Hallway & Stairway Painters in Somerville & Boston

Mostly edges

A hallway looks simple: two long walls and a ceiling. In practice it is one of the slowest spaces to paint well, because it is broken up by door frames, corners, light switches and baseboard all the way along. Every one of those is a cut line, done by brush.

The long Norwood hallways on this page are a good example — pale lilac and gray, with white doors and trim, and far more edge than wall.

The part of the house that takes the knocks

Hallways and stairs take more wear than any other walls in the house — bags, shoulders, bikes, groceries, hands on the way up the stairs. That means:

• A finish that wipes clean, rather than a flat paint that marks the first time something brushes past.
• Repairs first. Dents, dings and old patches are filled and sanded flush, because they show worst along a long wall in raking light.
• Durable trim. Baseboards and door frames in a hallway get kicked; they need a harder finish than the walls.

Stairwells and multi-unit buildings

A stairwell adds height. The walls run two stories, the ceiling is over the stairs, and getting safe access is part of the job.

In a triple-decker or apartment building, the common stairwell is also the only way in and out for every tenant. The work is planned so it stays usable — in sections, around the people living there. Our triple-decker and multi-family page covers how that works.