5 Signs it’s Time to Decorate

We all sit in our home sometimes and think, ‘Hmm, maybe this room needs doing up a little.’ And often, we put it off for months, or even years. Even simple transformations, like painting a small area of wall, or removing a wine-stained carpet. It’s too easy to get used to your interiors, and ignore all the bad points about them. But here at Walls and Floors, we think you deserve better than that. You’ve worked hard for your home – so each and every room should be the best that it can be; full of all the latest interior design trends, with the year’s most stylish accessories. Here are 5 signs that’s you’re definitely due some decorating!

1) When your friend comes round for the first time in 5 years, and your decor is exactly the same

We’ve all bumped into an old friend or couple in a supermarket or pub, said that it’s been too long, and then invited them round for a coffee. The embarrassment comes, however, when they step into your home, and are faced with the exact same decor as the last time they visited – five, ten, or fifteen years before. Nothing new at all. Same rug. Same curtains. Same dated vinyl. Same hideous wallpaper. That’s when you really know it’s time to decorate and bring your interiors up to date.

2) When your vinyl flooring is full of scars or blisters

Vinyl flooring may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but give it six months and you’ll have changed your mind. It expands in the heat – so when the sun comes in through the window and warms it up, you end up with these raised bumps in the vinyl, like unsightly blisters riddling the face of your floor. Often, these bumps split and crack, leaving fierce scars in their place.

Heat isn’t the only factor working against you, when it comes to vinyl lino flooring. The gaps between the individual sheets are incredibly hard to seal or make watertight, so water constantly seeps underneath – creating trapped fluid bubbles.

So if your vinyl flooring is peppered with scars or water blisters, it’s time for a change! There are plenty of flooring alternatives out there, if you look hard enough.

3) When your grout-lines are black with mould

A common problem in bathrooms is that years of moisture and residue build up in the grout-lines of your tiles, and eventually turn them black with fungus and mould. This is every bit as unsightly as it sounds; ruining even the nicest of tiling displays. Sometimes, if it gets bad enough, it can even start to smell. Considering that the majority of your guests will probably visit the bathroom at some point to use the toilet, these dirty grout-lines can prove to be fairly embarrassing. The solution? Even rip your tiles down and start again with a stylish new alternative, or remove the grout and apply anti-mould grout in its place, to ensure the same thing doesn’t happen again.

4) When your carpet is riddled with stains

A busy, working home can produce a lot of nasty stains. You’ve got the mischievous toddler with his paint pots or felt tip pens. You’ve got the galloping dog with its filthy, muddy paws. You’ve got the clumsy red-wine-drinking friend, who always manages to catch the glass with her ankle; sending it flying. It’s no wonder your carpets end up looking a state. You probably wish you went a lot darker with your choice, but even then, the stains would still be there. If your dirt-riddled carpets are refraining you from having people over, then it’s time to rip them up and lay a different kind of flooring. In a busy home, it’s a much smarter choice to have a floor covering that you can easily wipe clean – such as floor tiles.

5) When your tiles are cracked

It takes quite a lot to crack a tile, once it’s fixed in place. Certain tiles, such as porcelain, are incredibly hard to crack, in fact. But some of the lighter options, such as ceramic wall tiles, can occassionally crack, if they’re caught in the right place, with just the right amount of force. And once a tile is cracked, it can ruin a tiling display. We always recommend our customers keep a couple of spares in a safe place – just in case. Use a grout rake to remove the grout around the outside of the broken tile, and pick the pieces out. Then, do you best to scrape the set adhesive away from the wall or floor. If you have a spare tile, apply adhesive and fix the tile in place, before re-grouting. If you don’t, search our tile selection for a fitting replacement, and order a sample or Sqm (so that you have some spares). If you can’t find a good match, consider completely renewing your tiling display by introducing a fresh new array of tiles!

So there you have it – 5 signs that it’s time to decorate.

Walls and Floors
Walls and Floors