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.

Spotted Gum is a great hard wearing timber with a Janka rating of 11. This means it is high density timber and won't dent as easily as softer timbers like American Oak. A polyurethane finish is the hardest and most durable timber floor coating and it comes in gloss satin and mat. The lower sheen's are more forgiving if you you have pets and young children. Bamboo is another hard product but only comes in short lengths so you would need to take that look into consideration when selecting. Some clients don't like the look of the short boards and consider it a cheap look. Others prefer the longer floor boards of timber. If you do choose bamboo make sure that you find out the coating used and whether it can be sanded and re coated down the track, as all timber and bamboo floors will need a touch up especially if you have pets. Some bamboo floors can not be sanded due the coating used. Hope this helps. Our website may offer some inspiration. Good Luck http://budgetfloorsanding.com.au/

Hi again. Finally took the plunge and had the kitchen resprayed. So much lighter and a great job by the professionals. Hard to remember the mustard kitchen now, except the photos remind me.