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Traditional Bathrooms: A Renaissance?

Trends and styles are cyclical. I remember in the ‘90s up until around 2008, the 1980s were considered something of a joke in musical terms, but try finding an up and coming indie band in 2015 that are not influenced by the ‘80s in some way!

Alongside the many people who crave the massaging touch of a whirlpool bath or Jacuzzi, which is likely to be a transient fashion, to there are a growing number who are deciding that they want to go down a more traditional path when configuring their dream bathroom.

What is a Traditional Bathroom?
The beauty of opting for a more traditional bathroom is that you can take the enduring features of bathroom design from past and present, avoiding the pitfalls of going for the latest trend only to see it fall away in coming years, rendering your dream bathroom something of a cliche.

When talking about traditional design, we often reference the period, whether it is Victorian, Georgian, Edwardian or Elizabethan. While it would be perfectly doable to design and fit an Edwardian bathroom in a modern apartment, it is often best to match the period of your house to the period of the design and fixtures that you wish to install.

The fittings
When it comes to fixtures and fittings, there is a tough choice as to whether to go the whole hog and scour the auction houses in search of that genuine Victorian tap of your dreams or with the help of bathroom refurbishment Leicestershire, select well-made modern replicas. Of course, you can do a little of both, mixing genuine period fittings with modern replicas for those fixtures that are, perhaps less prominent and harder to find.

An Example
Let’s assume that you’ve just bought a Victorian house, with a bathroom that is tired and needs a complete overhaul. You can start by removing that water-stained beige carpet and hopefully finding some lovely wooden flooring, just begging for restoration. With the old suite removed, you can opt for a beautiful stand-alone cast iron bathtub, a gorgeous cast iron radiator, painted to contrast stunningly with the colour of your bath. You can visit the local auctions for some period signs to adorn the walls and a nice Victorian chair to sit on, while dressing. However – and here’s the fun part – you can also integrate a beautiful, glass shower cubicle, one of the features of modern bathrooms that’s here to stay, achieving a stunning contrast between period and modern design.

Suffice it to say there is great merit in opting for the integration of traditional design elements in your contemporary bathroom, not least because you are looking back, with hindsight and still finding beauty and ingenuity in the design.

Thinking of Opting for a Wet Room?

So, you’ve got a clean slate, but are unsure just what constitutes your dream bathroom – well one attractive option is to plump for a Wet Room. This article aims to highlight the main benefits of this type of bathroom to help you decide whether it suits your needs.

Wet Rooms in a nutshell
Wet Rooms differ from traditional bathrooms in that they must be fully waterproofed as the room itself is one giant shower cubicle, albeit one that contains everything you need for a complete bathroom. There is no need for a shower screen, although if you prefer a closed off shower area then a glass screen is a stylish solution. Even so, waterproofing or ‘tanking’ the whole room is advisable.

Design choices
These days, in terms of suites there is great variety, with the popular and often smartest addition of tiles from floor to wall with a specially painted ceiling, which makes the waterproofing task much easier and gives you the opportunity to make exciting design choices with a range of tiling options. Despite being a relatively contemporary idea, Wet Rooms can be given either a traditional or modern look, principally via tiling decisions. Massage Brighton

Why Choose a Wet Room?
Freedom: On top of the stylish look that a Wet Room can bring to your home, it is also rather liberating to open the door to your bathroom and have everything there, open and free and ready for you to relax into.

Space Saving: If you have a relatively small space for your bathroom, why shrink it with unnecessary partitioning and a bath tub? The relative absence of fixtures and fittings is tailor-made for smaller spaces.

Easy to Clean: Shower cubicles, with all their little nooks and crannies are a grime and dirt magnet, so imagine the relief at waving goodbye to all that scrubbing!

Safe and Sound: With a non-slip tiled floor all over the room, you can relax in the knowledge that your dream bathroom is a slip-free zone. This makes Wet Rooms a great option for anyone living with a disability or those who require easy access facilities.

Long-lasting: With less fixtures and fittings and things to go wrong, Wet Rooms are a sound long-term investment. Quality water-proofing products are not cheap, but being long-lasting, they are well worth the initial outlay.

Considerations
Good ventilation is essential in a Wet Room to prevent the build-up of mould and mildew, while tiles used should be non-slip. In addition it is well-worth considering under-floor heating as it is not a great deal of extra work and as well as providing comfort, it will help dry the room quicker, limiting the potential for mould.

