They call it the fifth wall; a space to show off your painting talents, or maybe to engage in a little cheeky trompe l’oeil.

You call it your floor. Or maybe your stairs. Either way it’s fast becoming the new place to let lose your creative inspiration.

Over at Farrow & Ball in Ferndown they’ve upped their game in the floor department, offering their muted rainbow of 132 paint colours in a floor-paint option.

F&B expert Sarah Cole urges homeowners to: “Paint a stair runner, rug or stripes to create bespoke, eye-catching designs or revive a space by simply painting the floor a single colour.”

And with everything from the wild orange of Charlotte’s Locks and the perennially popular Downpipe, your only difficulty will be choosing the colours that are right for you.

But, if painting’s not your thing, there is plenty more you can do your fifth wall. If you want to replace or change your home’s flooring, there are lots of options available.

Expert Julia Gray advises which one is right for you.

Period wooden floors are practical and they look fantastic, but they don’t come trouble-free. Firstly, they can be draughty, because filling any small gaps or insulating underneath doesn’t always work well.

Another problem with original floorboards is that they’ve often been patched up over the years. It can be hard to match old and new when you sand and stain them. Paint and dark stains work better than clear stains, or you can replace newer boards with reclaimed period ones.

If you don’t have period floorboards there are other options.

Laminate flooring has really had its time. Instead, try solid wood flooring, or engineered wood, which is made up of layers, with a top layer of real wood. The thickness of the wooden layer varies (usually between about 0.6mm and 6mm), so make sure you know how thick it is and how many times, if any, it can be sanded. Because engineered wood consists of layers, it has more strength and durability than solid wood flooring and, unlike solid wood, it shouldn’t shrink and expand.

Wooden flooring is fashionable now, but it wasn’t long ago that carpet was desirable in pretty much every room. It’s cosy, comfy underfoot, more heat retentive and more sound absorbing than many other floor coverings.

The carpet’s pile affects its appearance, feel and performance, as does what it’s made of. A wool carpet is a quality carpet, but wool can be blended with nylon or polypropylene, usually to improve the carpet’s performance and make it more affordable. Wool carpets have lots of advantages, but nylon or polypropylene ones are often cheaper and more hard wearing.

Another economical choice is vinyl flooring which comes in a huge range of styles and colours, including designs that look like tiles, wood or stone but usually cost less than the real thing.

Vinyl’s not the most fashionable of floor coverings, but it is water resistant and durable. It’s more comfortable and ‘warmer’ underfoot than a hard floor and is also quieter and safer, so it’s a good choice if you have kids. However, vinyl, especially sheet vinyl, can get scuffed, scratched and torn, be damaged by extreme temperatures and faded by sunlight.

A more popular choice for kitchens and bathrooms is tiles. They may be cold underfoot, but they are smart, practical and very long lasting, providing they don’t get chipped or broken. There are tiles to suit every style and budget – ceramic ones are usually more affordable and easy to lay, but stone exudes quality and rarely dates.