Porcelain beats ceramic for floors — Ceramic chips more easily underfoot. For $2–$5 more per sqft, porcelain is denser, more durable, and better for wet areas.
Avoid complex patterns in large rooms — Herringbone and diagonal patterns add 15–25% to labor costs. In a 200 sqft room, that's $300–$600 extra just for the pattern.
Buy 10–15% extra tile — Cuts waste 5–10% of material minimum. Buy extra upfront — matching the same dye lot later is nearly impossible.
Prep is everything — A cracked tile floor is usually a subfloor problem, not a tile problem. Make sure your installer checks subfloor flatness (should be within 3/16" over 10 ft).