Seriously you need to check out the Kerlite cladding. No need to sand, the variety is huge even wood look. All you need to do is put on a thicker screed. As I said you do need a tiler that has laid it before. Once it's down, it will never break. Google it, the range is amazing and really beautiful. I did ask the tiler about using it over slate and he said not a problem. Got mine from tile expo.

It can either look really dramatic or too dark, depending on the size of the room as well as your other components. I've attached a couple of images of our work using dark tiles, the smaller bathroom we have surrounded the bath with dark tiles but then balance it with an extra large mirror to bounce the light around the room. The larger bathroom we have taken the floor colour way onto the wall but used a different texture on the walls for drama. Hopefully this gives you more of an idea but you shouldn't to nervous of the room being dark, it's where you can create a contrast as well as textures. Look forward to seeing what you go with in the end.

Hi Everyone. It's been a while and not sure if anyone on here will even see this post but thought I would provide a quick update after almost 2 years. We finally moved in a couple of months ago and will host our first Christmas. We never did find a builder, and I did have some legal issues to sort out, including the previous building breaking in and taking anything but we had someone project manage different stages to the point that it is livable. The house is no where near finished and it has been a difficult journey but we are there. Next year I hope to find a builder to take on Stage 2 so that I can say that after 10 years, it is finally finished. A big thank you to Two's Company who got me started. If it wasn't for your advise and assistance I really don't know what would have happened.

If your concern is that the grout lines between the shower floor and bathroom floor don't perfectly align then it is not a building fault, or a requirement that they do align. Although perfectly aligned tiles would look better. However if the display home does have perfectly aligned tile joints you may have an argument that your tiles joints should also align. In your first photo it looks like you have a gloss tile in the shower recess, and a matt tile outside the shower, in which case if they are different tile they may be a slightly different size, and impossible to align. It is probable that when the display home was built they used their best tiler, who takes pride in his work, and decided to align the tiles, as it looks better. With your home, you may have another tiling team, who may be cheaper, who haven't done this. Building is still a hands-on process where there is always a little bit of variation off perfection due to the way things are built, and the way that materials perform. It is not like a new car being assembled by a robot where there is no room for a millimetre of difference. If you wanted everything to be as perfect as a new car rolling off an assembly line then you would need to be paying a lot more for micro-management of every trade, careful measurement, and the cost of replacing anything that has a little warp, twist or variation off perfection. Building materials (including tiles) aren't like this. Depending on the style of your shower screen the bottom track of the shower screen may conceal the mis-alignment. You should speak to your builder before the tiling progresses up the wall to see if it can be resolved to your satisfaction, and if there will be a cost to you, then make a decision. The later you leave it the harder (and more expensive) it will be to replace, Best of luck Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls