We paint metal gates, railings and steel doors across Thorplands, NN3, and the Round Spinney units on its northern edge. Few homes here have metalwork, so most of this work is communal or commercial: flat blocks in the courts, open-space boundaries and industrial units at Round Spinney.
Where the metal actually is
Thorplands is not an estate of wrought-iron front railings. The homes are mostly 1970s terraces and low-rise flats in courts, with front gardens and walkways rather than period boundary walls. A few houses do have a metal side gate or handrail, and we paint those, but the bulk of the metalwork sits elsewhere:
- railings, handrails and gates around the flat blocks in courts such as Great Holme Court and Waterpump Court
- gates and boundaries around Thorplands Open Space and the multi-use games area
- fencing and gates at community buildings on Farm Field Court
- steel doors, railings and other metalwork on units at Round Spinney Industrial Estate, on the far side of Talavera Way
So the person asking us for a quote here is more often a managing agent, housing provider or business owner than a homeowner.
Communal railings outside the flats
Handrails and railings beside shared entrances get handled every day, kicked by bikes and buggies, and splashed by rain coming off the walkways. Wear shows first at the base, where water sits, and on the top rail. We take rust back to sound metal, prime bare spots with a suitable metal primer, and finish with a hard-wearing coating. If a railing is galvanised, it needs a primer made for zinc, or the paint will peel. The full method is on our metal gate and railing painting page.
Because residents still need to use the entrance, we work in sections and leave clear wet-paint signs, so a handrail is never painted all at once with no way past.
Round Spinney units
The industrial estate to the north, around South Portway Close and Gatelodge Close, is where you find the steel roller and personnel doors, stair rails and gates typical of commercial units. Those jobs are planned around the working day, and loading bays, deliveries and staff access dictate the order we work in. Larger repaints of whole units sit under our commercial painting service.
Open-space gates and the games area
Gates into Thorplands Open Space and the fencing around the multi-use games area take a different kind of wear. Balls, bikes and constant opening chip the coating at the latch and along the lower bars, and once the steel is exposed it rusts quickly in the damp air around the green corridors. On this sort of metalwork we spot-prime every chip and use a tough finish that can be touched up easily next time, rather than leaving bare patches to spread. Work on public open space is arranged with whoever owns or manages it, and we keep areas taped off until the paint has hardened.
Damp, traffic and the timing of the work
Metal near Thorplands’ small streams and green corridors stays damp for longer after rain, and metal by Lumbertubs Way and Talavera Way picks up road grime. Both need washing and drying before priming. Paint applied to cold or wet steel does not bond properly, so we wait for dry spells and avoid early starts on dewy mornings.
Near the school and community hub on Farm Field Court, we would arrange access with whoever manages the site so that work does not clash with drop-off and collection times. There are no conservation controls in Thorplands, so the colour is up to the owner or managing body. See our Thorplands area page for more on the estate.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
