Those are wise words Karen! am so glad it worked out for you. Love to see a photo, what colour or shade did you choose? Jools, The bitumen is a right pig, best way we found is to make it cold, so it becomes brittle, then you can scrape /chip it off. We used a window scraper, coarse wire wool and various sandpaper. We left the window open on a cold night, turned heating off in there, and you could try a cooler fan on it. Putting ice bags on it didn't work as well as we hoped. we used a round sander, but it can cause swirls, it's really awkward ! To be honest a few dips and scratches on an old floor are okay in the end, don't be too afraid of it, they are only pieces of wood stuck down on the floor, not bone china, as long as you try not to break them, or set fire to them, otherwise you can't possibly do more damage than I did, and they recovered!

To add to my earlier comment, I think my individualism epitomises the very essence of being a true Brit. I'm not a slave to trends, just go with my heart and hope my design ideas will come together in some sort of coherent way. There's pride in that in spades, and we're a proud nation, aren't we?!

The kitchen is an extension, the "new dining area" would have been the old kitchen so no structural wall will be knocked down. Below is the outside. The current window will be moved and will fit in opening of French doors and bricked up. And bifolds will go where small window is need to know how big to take it. And do we try and match up the frames and go white PVC or aluminium?? Below wall will be knocked down to create one big space through. It's a stud wall so will be leveled off. No beams This will be new dining area with bifolds

Hi Heather, Thank you for sharing your project, particularly love your choice of flooring, it will look beautiful. A few further design pointers for you: Starting Point: Select your doors and hardware first, then search for skirting which might have a feature you can pull out to compliment the doors and hardware, see image below from UK Howdens – see the stepping effect on the skirting board replicated within the door trim? (these are the types of small but effective details interior designers look out for) Painting Oak: As suggested by the Houzz community – we also would avoid overpainting Oak, it is an expensive material and is designed to showcase its own natural beauty without the need for a painted coating. Flooring Selection: The beautiful flooring you have already selected will be the main focal point throughout – especially the herringbone pattern and natural graining in the wood, framing your door with a similar wood might cause a boxed in effect within the spaces. If you are looking to achieve a framing effect this could easily be done within the flooring – see border image within flooring below: Door Handles: Door handles are a very clever way to extend your interior design style theme – down to the finest details you have accurately already captured the mid-century modern feel with your chosen selection of matt black, think about the shape you are opting for in addition. Skirting Sizes: - In terms of sizes: it would be at your personal discression, it also worth noting that the current size is encased in a colour that does not showcase the grooved design. The average height for skirting boards throughout the UK is 145mm (approximately 6 inches). When it comes to choosing the height for your skirting, it comes down to personal preference. We have found that our most popular sizes range from 120mm (approximately 5 inches) up to 220mm (approximately 9 inches). Start by measuring your current skirting and mark out the difference between what is currently there and the size of designs you like. The image below features the higher version with similar flooring you have selected. Opting for plain white skirting to showcase your flooring, doors and any additional accessories you plan on implementing would be our best guidance, simplicity is key when it comes to skirting boards. Please keep us posted with your project outcomes. Warm and best wishes Team SPEAK