How long does it take to renovate a living room?

The living room is the heart of any home and no one enjoys being without one for too long.

Because they're usually one of the larger rooms in a house or apartment, living rooms can take slightly longer to redecorate.

But it is still possible to revamp one over a couple of weekends.

As with any room, it’s all about good wall and ceiling prep before finessing the look.

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If your lounge hasn't been redecorated for many years, you may find yourself needing to steam off several layers of wallpaper and paint first, which is hard graft and can take up to a week.

Here's what's involved:

If you're planning major changes to your living room, sit down and think about how you use it, draw out the position of furniture and consider any problems you might want to solve with your current lounge.

Things you might want to think about:

• New fireplace

• New radiators

• New plug points and lighting

• New flooring

• New cabinetry or bookshelves

Remember you'll need to order new sofas well in advance, as they can take 8-12 weeks to arrive.

Any carpentry work will need to be planned well in advance too, as cabinets and shelves are often built offsite over several weeks before installation can take place.

The same goes for new shutters, blinds or curtains. Speak to specialists several weeks before the job begins and set up delivery dates for when you'll be ready.

Here's how a major living room renovation timescale might look:

The key to making sure your lounge renovation goes as quickly and smoothly as possible is bringing in the right specialists at the right times.