Communal stair painters
Scotland's tenement and apartment-block stair painters since 1959. Edinburgh, Glasgow and across the Central Belt.
We are Scotland's tenement and apartment-block communal-stair painters — Edinburgh, Glasgow and across the Central Belt since 1959.
Tenement and apartment communal stairs
Tenement and apartment blocks make up a large share of residential property in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Stirling and across Scotland. The communal stairs in those buildings carry every household every day — they wear quickly and they get judged on first sight. We have painted thousands of them.
Working with factors and proprietor groups
Communal-stair work is its own discipline. The job is shared between proprietors under the deed of conditions or title burdens, and the decisions are made by group consensus — often through a property manager or factor. The job has to be priced, specified and delivered in a way that survives that decision process.
Free site survey, written specification, fixed-price quote split by share-of-cost where the title schedule requires it. Programme dates set in advance so every proprietor knows when their close will be in use. Daily progress posted on the stair noticeboard or via the factor.
What gets painted in a typical close
Walls and ceilings. Dado rails, balustrades and handrails. Skirting and architraves. The entrance vestibule. Mailboxes and meter cupboards. The under-stair area. The entrance door internally and externally.
Where there is original Victorian or Edwardian dado tile, cornice or feature plaster, we leave them clean and unpainted unless the spec explicitly calls for them to be picked out.
Tenement substrate considerations
Many Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee tenements are lime-plastered on lath — not modern plasterboard. We diagnose the substrate before specification and use breathable mineral or low-VOC water-based systems where the wall is lime.
We do not paper-over damp. If we find it, we report it back to the factor before paint goes on.
Stair types we paint
Tenement communal closes. Communal stairs in modern apartment buildings. Hotel stairs and back-of-house staircases. Office and commercial entrance stairs. Residential blocks in social housing. Schools, council buildings, retirement homes.
If it is a shared stair that takes daily traffic and gets judged on first sight, we have painted thousands of them.
Programme, disruption and accreditations
Stairs cannot close to traffic. We work in phases — one flight or one floor at a time — with painted-section barriers, signage and re-routed traffic. Out-of-hours work where the building requires it. Dust-controlled prep, low-odour finishes specifically chosen for occupied communal spaces.
Scottish Decorators Federation (SDF), Painting and Decorating Association (PDA), CHAS, SafeContractor, SMAS, PPG Trade Elite. IPAF and PASMA for upper-flight access. £10 million public liability cover.
Stairs we paint
Tenement communal closes
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Central Belt tenements. Traditional lath-and-plaster substrates, breathable systems, original feature retention.
Modern apartment-block stairs
New-build residential blocks. Programme-managed phased work, out-of-hours where the building requires it.
Hotel and hospitality stairs
Front-of-house and back-of-house. Off-trading-hours work, dust-controlled prep, low-odour finishes.
Office entrance stairs
Commercial entrances, corridors and stairwells. Out-of-hours scheduling, signage and access management.
Residential block social housing
Local-authority and housing-association stairs. CHAS and SMAS-gated commercial workflow, RAMS in advance.
Schools, council, retirement homes
Public-sector estates. Phased programmes around occupation, full RAMS, off-hours where possible.
Scotland's communal-stair specialists since 1959
Communal-stair work is its own discipline. The job is shared between proprietors under the deed of conditions or title burdens. Decisions are made by group consensus, often through a property factor. The work has to be priced, specified and delivered in a way that survives that decision process.
We have been painting tenement closes in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and across the Central Belt for six decades. We are set up to work with property factors — itemised share-of-cost quotes, factor-compliant RAMS packs, weekly progress reports, billing routed through the factor where the title schedule requires it.
What gets painted: walls, ceilings, dado rails, balustrades, handrails, skirting, architraves, vestibule, mailbox area, under-stair, entrance door. What gets left as found: original Victorian or Edwardian dado tile, cornice, ceiling rose and feature plaster — cleaned and protected, never painted over unless the specification explicitly calls for it.
Common questions
How does the share-of-cost split work in a tenement?
Most title deeds split costs equally between proprietors, but some use share-of-rateable-value or other schedules. We work to whatever the deed of conditions specifies and itemise the quote so every proprietor (or the factor) can see their share.
Do you work with property factors?
Routinely. Many of our communal-stair jobs are managed through Edinburgh and Glasgow factors. We are set up to bill the factor, work to their compliance pack, and report progress to them weekly.
Can the stair stay open during the work?
Yes — we phase the work flight by flight (or floor by floor) with barriers, signage and re-routing. Residents always have access to their flat. Some sections go off-hours where the building has heavy daytime traffic.
What about original Victorian or Edwardian features in the close?
We leave them as we find them unless the specification asks otherwise. Original dado tile, cornice, ceiling rose, feature plaster and stained glass — cleaned, protected, never painted over. We sample-board any picked-out feature work before committing.
Do you handle the dampness issues we see in older closes?
We diagnose and report. Tenement dampness is often a fabric issue (gutter, roof, salt rise) not a paint issue. We will tell the factor what we find and recommend a fabric repair specialist before we paint, rather than seal damp under fresh coats.
Communal-stair work across Scotland
We paint tenement communal closes and apartment-block stairs across Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Stirling and the Central Belt. Below: the regions and neighbourhoods where tenement housing is most common, and where we work most often.
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
- Dundee
- Stirling
- Marchmont
- Bruntsfield
- Stockbridge
- New Town
- Hillhead
- Pollockshields
Accreditations & memberships
Public liability insurance to £10 million.