Ask the Experts
Our panel of those in the know answer your home improvement dilemmas
Your decorating dilemmas sorted
Q I’d like to have underfloor heating in my bathroom – what’s the easiest way to do this and what flooring can I use on top?
Sally Maitland, via email
A George Holland, Bathroom Design Expert at Victorian Plumbing, says… If ease of installation is your priority I’d definitely advise opting for an electric underfloor heating system as opposed to a wet underfloor heating system. This is because electric ones don’t need to be plumbed into your home’s water system, so they take a lot less time to set up while providing you with heating that’s just as effective. Electric systems also tend to be cheaper on the whole and can be used throughout the year – even in warmer months when your central heating is off.
In terms of what flooring to use on top, your best bet is to opt for ceramic or stone tiling. These materials are by far the most conductive bathroom floor materials and will ensure that your heating runs as efficiently as possible. However, if you do have your heart set on a certain type of flooring, don’t panic. Thanks to their many safety features, underfloor heating systems are suitable for almost all types of flooring. This includes natural wood, vinyl, laminate and a host of other materials.
Q I’d like to wallpaper one of my bathroom walls, what’s the best type of paper to use?
Kyra Hall, Hove
A Elaine Butler, Designer at I Love Wallpaper recommends…
Choose a wallpaper with a vinyl coating or scrubbable finish for extra durability. Always opt for standard or specialist bathroom papers and avoid peel and stick wallpapers as they’re not suitable for high humidity environments.
Before selecting wallpaper for your bathroom, ensure the area is well ventilated as it works best in rooms with a window or good extractor fan. When it comes to application, I always recommend using extra-strong wallpaper adhesive to avoid peeling, and not to paper areas that experience a lot of splashback – such as around the shower and bath. You might like to mix wallpaper with tiles or wood panelling to zone your walls while offering some practical protection, or indulge your maximalist tendencies with punchy colours and bold patterns.
Q The metal shelving in my shed has gone rusty, what’s the best way to treat the rust and protect it?
Katie, West Lothian
A Joanne Wallace from Zinsser’s Technical Team has this advice… Any metal made of iron or alloys containing iron, such as steel, will rust with exposure to oxygen and moisture. Zinsser paints and primers can restore rusted pieces and spare them from the tip.
Preparation is key. All surfaces must be clean, dry and free of anything that will interfere with the adhesion of the coatings to be applied. Remove as much rust as you can by scraping or brushing it off with a stiff bristle brush. Once you have a fresh, debris-free surface, feather it with a fine-grade abrasive paper then remove all dust. Next clean it down thoroughly with methylated spirit, changing the cloths regularly.
Fill any cracks and small surface defects with a suitable filler and allow this to fully dry. Patch prime all bare and filled areas with a coat of Zinsser Cover Stain, an all-purpose solvent-based, stain-killing, primer-sealer. Then, decorate with two full coats of Zinsser AllCoat Exterior, a mould-resistant paint that offers supreme protection and can be used inside and out. It forms a vapour-permeable, low-maintenance, water-shedding coating that’s re-coatable in one hour.
QI’m saving for a new sofa, but is there anything I can do to revive ours in the meantime?
Viv Fairchild, Kent
A Rob Ellis, Head of Design at DFS says... To give your sofa a quick refresh if it’s looking a little tired, remove the back, seat and any scatter cushions, place them on the floor, and strike them repeatedly with a flat hand, to re-plump. Cushions go through a lot. We sit, snuggle, eat, even sleep on them, so we recommend doing this regularly to keep your sofa looking its best. You might also like to consider lightly brushing down the sofa fabric with a soft brush or lint roller, or lightly hoovering the sofa with the brush setting, to gently clean the sofa fabric and help iron out any stubborn creases.
When purchasing a sofa, it’s worth thinking about how much maintenance you’re prepared to put into the day-to-day upkeep of it, as this may affect the filling you end up choosing.
Softer fibres offer a more relaxed look, but they do need regular plumping in order to keep them in tip-top condition. Foam filling provides a sleek and more formal look, and requires very little maintenance, which may suit some people better.
It’s also worth buying from somewhere that offers a guarantee. At DFS, we offer a 15-year guarantee on frames and springs for all our sofas, together with a two-year guarantee on stitching and the mechanical parts used on recliners.
Q I’m updating my small kitchen – how can I make the most of the space in the corner cupboards?
Zeena McKenna, Bradford
A Chris Webb, B&Q’s Merchandise Manager says… When updating a small kitchen, it’s all about using every inch and angle to make the most of the reduced space. This often comes down to making your existing storage work harder. Our range of Good Home Pebre Pull-out storage solutions is easy to fit inside cabinets and a real bonus for anyone with a compact kitchen.
The Pebre Pull-out Corner slots deep inside the cupboard and can be pulled to the forefront with ease, allowing you to access everything inside and for maximum space to be used.
Choose whether the door swings out to the left or right, depending on which side of the cabinet is in the corner.
The range not only saves you from trying to reach into those dark corners of your cupboards but also lets you use previously inaccessible areas. Another option is the innovative Space Corner, which provides even more storage but doesn’t pull out of the cupboard as fully. It comes in two sizes, to fit an 800mm and a 1,000mm cabinet.