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Q & A
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Q We have an open area in our New Delhi house, which we covered with grill and an asbestos sheet (it was not banned then and we were told fibreglass traps heat). We use it as a dining space. Since this area was supposed to be open to air, the walls were clad with dhulai dana (I am not sure it is the correct term — it has protruding marble chips covered with paint). The house is more than 20 years old. Though the exterior walls remain clean except for fungus, which is a menace on cement paint, the internal walls accumulate dust and cobwebs, which are difficult to dislodge. We are thinking of getting the walls tiled but do not want the space to look like a bathroom or a kitchen. Are there options other than tiles that will both be long lasting and maintenance-free?
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Q I’ve got three queries:
A. I have purchased a house in Mumbai and plan to do up the interiors myself. I want to create a sliding 8 ft x 8 ft glass partition, with four interlocked panels to divide two rooms. I plan to hide this partition behind a 48-inch column at one end of the room by creating a pocket that the partition can slide into. How can I achieve this without tracks on the floor?
B. Could you advise me on the pros and cons of using PE-AL-PE (polyethylene-aluminum-polyethylene) and UPVC pipes for plumbing as opposed to copper, Kisan Rifeng pipes; or Kisan/Prince/Astral instead of galvanized pipes. They have colour-coded the pipes for hot and cold water. In one of the past issues of Better Interiors you mentioned that you prefer using copper pipes for hot water.
C. Apart from sand and cement for fixing tiles and stones on the floor/walls, can stain-free epoxy grouts be used? Are they good? Are they expensive for large areas? Do they offer any particular advantage over the method followed as a standard by masons?
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