Laura, white doesn't get any dirtier than any other colour, it is just you see it, just like dark colours show dust and fluff. If you get a good steam mop, it is easy to keep them clean. I always enjoy going into a home with white floors and surfaces because you can instantly see how clean it is. It is also the same reason carpets get a build up of muck in them, because people don't always see the dirt and dust so don't bother vacuuming. My carpets are very well vacuumed regularly and my old carpet of 45 years had nothing underneath it at all when it was replaced.

Hi there. Same as above,. We laid our own flooring from Masters. You need 1cm around all edges against the walls. One important thing to do when you purchase the boards and bring them home is to leave them in the room you are going to lay them in and stack them like jenga bricks so they dont bow as they are exposed to the humidity and temperature of that room. Also if you have a large window they need to be laid adjacent from the window. It does need a thin underlay as per above its maybe 1-2mm thick plastic or foam with shiny back. consider what is uunderneath the floor.is there a bathroom below and moisture coming up through floorboards? Was it a concrete floor that still had glue patch or uneven surface as floors are meant to be leveled before laying. Did you remove the skirting boards before laying? Perhaps when they were put back they were too close to the boards and the pressure stops ability to expand, presuming expansion room was left. Good luck.

Hi shortstuff27, Love your colour choices already! With your budget constraints, I agree, go for the charcoal remnant, why not try to spruce it up a bit -,see if they can do the trim in the 'cherry blossom pink' to compliment the scheme! Splash some brilliant white paint on the top of your existing coffee table to contrast against the charcoal and add some matching (pink / patterned and textured) scatter cushions or a throw. It will be stunning! Good luck whatever you decide!

Vinyl......easy to keep clean. Laminate floors can only be mopped with a mop wrung out til nearly dry in cold/lukewarm water or dry mop. My floor never felt clean the whole time I had laminate floors.......I like a hot mop with cleaner in it.