With the design and project management skills of those involved in bathroom refurbishment Leicester, acquiring your perfect Wet Room has never been easier.

Solving the Problems of a Small Bedroom

Having limited space in a bedroom can make for a tricky task to accommodate enough storage space without the room appearing cramped. As well as some innovative ways of integrating clever storage options there are also ways of achieving the illusion of space while you’re at it. For instance, staggered floating shelves are great for serving as a rotating display without adding extra holes in the wall. The staggered aspect also acts as a visual trick, to create a spacious feel. The most obvious trick of the trade is the clever integration of mirrors, but clever lighting and utilising the same colour paint for walls and ceilings – so the parameters as to where the room begins and ends become vague – can also help.

Of course the real trick in bedroom design, and where Home refurbishment Leicester can really help to ensure your bedroom remains clutter-free, is the creation of clever storage. The addition of shelving inset into the wall are a great idea should it be possible. The installation of wall sconces, with integrated lighting can be a real space saver, avoiding the use of precious bedside table space and reducing cluttering.

It may be worth exploring the idea of daybeds, if your room is particularly lacking in the space department as this can help you achieve the living room bedroom look and daybeds often have storage underneath, which is, of course, a must in a smaller bedroom.

If you are in the ‘blank canvass’ position and have a smaller bedroom and are wondering just where the wardrobes are going to go, it may be worth looking into the possibility of using a wall to create sliding door wardrobes. It may seem insane to think about shrinking one whole wall of a room, but this type of integrated wardrobe not only looks minimalist and ultra-modern (although they’ve been used for many years in Japan) but it will actually save space over a bulky standalone wardrobe. The choices are wide-ranging and you can tailor the interior space for your clothing needs.

If you can manage without a wardrobe at all then under bed storage, a chest of drawers and a well placed clothes rail may suffice, but bear in mind that the sliding door wardrobes will only serve to increase the value of your house in the long run. For the adventurous minded adult a loft bed is an ingenious way of saving space – although the stronger ones (for two people) can be rather costly. There is also the option of going even further down the Japanese approach and creating a room with tatami furnishings, including perhaps a space-saving tatami futon.

The idea of the Mood Board

Never has this expression been more apt than when applied to the idea of the Mood Board. For many, especially those involved in home renovation Leicester, the Mood Board is an essential tool that enables the would be designer present their ideas visually, giving an impressionistic idea as to their vision for your room. It is more about presenting the atmosphere of the design ideas rather than a snapshot and is an incredibly clever way to ensure that a designer is on your wavelength before making a decision. Mood boards are generally concocted over a period of time after several meetings and conversations and provide that essential proof-positive that a designer is taking your requests seriously and listening to your ideas.

If you look at the Mood Board and think, “Wow, that is me down to a T!” then it can be extremely liberating, not to mention stress-saving to hand over the reins, trusting that the designer knows what you want.

What does a Mood Board look like?
A Mood board will probably look like a collage, with scraps of fabric and swatches of paint and perhaps a sample of oak wood flooring – all coming together to show the intended colour scheme. Of course it could well be a digital Mood Board (also known as a ‘Digital Mash-up’), which eliminates the designer’s need to find physical manifestations of his vision and can lead to a more accurate and expansive portrayal of his desired atmosphere. An effective Mood Board will be roughly to scale in that each swatch and sample will take up the same sort of space on the board as it will in the relevant room in proportion to the other samples. This makes it much easier to visualise just how well the fabrics, tones, textures and shades will work together.

Just the beginning
For designers and project managers like Craven & Hargreaves the Mood Board marks the moment at which mutual trust and understanding is achieved and represents the first step on a journey that will end with your dream room or in more expansive projects, your dream house. A Mood Board is a very intensive and highly intuitive tool and so it makes perfect sense to make the most of that connection and retain continuity throughout each step of the process to ensure that that everyone remains on the same page.

Clever Storage Solutions for Smaller Kitchens

A lack of space
Not all of us are blessed with the modern day favourite: the large open plan kitchen. Most of us face the eternal dilemma of where to put everything! In fact, I hazard that even those endowed with large open plan kitchen diners that have been ineffectively designed bemoan a lack of STORAGE! Even if a kitchen has been designed relatively effectively, with plenty of storage space the nature of life is that we accumulate things and sound kitchen design necessitates storage that has the capacity to evolve alongside our lives. This is where experts involved in kitchen refurbishment Leicestershire really earn their salt.

