David Walshe, Galway

The cause of your problems is that you have insufficient height from the tank to the shower. You really need to install a shower pump and make sure that the shower is fed by independent hot and cold supplies to avoid the risk of scalding if someone was to, for example, flush the toilet which would reduce the cold water pressure coming into the shower. To reduce the amount of water used you could fit a high pressure head to the shower which would significantly reduce the amount of water consumed.

As far as I know fascia and soffitt boards were not designed to have cement put onto them. This is another example of sloppy workmanship. I know it is dif"cult to protect the house when using the likes of cement but if cement does get onto such surfaces then it is very easy to clean them with water. However as your cement has hardened now you haven't much option but to use an acid brick cleaner which will dissolve the cement and you will then be able to wash it off. Be careful and use rubber gloves and a mask as the cement cleaner will burn your skin.

The main difference between a ceramic tile and a porcelain tile is actually in the density of the tile and the fact that most but not all porcelain tiles actually carry the colour through the whole tile and not just the top glazed section. A good quality ceramic tile, well laid is as good as a porcelain tile.

Tiles are given a PEI (Porcelain Enamel Institute) rating from zero to five.

Zero being a wall tile . . . should not be used on floors . . . and five being a stronger tile that is expected to withstand heavy traffic . . . such as hallways. Some tiles do vary in thickness but as long as you purchase a floor tile sufficient for your particular use then the only thing with regard to thickness is where the tile is going to meet another flooring material . . . as in a tile meeting a timber floor or tile meeting carpet etc. Adhesive and grouting are fairly standard as long as you are laying the tiles onto a concrete floor. If you are laying onto a timber floor (plywood sheeting) then a flexible adhesive and grout should be used. Grout can be purchased in a variety of colours but lightly-coloured grouts will stain so you could consider a sealer for the grouting. Depending on the state of the floor regarding levels, levelling compound can be used but if your floor is very uneven you can also use the tile adhesive mixed to a slightly thicker consistency than the levelling compound. This is because the adhesive is a denser material than the levelling compound and will stand up to bigger differences in levels. Levelling compound is used for slight inconsistencies in levels. One thing to look out for is just because the packet says "self levelling" it doesn't mean that your tiler / floor leveller can stand at the door and throw the bucket of liquid into the room and walk away! Believe me, when I am out on site carrying out snaglist inspections, I have seen some "oors that have been left like this. As with all things in this life, some work must go into levelling the "oors.

I have cement on soffitt and fascia. Could you recommend a product to wash it off?

Mary McEneaney

I am planning a new kitchen which will start with tiling the 25sq ft floor. Could you give me as much information about buying tiles as you can? I'm told that porcelain tiles are the best, is this right? Also what size should I buy? I like the 40x40cm tiles. I got porcelain sample tiles from two different shops and the thickness of the tiles vary slightly, is this something to watch out for? Also does the adhesive and grouting vary? The floor is not entirely level so will probably need a levelling compound.

A Clifford

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