Painting a London Coach House Conversion: Mews Garage Doors, Exposed Beams & Stone Walls

The Character of London's Coach Houses

London's mews streets — tucked behind the grand terraces of Belgravia, Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Marylebone, and Notting Hill — were originally built as coach houses and stabling for the main residences on the adjacent streets. Over the past century, these buildings have been progressively converted into some of London's most desirable small houses, combining compact proportions with original architectural features that give them a character entirely distinct from conventional London homes.

A converted coach house typically presents a combination of surfaces that a standard house does not: an original carriage door (now often a garage door or feature entrance), exposed timber beams and joists, stone or bare brick walls, lime-plastered sections, and a mixture of original and modern materials. Painting and decorating these spaces requires an understanding of each substrate and a sensitivity to the building's heritage.

The Mews Garage Door

The most visible element of any mews house is its front door or garage door — typically a large timber pair of doors that occupies a substantial portion of the façade. In many conversions, the original carriage door opening has been retained, with the doors either kept as functional garage doors or fixed as a decorative feature.

Preparation. Original mews doors have often been painted many times. Layers of old paint may be thick, cracked, and poorly adhered, particularly on the lower sections where moisture splashes up from the cobbled mews surface. Stripping old paint with chemical remover or infrared heat allows a fresh start. On doors with moulded panels or applied ironwork, careful hand scraping and sanding is necessary to clean the profiles without rounding the details.

Priming. Bare timber should be primed with an alkyd wood primer. Knots should be sealed with shellac-based knotting solution to prevent resin bleed. On hardwood doors (some mews houses have oak carriage doors), an aluminium wood primer provides better adhesion.

Topcoat. Exterior-grade gloss or satin in a traditional colour is the standard approach. Dark blues, blacks, deep greens, and greys are the most common choices on Belgravia and Knightsbridge mews streets. The paint must be exterior-rated for UV and moisture resistance. Dulux Trade Weathershield, Johnstone's Stormshield, or Teknos exterior coatings all perform well.

Conservation considerations. Many mews streets in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea fall within conservation areas. In some cases, the original door colour may be specified by the conservation officer or the estate (Grosvenor Estate, Cadogan Estate, and others maintain colour schedules for their mews properties). Check before choosing a colour.

Exposed Timber Beams and Joists

Exposed beams are one of the most appealing features of a coach house conversion. Original structural timbers — often oak or elm — may be several hundred years old and carry the patina of age, including adze marks, dowel holes, and surface checking.

To paint or not to paint. There are two schools of thought. Some owners prefer to leave beams in their natural state, treating them with a clear wax or oil that preserves the timber's colour and grain. Others prefer to paint beams, either to lighten a room with low ceilings or to match a particular decorative scheme.

If painting:

• Clean the timber. Remove dust, cobwebs, and any surface grime with a stiff brush. If the beams have been waxed previously, the wax must be removed with white spirit before any paint will adhere.
• Prime with a stain blocker. Old oak and elm contain tannins that bleed through standard primers, producing brown staining on light-coloured paint. A shellac-based primer such as Zinsser BIN seals in tannins effectively. Two coats may be needed on heavily tannin-rich timber.
• Apply topcoat. A chalky matt finish — such as a limewash-style paint or a flat emulsion — often looks more sympathetic on old beams than a shiny modern finish. The matt surface allows the texture of the timber to read through the paint.

If leaving natural. A clear hard wax oil (Osmo, Fiddes, or similar) protects the timber without adding colour or sheen. On very dusty or absorbent old timber, a thin coat of raw linseed oil followed by wax can bring out the grain without making the surface look artificially shiny.

Stone and Bare Brick Walls

Many coach houses retain sections of original stone or brick, particularly at ground-floor level where the stable walls were left unplastered. These materials add texture and warmth but require careful handling if painting is desired.

Brick. Original London stock brick has a beautiful mellow yellow-grey tone that many owners choose to leave exposed. If painting is required — to brighten a dark ground floor, for instance — a mineral-based masonry paint or limewash is preferable to standard emulsion. These breathable coatings allow moisture to pass through the brick rather than trapping it, which is essential in a solid-walled building without a cavity or damp-proof membrane.

Stone. Where stone walls are present, they are usually load-bearing and may show signs of previous lime mortar pointing. As with brick, breathable coatings are essential. Limewash is the traditional and most sympathetic finish, producing a chalky, slightly translucent appearance that suits the character of a coach house. Mineral silicate paints (from manufacturers such as Keim or Beeck) offer similar breathability with greater durability.

Important: Never use vinyl emulsion or plastic masonry paint on old stone or brick walls in a coach house. These coatings trap moisture behind the film, leading to salt crystallisation, frost damage, and accelerated deterioration of the masonry.

Lime-Plastered Sections

Internal walls in coach houses may be finished with original lime plaster, which behaves differently from modern gypsum plaster. Lime plaster is softer, more alkaline, and continues to absorb and release moisture throughout its life.

Compatible paints. Standard vinyl emulsions are not ideal for lime plaster. They form a film that restricts the plaster's moisture movement, potentially causing the plaster to deteriorate behind the paint. Instead, use limewash, clay paint, or mineral silicate paint — all of which are vapour-permeable and chemically compatible with lime.

Preparation. Lime plaster should not be sanded aggressively — it is softer than gypsum and will powder if over-sanded. A light brush-down to remove loose material, followed by dampening the surface with clean water before applying limewash, is the correct approach.

Bringing It All Together

The art of decorating a coach house lies in respecting the hierarchy of original and modern materials. Original beams, stone walls, and carriage doors deserve treatments that acknowledge their age and character. Modern insertions — plasterboard partitions, new joinery, contemporary kitchen and bathroom fitouts — can be painted in standard modern products.

A well-decorated coach house combines these approaches seamlessly, creating a home that feels both historically grounded and entirely comfortable for modern London living. Our team has decorated coach houses and mews properties across Belgravia, Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Holland Park, and Notting Hill, and we understand the materials, products, and techniques that these distinctive buildings require.