Evolving space
Advancements in design and technology have yielded some superb new products and arrangements that enable kitchen designers to get around issues of storage space. The trend towards blurred lines between kitchen and living space need not necessarily be achieved by knocking down partition walls. In fact those with small kitchens can expand into their dining and living space through subtle integration of kitchen storage with stylish tables featuring hidden draws underneath their surfaces, for instance. With minimalism also high on the agendas of an increasing number of people, much can be learned from the emergence of ‘micro homes’ or ‘tiny houses’ which by necessity have involved some truly ingenious space saving ideas, such as fold away tables and benches with storage under the seats.

Larders etc
The life-changing qualities imbued in the magic kitchen larder cannot be overstated. Simply put, when you get a larder there’s no turning back. So if you are in the process of deciding on an extension or have a spare downstairs cupboard or toilet next to your kitchen, or even a corner of your kitchen that could be given a wall-mounted pantry it is an addition that you will never regret.

The words ‘larder’ and ‘pantry’ are so antiquated that they conjure visions of a grim dusty cupboard with a hard concrete floor and a thriving population of spiders and yet it can be über stylish. Imagine a whitewashed room of flexible shelving accessed by pocket glass fronted doors that provides all of the flexible space needed for those awkward but essential bottles of sake, soy sauce and the pots and pans and accessories that just don’t fit in the cupboards! Having all your food storage in the same part of the kitchen can also revolutionise your cooking time as well as making putting away your groceries a snap. Given the choice, a walk-in larder is the ideal solution and can even, given that it is cool, enable you to store your hard cheeses, eggs, potatoes and some fruit there freeing up precious space in the fridge!

The Do’s and Don’ts of Choosing Curtains and Blinds

With such a wide variety of window treatments now available, making the right choice for your home can be confusing. Here are a few guidelines to help you make your decision when choosing curtains and blinds Leicestershire.

DO think about whether curtains or blinds would work best with your interior scheme. By using an interior designer you’ll get the best advice and be sure that your chosen treatment fits seamlessly with the rest of your room. This may mean using colours which complement your wall treatment or could mean using stand out contrast colours. If you have patterned walls, you could opt for a plain fabric in a colour which tones with shades elsewhere in the room, or continue the pattern ‘theme’ of the walls into your curtains or blinds.

DO think about the size of your room too. Choosing a large pattern, particularly in a room with patterned walls, will make the room appear smaller.

DO let your curtains reach the floor. If you have a radiator beneath the window, think about using a roman blind but still framing the window with floor length curtains for an elegant finish.

DO think about the practicalities of curtains versus blinds when redecorating a child’s room. Safety rods are now standard on blinds but repeated ‘enthusiastic’ pulling may mean blinds have a shorter life than curtains. Look for washable fabrics and consider blackout lining if your child finds getting to sleep difficult.

DO make sure, when calculating your costings that you allow for extras such as wall fixings, curtain rods etc. If your new window treatment is part of a refurbishment project, a professional interior design company, such as Craven & Hargreaves, will make sure that everything has been thought about and included, as part of their project management service.

DON’T be afraid to combine two window treatments. For example, hanging curtains over a roller blind gives a luxury ‘layered’ look. In a room with a sunny aspect, consider having sheer voile curtains for the summer and replacing them with a heavier fabric for winter. Don’t forget to include both choices in your budget.

DON’T go for the cheapest option when choosing curtain or blind fabric. Remember that your curtains will be pulled at least twice daily – more often if the room faces south or west and attracts strong sunlight – so you need a strong fabric. Consider using cords to operate the curtains, to reduce wear.

DON’T forget to check the care instructions for your new curtains or blinds. Most curtains will need to be dry cleaned, while blinds will need regular dusting or hoovering with an upholstery attachment and may need sponging to remove stains.

Selecting the right curtains and blinds will complete any interior scheme, offering good looks as well as sound insulation and privacy and will last for many years, so enjoy choosing the most beautiful and practical window treatment solution for your home.

Finding the Perfect Home Accessory Gift Ideas for Christmas

As Christmas approaches and the shops get busier, we’re spoilt for choice with gift ideas for friends and family. Yet, while keeping the children happy is rarely a problem, every year it seems to get more difficult to choose that something special for relatives or friends we don’t see very often but who’ve invited us to their Christmas party or to drop in over the festive season.

