Hi, carpet has a consumer rating system that guides on the durability of each piece of carpet. It is designed to show you how a carpet wears. There are four ratings, light duty, medium duty, heavy duty and extra heavy duty, plus stairs. Each of these indicate the suitability of a carpet for a specific area. Stairs and passages are the hardest on carpet as the wear is concentrated. visually, how the higher rating is achieved is easily seen as there is more yarn per square yard to enable sharing of the wear. It is often expressed as a weight measurement per oz. eg 38oz. This is not usually provided by the manufacturers as they often vary it except in high weight or commercial carpets. what none of the above tells you however is how the carpet performs for flattening or staining. nylon has a good durability and flattening resistance, but average stain resistance so needs a treatment. This is because the structure of the fibre allows further colour ingress (stains) unless it is protected. polyester has a very good stain resistance particularly when it is solution dyed however it is extremely prone to flattening, particularly in doorways and track areas. If you are going to select a solution dyed polyester, my tip would be to get the tightest and thickest version you can, and make up some of the offcuts into mats for the doorways by getting them edged at a rug overlocker. my choice would be the solution dyed nylon in at least a heavy duty grade with the best underlay you can get (helps the durability and feels softer) cheers

If the window is in a shower recess you need to take special precautions for waterproofing to protect the timber reveal. If the window is not at risk of water damage then a standard timber reveal and architrave should work. I would suggest an aluminium awning window with a powdercoated finish would be good as it doesn't have a track if it is not in a shower recess. If it is in a shower recess consider a louvred window, without an architrave. When your shower recess has its waterproof membrane applied continue the waterproof membrane over the reveal up to the aluminium frame then tile over. Don't put a timber (or MDF) architrave around a window that is exposed to water as it will just rot out, along with the timber reveal. Best of luck Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

Hi, Luxaflex do these Silhouette Blinds, they come in different colours so you can find one that will match your decor, provide privacy during the day when the blades are open and are available in Blockout and Light Filtering. Colour would depend on the furniture and other decor pieces but if in doubt try going for something light and neutral. These blinds are beautiful and much nicer then the double roller blinds. Best of luck finding something that you love and works for you. MKG

You will need a bath with three or four tile flanges to match the one in the first photo. It has to do with complying with the building regulations for waterproofing and protecting the timber framing that is under the tiles. If the edge of the bath where it meets the tiles is not properly protected from water seeping through then concealed wet rot could start, and eventually everything will need to be ripped out, and built again. Sometimes even the timber floor joists under the bath rot out and need to be replaced. So I would do your research and co-ordinate carefully with your builder to ensure that the details are correctly built. Some builders will not go to the trouble of getting it right as they don't care if your bath falls through a rotten floor in ten years time. Quite often your choices in the bathroom should also take into account the long term functionality of the bathroom, rather than just the aesthetics. Best of luck with your research, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls/Dr Retro Virtual Visits.