Send in your questions to Steve. . .

Q I've tiled my bathroom floor with stylish black porcelain tiles. However, they now appear dull and stained wherever water has been splashed and no amount of rubbing with a dry or damp cloth makes any difference.

Any advice on how to return the floor to its shiny, polished state would be much appreciated.

A There is a range of cleaning and protection products called HG. They have a vast array of products and are usually found with the branding of HG then the name of the product. I would recommend that you go to you're a reputable tile store / DIY store and seek their advice. They will show you the range that the HG brand have and will help you to decide the best one to suit your "oor. I would recommend that you follow the manufacturer's instructions directly and then try a very small area "rst to see if there is any adverse reaction to this product on your tiles. It would be advisable after cleaning the "oor to use a porcelain protection product. HG will also have such a product in its range. The HG brand is a very reputable brand and I'm sure you will be pleased with the results.

Q I have recently moved into my dream 1890s' house but I've been told there is a rising damp problem. Can I DIY this out or should I call in the professionals?

A I would recommend that you call in the professionals to tackle a job like this. Dampness is a problem that you need to sort out once and once only. A professional company will be in and out in a much quicker time than if you went about it. Having said that, it is possible to hire the drilling and injection tools to carry out the work yourself.

However, a damp proofing company will supply you with a guarantee for the work. I suggest that you contact Fintan Farrell of Protim Services on 01 830 5966 - he will look after your enquiry.

Q I do most of my own house repairs and improvements and I'm planning a conservatory. I hate radiators in a conservatory and I want to put in underfloor heating. Is this something I could tackle myself? I'm handy at plumbing, etc.

A There are a couple of ways to add heating to your conservatory. One method is by electric underfloor heating. This is a method whereby you lay a coil of special heating cable at predetermined distances apart onto the concrete floor slab. There is also a heating mat which is only 3mm thick. This can be used where floor levels need to be kept to a restricted height. The other method is by adding pipes to your existing heating system and the use of a valve which lets warm water into the system and when the pipes reach a pre determined setting it will close and when the water cools it will open again to let hot water back into the pipes to keep the floor temperature at a constant temperature level. This system called uponor is sold as a complete kit and comes in three sizes . . . up to 14 sq m; 14sq m -28 sq mand 29sq m-38sq m. You can purchase the packs from Heatmerchants branches nationwide, priced from 385.08 to 1,499. UPONOR also has practical training courses in underfloor heating and is having an open day on 4 September at Unit 13, Seatown Business Campus, Seatown, Swords, Co Dublin. Contact Will Preston on 01 895 7430.

Q The upstairs rear windows seem to be leaking water at the bottom of the frame. We sealed them with mastic of some sort but it's not effective enough. We're considering putting on adhesive flashing, although I think this will cause rotting on the window frame. What advice would you recommend?

A Without seeing the problem it is very awkward for me to give you an answer. It is very hard to stop the ingress of water from a window at the bottom of the frame as you would ideally like to have a drip tray / flashing of sorts tucked under the window itself. I would suggest that you contact a reputable window company to look at the problem and supply you with an estimate to carry out the repair or replacement of the window.

WRITE TO US If you have a building- or renovation-related query that you'd like Steve to help you with, email doorstepdoctor@tribune. ie Steve Guerin is managing director of www. tradesmenireland. com the onestop website that will help you find a tradesman, a site for sale, a property to rent or buy and all the plant hire and machinery you need to complete your housebuild or renovation