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.

Being in the market for a new home, I have to say this style really interests me. I like the privacy of it and I immediately want to know more of the layout of the house - homes like this often have very interesting and functional layouts - and frequently finish with a fabulous outdoor area at the rear. By all means create attractive landscaping but otherwise keep those clean simple lines that are less likely to date and focus on the inside and make a great outdoor entertaining area at the rear. Show the house as a way of life and not just a roof over your head. If you ever decide to sell, wowing people from the actual living area will soon make them forget any perceived "shortfalls" at the front.

Hi Vivien I would go for engineered timber over laminate every day of the week. The reality of laminates is that the backing is not dimensionally stable. The manufacturers have tried everything from MDF to particle board in order to keep them flat but it just doesn't work... this is why they focus on the wear layer so much.. You only have to read the care instructions where they state that you need to ensure you keep moisture away from it otherwise it will warp. Engineered floors are just that... they have layers that are set at 90 degrees to each other to allow the natural expansion and contraction of timber to be controlled by the grain layout. The finishes are quite hard also as they are factory done. As an aside, there was a product available some time ago that was a timber floor with a ceramic wear layer so hard that I used to demonstrate its durability by scratching a 10c piece across it and wearing the coin down. Not sure if anyone does it still but was called invincible... Cheers

It would be such a shame to rip up your beautiful floors, to try and do polished concrete now would be such a hard and costly job, along with the mess and the uncertainty of getting a good job that you may not like on completion as suggested, why not embrace your floors, decorate with the industrial look that you love , maybe a brick or concrete look wall could look really stylish and cost a lot less in $’s and stress