Instead of choosing wine, chocolates or flowers, why not pick something that will last longer and look beautiful in your hosts’ home? Save yourself both time and parking problems by looking online. Craven & Hargreaves, an interior design company in Leicester, have a beautiful collection of home accessories to suit any interior design scheme.

Home accessories make a very ‘individual’ gift, but don’t simply choose the things you’d like for your own home. You need to have some idea of the recipients’ tastes so they’ll be happy to display or use their present.

If you know their home well, you’ll probably be able to visualize somewhere for a pretty votive or etched glass bottle: either or which would work well in a living room, conservatory or even a bedroom. Do they have a fireplace? If so, think single or paired candlesticks or an attractive photo frame.

Metallic finishes are currently very popular for interiors and you’ll find them everywhere: from photo frames to pretty hearts for wall hanging, to vintage product themed clocks and signs for the kitchen.

Many people are on the lookout for ways to streamline busy lives. Craven & Hargreaves have a delightful selection of pinboards which would look good in a hallway, home office or kitchen and, with a range of colours and themes, you’re giving something that’s both practical and attractive.

Side tables are invaluable in a living area, especially during the party season, so why not give a set of coasters or a pretty glass or metallic bowl or box? Fill with brightly wrapped sweets or a seasonal potpourri as an extra treat.

If your relatives or friends have recently completed some home renovation work, you could choose something special for their new room. Pretty jars, a cake stand or a recipe book stand would be good choices for a new kitchen, with perhaps an unusual wall hanging for an ensuite or cloakroom.

Of course, you don’t have to restrict giving home accessories as a gift to Christmas time. When you’re looking for a housewarming present, take the time to choose something individual before your first visit and you’re sure to be invited back! As you won’t know what the design, layout and colours are like, or what changes your friends or family want to make to their new home, find something with a neutral colour or finish. Glass scores highly here and you’ll find there’s a good choice of accessories to give any room a lift.

Giving someone a gift for their home shows thoughtfulness and allows you to express your creativity too. Enjoy your home accessories Christmas shopping!

Planning Ahead For Your 2015 Interiors

While December is a busy month with plans for Christmas brightening the darker days, it’s also a good time to review your home and think ahead for 2015.

If you’ve got guests staying, have you got enough room or, perhaps with a growing family, would 2015 be the year to extend and add an ensuite? Maybe you don’t want or need to get to that level, but perhaps you just want to update your décor? Here’s a preview of some of the colours expected to be featuring in interiors during 2015. If you use the services of a company experienced in East Midlands interior design, such as Craven & Hargreaves, you’ll get some great ideas for interpreting the trends in ways which will suit your home and family perfectly and, by offering a comprehensive service, possibly save you money too.

Whether you like bright or muted colours, there are colour palettes for you. Subdued shades such as olive or dusty mint green, aubergine and rust add depth to a room and work well teamed with brighter shades of the same colour, or neutrals to provide contrast. A sitting room or dining room in a period house would take these shades well in alcoves paired with striped or lightly patterned wallpaper for a classic look.

Stripes always look elegant for wallpaper and immediately add height to small rooms. The stripes can be very subtle: in silver or gold, for example, but they will catch the light and add interest without overpowering the room. You could use striped paper on one wall only, contrasting with a plain finish on the others.

If you’d rather go vibrant, look for vivid shades of blue which, teamed with white, bring a room to life. Yellow and grey are also on trend partners for blue and, used for upholstery or accessories, such as cushions, will balance your scheme well. There are so many shades of blue that your interior designer will be able to suggest the ones which would work best as layers within your scheme.

Another upcoming colour palette for Spring 2015 is pastels. If you have rooms which are flooded with light, particularly if they link to the outdoors, you can have fun creating the carefree feel of a holiday home which you live in permanently! Working equally well in living areas or the kitchen, look for aqua blue or flamingo pink for your walls. Paired with brilliant white paintwork and shutters, real wooden flooring with a bleached finish or a natural fibre like coir or sisal, and well chosen accessories, you’ll always have a room to put you in the holiday mood.

Now is a great time to be thinking about ways to introduce the latest colours into your home. Start looking at interior design blogs and magazines for inspiration then ask an East Midlands interior design company to prepare a mood board based on your preferences. 2015 could be the smartest year ever for your home!

