Middlemarch

Flooring is priced per job rather than per metre off a shelf. The final figure depends on the room size and shape, the underlay you choose, whether we're lifting an old floor, door trims, and the fitting itself. Stairs especially — the number of steps, whether there are winders, and how the landing runs all change it. The free home measure is how you get a real figure.

That's exactly what the range is designed for, and it's what we'd suggest. The plains and stripes are toned to work together, so the house reads as one scheme. A stripe on the stairs also disguises wear better than a plain, and stairs are always the first thing to go.

On stairs the stripes run down the flight, which is standard. In a room it's a choice: across makes a narrow space read wider, along makes it read longer. It also affects where joins fall, so it's worth deciding at the measure rather than on fitting day.

In a room you use every day, usually yes. Wool recovers its shape instead of crushing flat, so it still looks like a carpet after a few years rather than a worn track. It also holds colour and resists soiling well. In a spare room that barely gets walked on, a good synthetic is the more sensible spend, and we'll tell you that.

We do. We arrange fitting across Clydebank, Glasgow and the surrounding areas, including uplift and disposal of your old flooring if needed. Stairs are the fiddliest fitting job in any house, so it's worth having it done properly.