from Northampton, about 6 miles east of the village. Paper is bulky and a pasting table needs floor space, and with rear-entrance cottages and homes reached along footpath snickets, we agree where to set up before the first day. Batch numbers on the rolls are checked on delivery so shades match. For paper types and the full hanging process, see our wallpaper hanging service; for more on the village’s houses, the Heyfords area page; and for budgeting, the cost guide.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
