How to stage your home

Continental Europeans have long regarded carpets in bathrooms as unhygienic - and finally, the notion has caught on here. Carpets are warm underfoot and comfortable to walk on, but it's impossible to avoid getting a carpet floor wet, damp and dirty in a bathroom and it's a real no-no nowadays. Time to rip them out.

Thankfully there are lots of flooring options for bathrooms and a quick pre-sale revamp need not cost an arm and a leg. By ripping up the old carpet and changing to cork, wood or tiles you will instantly give your bathroom a more contemporary, fresh and clean look - the most important factor in the bathroom of a second-hand home.

When deciding what to go for, remember that bathroom floors should be durable, water resistant, safe and, of course, appealing. Tiles are the traditional and safest option. Although the installation can be a bit laborious, in terms of giving a fresh and clean new look they are the most effective. Matching wall tiles could then be considered. A fully-tiled bathroom will always look much better than a bathroom that is partially tiled.

Ceramic, terracotta or stone floors are more expensive but look great - but make sure to get tiles with a non-slip finish. Wooden floors can look great in period homes. But while a good wood floor is wear-resistant, warm to walk on and easy to clean and refinish, it is more vulnerable to moisture when used in a bathroom. Bathroom mats can be used in vulnerable areas of the bathroom. Again make sure they are non-slip.

When it comes to colours for your bathroom floor covering, go for warm tones to counteract the cold effect of bathroom fixtures and fittings. However, keep it muted to appeal to the broadest possible audience. You can't go wrong with warm creams and off whites to match a white suite.