We decorate hallways, stairs and landings across Westone in NN3, 2.6 miles north-east of Northampton town centre along the Wellingborough Road. Dean handles the high wall over the stairs, the woodwork on the staircase and the hard-wearing finishes a family hall needs, while keeping the stairs in use.
Two very different Westone hallways
Westone halls fall into two broad kinds. In the 1920s detached houses on Westone Avenue, such as the 1925 house marketed as Westone Lodge, the larger plan brings a longer stair run and a landing under a higher ceiling. In the bay-fronted semis on Ashley Way, Firtree Walk and Oaklands Drive it is usually a side hall, narrow and straight, typically running past the bay-fronted front room towards the kitchen or a newer rear extension.
| Hall type | What makes it slow | How we handle it |
|---|---|---|
| Detached house, 1920s | Tall stairwell wall, long string and handrail, high landing ceiling | Stair platform and staging boards, worked in sections top down |
| Interwar or post-war semi | Tight width, many door openings, banister close to the wall | Combination ladder on the treads, careful cutting in along the string |
| Flat on Conifer Rise or Wellingborough Road | Short private hall, shared stair outside the door | Quick turnaround, low-odour paints, communal areas agreed separately |
Reaching the stairwell wall in a taller house
Higher ceilings mean the wall above the stairs in an older Westone house can be well out of reach of a stepladder. We set up stair platforms with independently adjustable legs and boards spanning to the landing, so the whole height can be cut in and rolled from a level footing. Nothing rests on the banister. We decorate from the ceiling down: landing ceiling first, then the high wall, then the lower hall, and last the staircase woodwork, so drips never land on finished work.
The general method for safe stairwell access is on our main hallway, stairs and landing page.
Narrow halls in bay-fronted semis
In a semi the problem is width rather than height. The hall carries every trip in and out of the house, the door to the garage or side passage, and often the route from a rear extension back to the front door. Walls get scuffed by bags, buggies and bikes at hip height. Here we usually suggest:
- A scrubbable matt or eggshell on the walls, so marks can be wiped without leaving shiny patches.
- A slightly darker or more forgiving colour below dado height if there is a rail, or a tougher finish all the way up if there is not.
- Satin rather than high gloss on the spindles and string, which shows fewer brush marks and handles knocks better.
Where a house has been extended, the hall is often the point where an old part of the house meets the new. We look at sightlines from the front door so the hall colour sits comfortably beside a new kitchen-diner.
Houses bought for modernisation
Some Westone houses are sold as needing general modernisation, and the hall is where that shows most. Expect layers of old paper on the stairwell wall, cracks along the line where the stair meets the wall and decades of paint on the spindles. Stripping a tall stairwell takes time, and we tell you before starting how many days the stairs will be partly blocked. We always leave a clear line up the treads at the end of each day.
The staircase itself often needs the most attention in these houses. Spindles and newel posts painted many times over can have drips and brush ridges set hard in the old layers, and a handrail worn back to bare timber in places. We sand those back, fill any splits and prime bare patches before the finish coats, so the new paint sits flat rather than following the lumps beneath.
For more on decorating in this part of NN3, see our Westone page.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
