As a new homeowner, about 10 years ago, I was persuaded to install polished porcelain tiles in my bathroom. They were fairly new to the Irish market and were marketed as hardwearing and indestructible. This indeed they were and still are. However, I soon discovered that drilling a hole in them is nearly impossible. I was keen to install a holder for toilet roll and a towel ring. Still, after melting and breaking several drill bits, spending a fortune on diamond tile bits and various other gadgets that promised the world but delivered now, I gave up. The toilet roll sat forlornly stacked on the cistern for many years until Ken in our Westlink Branch told me about a new product we were carrying called Megabond.

He said he had used it to bond a letterbox to his outside wall at home, metal onto the brick. I asked if it would bond a metal toilet roll holder to polished porcelain tile, and he said it was worth a shot. It is an epoxy adhesive that comes in a twin syringe dispenser; it’s black when mixed and must be applied quickly before it hardens.

So I equipped myself with a piece of cardboard on which to mix it, a small lollipop stick to mix and apply, and a pair of disposable rubber gloves, as it’s a messy stuff if it gets on your hands. After mixing and applying, I had to hold the roll holder tightly in place for about 6-7 minutes, after which time it was bonded to the tile. I left it for 24 hours to fully “cure” and harden, and it worked brilliantly. Five years on, the Megabond still holds my towel holder and toilet roll holder to the wall.

From speaking to several tilers, I know they hate having to drill polished porcelain and will do anything to avoid it, so my advice to everyone is, MEGABOND IT!