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There are many designs that you can put your home through – but one question always comes up within home improvement and home redesigns > Paint vs Wallpaper: Which suits your home best?

Of course there are many rooms in one house, with bathrooms obviously opting for paint over wallpaper for water damage reasons, but exactly what are the advantages and disadvantages of both materials and what can you do with them both?

Wallpaper Advantages

Wallpaper offers a huge variety of patterns to choose from as well as a huge selection of textures and colors which can be picked up at any home improvement shop or megastore. Plus, textured wallpaper can add more oomph to your walls which paints cannot offer (unless you get a professional painter which can be costly). Some new wallpapers even have beading, sequins, lace and ribbons that add more drama and style to a bare wall.

One of the main advantages to wallpaper is that it can easily hide holes in a wall or deep scratches which could have been caused from a variety of reasons. Also, if you are selling your home and have cracks in your plaster walls from general heating and cooling, a wallpaper session  can add new value to your sell.

Wallpaper is also your only option for fire damaged walls, unless the fire damage is light or you have arms of steel to get the soot off.

Wallpaper Disadvantages

The main disadvantage to all wallpapers is that they are horrible to clean and maintain as they (unless special wallpaper) soak up grease and stains quite easily. So if you have kids armed with crayons and chocolate covered hands your once beatiful wallpaper will quite simply become a mess.

Wallpaper can also be expensive, and the actual ‘putting it on’ time consuming if never done before. Wallpapaer generally also has a lower shelf life as they can fade under sun light.

Paint Advantages

Paint is a low maintenance, cheap and easy-to-apply interior treatment – Having painted walls means that you need not be so worried about maintaining and cleaning your walls. Most kinds of dirt and stains can easily be cleaned of a painted wall or when the stain does not come off completely, you can easily paint that area in the wall the same color to cover up the stain. While cover up stains and fixing unsightly marks on wallpaper can be quite difficult and expensive since you might have to remove one entire panel of wallpaper and replace it just because of a small stain.

Paint has a huge shelf life once applied, and if well maintained will last for years (ceiling paint excluded if you smoke as it will discolour due to nicotine stains).

Paint Disadvantages

Paint doesn’t really offer much texture or design and unlike wallpaper which can instantly create illusions, designs and texture where there are none, using paint to achieve the same effect can be a difficult task. If you want walls with flower designs without using wallpaper, you have to paint the flowers yourself which would take a lot of time and effort and usually only look crap anyway. You can also use stencils to paint designs although these designs would not be as detailed and flawless as those in printed wallpapers.

So which suits your home best? You now know the advantages and disadvantages to paint and wallpaper so take your pick . To be honest a mix of the two is always nice, and if you have a bedroom perhaps paint all round apart from the wall your beds headrest is on would be a good option.

All comments welcome.

There has been a rather recent boom in the underfloor electric heating market, and one of the main reasons this is so is because of the general comfort is supplies to occupants and guests. Not just that, but because underfloor heating is such a growing demand within the housing market generally it can increase the price of your home should you come to sell up.

It can therefore be considered one of the most comforting and best home improvement projects to undertake. Another fantastic thing about underfloor heating, and underfloor heating insulation, is that it is energy efficient, saving homeowners on an average an amazing 20 to 40% on their energy bills – which during this economic climate is a fairly large perk.

So with all these perks to a system that is affordable, comfortable, energy efficient and clean, whats stopping you? Underfloor heating can be applied to pretty much all rooms of a house, with bathrooms becoming increasingly popular and living areas coming in at a close second. It has to be said though that it is recommended that you seek a professional contractor or business to install your underfloor heating, because if you want to lay some hardwood flooring then it can tend to split in places.

I can guarantee you that when it comes to Winter you will be completely happy that you carried out this little project, as it is a fantastic feeling and most certainly keeps you on your toes for a good reason.

Your bathroom is the most personal room in your house to guests – it is where they seek privacy after a dinner party or go to wash up afterwards, and to make the greatest impression a bathroom which is accessorized well to suit the needs of your guests always pays off in the end.

You don’t have to go big, the beauty of bathroom accessories is that you can pay minimal prices for the small stuff which will, given the average size of a guest bathroom in the UK, keep clutter down and overheads low.

One of the top tips in terms of accessories you can get, or if you rent a flat / house and your landlord is a little bit weird about drilling is to use stick on shower shelves which stay put through all sorts of wear.

Another great idea to have as to unclutter your bathroom is to have a bathroom cabinet to store away any unnecessary items such as the much recently un-acclaimed rubber duck. Bathroom cabinets come in all shapes and sizes, and can be tailor made as to fit both corner and square wall dimensions – the materials available as also vast, with glass and brushed metal becoming increasingly popular as the traditional home becomes more modern.

So please please please try not to clutter up your bathroom too much especially if it is small, as there is nothing more embarrasing for guests than to break something just from moving around.

When planning landscape design it is easy to think solely in two dimensions. However, you could be limiting the options available to you for your landscaping project. Whilst paving patterns, colour and texture are two dimensional considerations there are a range of three dimensional options to consider. These include garden walling, steps, seats, ponds, planters and more. Many provide a practical use within a landscape while others provide interesting focal points within a design.

