Ask Alice: About sliding doors, non-toxic paint and vinyl floors

Do you have an interiors dilemma? Consult our resident specialist

Q. I have seen a glass sliding door in a neighbour's Sixties house and wonder whether it would be suitable for our open-plan kitchen dining space - which leads straight off our hallway in our Sixties home.

The neighbours don't know when their sliding door was installed. Can you tell me who installs sliding doors and who makes them, please?
Gilly Greenwood, London SE26

A. The place to go for sliding doors is Eclisse-Em-B Solutions Ltd ( www.em-b.co.uk, 0113 245 9559). It manufactures and installs beautifully designed sliding doors in a range of materials including wood, metal and glass, and in a variety of forms - single, double, telescopic and even curved doors, easily installed into any 100mm stud wall.

A sliding glass door sounds like a great addition to your 60s house, adding space and light and a groovy modern feel.

Q. My daughter suffers from asthma and allergies, and as I'm going to be painting her bedroom I wondered whether there was a suitable non-toxic paint that you could recommend.
Mary Stockdale, Pickering

A. I'm pleased to be able to suggest the lovely range of Claypaints by earthborn, the company that has just been awarded the prestigious "Ecolabel" by the Department of the Environment - an accolade which hasn't been awarded to any other paint brand in the UK.

Earthborn's range has zero-solvent content but a very high clay content, which means that surfaces can breathe and absorb variations in humidity, as well as providing excellent coverage. It retails at around £19 for 2.5 litres of emulsion; check out the earthborn website, www.earthbornpaints.co.uk, for a list of stockists in your area.

Q. My kitchen is north-facing and quite dark. The previous owner installed expensive oak kitchen units. The flooring is vinyl tiles marked in brown and grey marbled fashion. Can you give me some ideas of how to brighten the room up with some stunning new flooring?

I have looked at the Amtico catalogue but haven't seen anything I really like and it appears to be a bit expensive.
Peter Unsworth, by e-mail

A. Amtico is a very high-quality vinyl floor and is available in a vast range of designs. However, if there is nothing in the catalogue that particularly takes your fancy, then take a look at the range of linoleum floors on offer at Sinclair Till ( www.sinclairtill.co.uk, 020 7720 0031).

It has more than 100 colours to choose from and endless design possibilities, starting at £29 per square metre, and offers a very good advisory service to help you choose the right product.

You could also consider the Sinclair Till range of sheet rubber flooring, starting at £45 per square metre, although you should beware of scuffing in a busy room such as a kitchen.

E-mail: askalice@independent.co.uk