Spoilt For Choice With Carpet

Not many years ago, the choice of carpet as floor covering in a sitting room would have been almost automatic. That’s no longer the case, as there is a wide choice of natural floor coverings such as natural wood and stone, which can be maintained quickly and easily.

However, there’s no denying that carpet provides a luxurious touch to a room. It gives a feeling of comfort and warmth as well as a cushioned surface for young children – or even precious ornaments! – To fall on and, if you live in an apartment, you’ll find it acts as a great noise insulator too.

Choose your carpet well, perhaps taking the advice of Craven & Hargreaves, interior designers in East Midlands and you can add a strong element to your interior design scheme. If it’s some time since you’ve needed to buy carpet, you’ll be surprised at the colour and pattern choices you have now.

For some years, neutral colours for walls and floors have been popular and, if you’ve recently moved into a new property, a neutral carpet will certainly work with your furniture, whatever its style, until you have the budget to replace it. However, if you look at interiors blogs or browse interiors magazines, you’ll notice that deeper shades and striking patterns are now becoming popular.

If your furnishings are highly patterned, it’s best to stick to a plain carpet, to prevent the room looking too ‘busy’ and smaller than it really is. Jewel colours bring richness to a room and work especially well in period homes.

But if you’ve got plain upholstery and curtains or blinds, and you want a contemporary look, you can go bolder on patterns.

Stripes and geometrics are popular options and can look amazing in large rooms. However, if your floor space is covered with furniture, the small parts of a large pattern which remain visible will look disjointed and would make a small room look crowded. Monochrome stripes against a pale grey background laid into the room from the doorway would draw the eye in with a smart, classic look. If you like the idea of pattern but don’t have space, choose a plain carpet and top it with a rug either in a vibrant tone or standout pattern.

Do you have, or want to create, a retro theme? Then choose carpet or rugs in bold colours and patterns. You’ll find information online about retailers specialising in retro/vintage carpet. Bear in mind that a highly patterned design may not be to everyone’s taste and, if you intend to move before long, try and think about appealing to the widest market possible.

Carpet is available in a wide range of price brackets but opt for the best spec you can afford while considering practicality: a 100% wool carpet in a plain, pale colour may not be the best option if you have a young family.

Take advice from your interior designer whose experience of various options will ensure you choose the perfect base for your room.

Adding Space and Value to Your Home

With the festive season approaching, you may be working out how to accommodate extra family and friends. While you won’t be able to create an additional bedroom in time for this Christmas, why not think about converting your roof space in time for next year? Extending into the loft doesn’t usually need planning permission and a Nationwide Building Society study estimated that adding an attic room could add up to 21% to the value of your home.

Using Craven & Hargreaves, an interior design company experienced in home renovation Leicestershire, will mean you get a professional project management service as well as all the ideas and advice you need to create a truly special space in your home.

Trying to organise a project like this can be stressful and choosing the wrong contractors and suppliers can become a costly headache. How much better to let someone else take the strain, leaving you with the much more pleasant decisions such as which window style, colours, furniture and accessories to choose.

You’ll need to decide whether to have a dormer created or use Velux windows and this, plus the orientation of your home, will influence how much natural light your room has. Bear this in mind when selecting colours for your interior scheme. Choose the best quality windows you can afford. Those with both surfaces cleanable from inside are a great idea.

Lighting is another key decision. Ceiling mounted halogen spotlights can brighten a room without good natural light but consider using table lamps around the space and task lighting, such as desk lamps, if you use the room for work or hobbies.

Do you want your loft to be just a bedroom and or could you add a bathroom? Check the headroom available across the space before deciding what should go where. A walk-in shower and a toilet might be more practical than a complete bathroom. If your budget permits though, why not go for a luxury wet room?

Many people use loft conversions as home offices, hobby or playrooms. Your ideas for using the space will influence your interior scheme. For example, in a playroom, use blackboard paint on the lower sections of the walls to create a great base for a constantly changing display of children’s art. Or have storage units built under the eaves for files, to reduce desk clutter in an office.

If you’re keen on crafting, leave space for a large table with good overhead lighting. Coupled with some drawer units, this could double as a desk for home working. Drawers on wheels give great flexibility, especially if you need to convert the room into a bedroom when guests arrive: you can use the drawer units for bedside tables.

To make the room seem larger, have a bed settee instead of a bed. Go for the best you can afford and it will be provide seating and for a good night’s sleep.

