Victorian streets near the lace mills
Long Eaton grew quickly once the railways and the lace trade arrived, and by 1900 its population had passed 10,000. In the Long Eaton Mills Conservation Area, King Street, Prince Street and Princess Street are mostly high-density Victorian terraces, and Lime Grove has Victorian semi-detached houses, built mainly in red brick. The floors above the shops on the High Street and Market Place show that large parts of the centre are Victorian or early 20th century too.
Panelling a terraced hallway
In a tight terrace, the hallway takes the most wear of any room. Half-height panelling there does two jobs: it gives the hall some shape, and it protects the lower part of the wall from bikes, pushchairs and shopping bags. A slim top rail keeps the passage from feeling narrower, and painting the panels and the wall between them in one colour keeps it calm. If your stairs rise from the hall, the panelling can continue up at the same height along the stair line.
Victorian plaster has had more than a century to move. Hairline cracks, bulges and hollow patches are common, and panelling can only be as firm as the plaster it is bonded to. We check every wall with a straight edge, cut out and patch loose areas, and skim any wall that is too uneven for straight panel strips. In the semis on Lime Grove, picture-frame moulding in the front room or up the stairs suits the age of the house.
A town that knows about interiors
Long Eaton has a long history of making things for the home. As the lace trade declined in the 1920s, upholstery took over, and in 2014 the town was established as the "UK Centre of Quality Upholstery Manufacture". A full-height shaker wall behind a sofa makes a calm backdrop for upholstered furniture, especially painted in a deep green, blue or warm grey. On a smaller wall, a single row of tall frames does the same job.
Newer homes, such as the houses and flats on the former speedway stadium site, are likely to have plasterboard walls. We check those for bows and proud joints and fix the panels to suit the board.
Ready to talk?
Every panel is filled, sanded and caulked, ready for priming and painting. Tell us the style you like and where the sockets and radiators sit on the wall; if anything electrical needs moving, a qualified electrician should do that first. Call 07877 353120 or use the enquiry form to arrange a quote for wall panelling in Long Eaton. We work seven days a week, 7am to 5pm.
