We decorate hallways, stairs and landings in White Hills, NN2, a residential district about 2.8 miles north of Northampton town centre. Dean uses proper stairwell access and scuff-resistant finishes for family homes, and plans communal work at retirement flats with the managing agent.
Why the hall takes a beating in White Hills
Your Move, the estate agent, lists Whitehills among the high-demand family areas around Kingsthorpe, and it is easy to see why: Whitehills Primary School is in the district, and Whitehills Nursery School is on Acre Lane. Homes with young children see a lot of traffic through one narrow route. Bikes and scooters get wheeled in, school bags get dropped against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, and small hands run along the walls all the way up.
For that kind of house, a standard matt emulsion is a poor choice in the hall. Marks can’t be wiped without leaving a shiny patch. We usually recommend a scrubbable durable matt or soft sheen on the walls, a hard-wearing satin on spindles and handrails, and an eggshell or satin on skirtings where the vacuum cleaner and shoes hit them. A dado-height change of finish can also work well in a 1930s hall, where it suits the period of the house.
Reaching the stairwell wall safely
The tall wall over the stairs is the part most people leave alone, and it is usually the part that needs it most. We reach it with adjustable stair ladders and staging boards set up on level footing, not a stepladder balanced on a tread. The stairs stay usable while we work, which matters in a house where children need to get up to bed. The main hallway, stairs and landing page explains the access equipment and the order we decorate in.
In the inter-war houses of the original estate, expect a few extra items in a small space: picture rails, deep skirtings, panelled doors onto the hall and often an original newel post and balustrade under many coats of paint. Those take time to prepare, so we price the woodwork separately from the walls so you can see where the time goes.
Larger halls on Harborough Road North
The individually built detached houses on Harborough Road North are a different proposition. With several reception rooms opening off them, halls and landings are bigger, ceilings can be higher and there may be a gallery landing or a long upstairs corridor. These jobs can take several days. We sequence ceilings, then walls, then woodwork, and protect the stair carpet and hall floor for the whole job rather than packing up each evening.
Communal corridors and stairs at Wardington Court
Wardington Court on Welford Road is a block of McCarthy Stone retirement flats, held on leases. Corridors, stairwells and flat entrance doors there are communal areas, so any redecoration is arranged through the managing agent rather than individual owners. Residents use these routes throughout the day, so the work has to be planned around them:
- low-odour, water-based paints so corridors can be used the same day;
- working one section at a time and keeping a clear route past it, with handrails left accessible;
- clear signage for wet paint, and no trailing dust sheets or cables in walkways;
- agreeing working hours and which areas are done on which day with the agent before starting.
We can provide the method statement and insurance details a managing agent will normally ask for.
Getting a quote
Dean comes out to White Hills from Northampton to quote. A visit lets him measure the stairwell height, see the condition of the woodwork and agree which finishes suit how your hall is used. Other services in the area are listed on the White Hills page, and if you are comparing quotes, our guide to choosing a painter and decorator sets out what to ask.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
