The project in detail
This hallway came to us in poor condition, and that's putting it generously. The artex ceiling had seen better days and required repair work before it could be decorated. The walls were in a very poor state throughout, with large areas needing making good: filling, sanding, and properly preparing the surface before any primer or paint could go on. Surface preparation of this kind is time-consuming and unglamorous, but it is the foundation that everything else depends on, and it shows in the finished result. A new dado rail had been freshly fitted, which brought its own requirements. Raw MDF and new timber require priming correctly before paint, so the dado was primed with Johnstones Trade Aquaguard Primer, tinted to tone with the intended finish, and then top coated with Johnstones Trade Aquaguard, tinted to the required colour-matched green. This two-coat specification gives excellent adhesion, a moisture-resistant finish, and a clean, sharp result on the new joinery. The white woodwork throughout received the full treatment: stripped back, primed, filled and repaired where needed, undercoated, and then top coated in Johnstones Trade Aquaguard, the correct, durable finish for hallway woodwork that takes daily contact. The wallpaper is a lovely addition that helps bring this small corridor to life. The right paper in a narrow hallway can transform the entire feel of the space, giving it personality and warmth that paint alone often cannot deliver. The combination of a carefully restored ceiling, properly prepared walls, a well-specified dado, and the feature wallpaper turns a corridor that was previously just a route through the house into a room worth noticing.