Look at interiors blogs and magazines for ideas, employ a professional interior design company and by next Christmas people will be competing to come and stay with you!

Upcycling Ideas for Any Room in Your Home

We want our homes to reflect who we are and we’re increasingly turning away from buying massed produced items and going in search of more individual pieces. This, coupled with a surge in the popularity of all things vintage, means that upcycling continues to grow as an interiors trend, as it not only gives you a totally unique look but is also great for the environment and your home decorating budget.

If you like the idea, you’ll find plenty of inspiration on blogs and in magazines, then start looking in antique markets, auctions, salvage yards and car boot sales to find suitable furniture, home accessories and fabrics in reasonable condition and just let your imagination take over. Avoid anything with signs of woodworm, but almost anything in reasonable condition can be transformed. Why not treat yourself to a course on upholstery, staining or paint techniques at a local college if you need pieces for several rooms? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

An old stepladder rubbed down and stained or painted makes a great bookshelf or towel rail for a guest room.
Cover a school desk, coffee or side table in vintage tiles or decoupage made from old magazines or comics (ideal for a child’s room) sealed with several coats of varnish. Use the same technique for kitchen trays, using pages from old recipe books. Or use blackboard paint to make an ideal play table for a nursery.
Old wardrobes, with or without doors, make great storage. Add recycled timber shelves and drawers to make bespoke storage units for your kitchen, bathroom, utility room or hall. An old dresser works well too. If drawers are missing, fill the gaps with storage baskets.
Line old drawers with paper to match or contrast with your walls, wall mount them and use as individual shelves. Alternatively, paint them, inside and out, to match your walls and use them to frame pictures, photos or mirrors. Or, by adding castors to them, you can create mobile storage units or magazine racks.
Hang spoons or forks from a metal ring (an old bicycle wheel could work) as an eye catching ‘chandelier’ to hang above a dining table.
If you’ve got reasonable DIY skills, you can take on more adventurous projects such as removing the top of a cabinet and installing a basin to make a vanity unit or combining a bed head and timber chest to make seating for your hallway.

If you’d like to embrace the upcycling trend but would rather use readymade pieces, an interior designer will have lots of ideas for home accessories Leicestershire which have been upcycled, which will add unique touches to your home and be much admired for their ingenuity.

Real Wood Floors: Great for your Home and the Environment

If you’re replacing flooring, it’s important to think about not only the colour and finish but also how much time you’ll have for future maintenance. If you want a break from vacuuming, why not choose a real wood floor, which will not only be easy to keep clean but will give you a luxury look and add value to your home.

There’s such a wide choice of wooden flooring now that you’ll have no trouble finding something to suit your home and, increasingly important, some environmentally friendly options too. For example, rather than solid wood, look for a source of recycled or reclaimed timber, or choose engineered wood instead, which gives a similar appearance but is made from several thin layers of wood over a composite, so reducing the amount of timber used by up to 50%. Or if you’d prefer an all natural product, look at bamboo, which is both sustainable and exceptionally hard wearing.

To make sure that you’re happy with the appearance of real wood in your room or rooms, look at samples at home so you can see how the timber appears in different lighting conditions and at different times of day.

Installing a real wood floor will take longer than laying a carpet as it will need to be screwed to a subfloor which has been expertly prepared. If you’re working on a home refurbishment Leicestershire or renovation project this will be easy and, if your budget allows, you could install underfloor heating at the same time.

Whether your home has a contemporary or period style, real wood flooring will look good. The linear effect, if continued from one room to another, will lead to a good visual flow between rooms and make a space appear larger. Be aware, though, that it’s not a good choice for a bathroom or ensuite due to the moisture levels there.

If you like the look of solid wood but would like a softer feel, some well chosen and placed rugs will help and add a splash of colour to your room. (If your home has a strong retro feel, why not make some rag rugs using recycled fabric strips?)

You can choose between pre-finished and unfinished flooring. If it’s prefinished you’ll be able to walk on it immediately, while an unfinished floor will first need to be sanded, then stained – if you’ve decided on that option – and sealed, so you’ll have to be patient for two days. But you’ll be rewarded. While dirt gets hidden in carpet fibres, any stains or spills can be removed quickly and easily from a solid wood floor without having to get your vacuum out. Having the floor re-sanded from time to time will keep it looking good for years to come. Choosing real wood for your floor may take a little more time than carpet but you’ll Certainly reap the benefits of your good looking investment.

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