In recent years, gardens have become considered more as an outdoor room in which relaxing, eating and playing have become commonplace. As a result, it is no surprise that a landscaped garden and, or driveway can add significant value to your home and to achieve a successful, sought after landscape design the planning process should not be rushed.

The majority of garden landscape designs generally require a patio and possibly a pathway but that doesn’t mean that the rest of the garden should be left as it is. It can be wise to split a landscape into different areas in order to meet the needs of different family members. This can provide practical functions for different areas and allow you and your family to get the most out of your garden.

You may find it desirable to plan the children’s play area at one end of the garden with the area for your relaxation at the other to keep noise and disruption to a minimum. Also, planning a play area away from shrubbery, in a place where trampling is not an issue, could be a worthwhile consideration.

To make the sectioning of your garden landscaping design a reality, use garden walling or balustrades. This can turn any gradient within your garden into regulated levels. With a wide range of walling styles and patterns available either matching or contrasting with your garden paving stone will not be an issue. Also, there are a large variety of shaped copings and pillar caps to provide the perfect finish to your design.

Steps will almost certainly be used in a multi level garden environment. Think about how the laying pattern you have used for the paving area will translate onto the steps and upper level. It is even worth considering drawing attention to the step by including a ‘split’ feature such as a circle or square paving kit across the different levels – this also acts as a safety feature drawing attention to the fact that the ground level changes.

Alternatively, low planter beds can provide a pleasant ‘blurring of the edges’ when it comes to dividing space with the plants and foliage creating a natural screen. They can provide an extremely low maintenance form of gardening by containing the planting in manageable areas. As a solution for the less active, or disabled, raised flower beds can offer distinct benefits.

But any raised bed needs to be effectively contained yet attractive. Clearance Paving provides various walling solutions from richly textured walling blocks and copings to imitation log sleepers that will allow consumers to quickly build beautiful walls and simple raised planters with ease. Many drystone walling effect products have false joints that make construction quick and easy yet provide an authentic, attractive rustic stone effect.

Entertaining in the garden of evening means lighting will often be required.  It can be used to separate areas of the garden or guide people to them. When integrated into hard landscaping it provides an effective way of achieving this without creating obstacles. Glo-lights cast a soft and atmospheric glow that is effective yet easy on the eye.  Easy to install, they are safe and practical flush fitting lights that give a subdued radiance to driveways, paths, patios and steps.

The use of aggregates and cobbles can also provide means of adding colour and form to the garden. Whether used to co-ordinate or contrast a scene with rockeries or paths, or for simple decoration they provide practical, long lasting and low maintenance products in a variety of colours, sizes and textures.

As the public becomes more architecturally and design focussed in the pursuit of aesthetically pleasing and functional gardens with low maintenance thinking in 3D will become much more common place.

Spring is one of the most beautiful and welcoming seasons in the wildlife gardener’s calendar. After a winter where most living creatures lie dormant it’s wonderful to see spring flowers start to bloom and to hear the return of birdsong.

March

Nest building begins to get underway and you’ll get to see birds flying back and forth with twigs and other materials with which to construct their nests. You can help them out by leaving out small twigs and other dry materials. Frogs and hedgehogs will start to come out from hibernation too and one of the most visible signs that spring has arrived will be the emergence of bulbs such as daffodils and crocuses. It’s a good month for planting as the soil begins to warm up and, if you’ve made a new pond, it’s a good time to introduce frogspawn to it.

April

By now, the nesting season is in full swing and you’ll see a lot more bird activity as they fly back and to searching for berries, grubs and insects to take back to their fledglings. This is where your thick shrubs come in handy as they are often used by birds as shelter for their young from predators. If you’re attracting seed eating birds into your garden, now’s the time to keep your bird feeders well stocked up. Insects will also be more active as they’ll be on the lookout for early sources of nectar from spring-flowering plants.

By now, you should be planting evergreen hedges such as holly or yew, if you’re looking to attract wildlife in the future which prefers this kind of habitat. You should also be completing your planting of shrubs and trees and feeding and mulching beds and borders. Aquatic plants for the pond should also be introduced at this time.

May

Hawthorn hedges with their white blossom, along with the return birds such as martins, swallows and swifts are a sure sign that spring has well and truly sprung. Insects become a primary source of food for the birds at this point as the berries and nuts start to run out. With both resident and visiting birds all converging on us in this period, you’ll notice far greater number of birds in your garden and it’s a good time for spotting new birds which might not be resident on our shores. If you live pretty close to woodland, you may even spot a flycatcher which arrive in late spring and leave at the end of the summer and who hide in trees then swoop up to catch insects in flight. Bullfinches, too, are more often spotted this time of year feasting on fruit buds.

Other Wildlife

Although you can see grey squirrels year round, late spring is where you may notice more activity amongst baby squirrels as they tend to breed between January and April. They may become even more frequent visitors to your nut feeder but will also eat acorns, fungi, tree shoots, roots and bulbs.

Other things to look out for in spring include badgers, foxes, frogs, newts hedgehogs, moles, mice, rabbits and worms.