Tile Contractors Chicago - The Best Tile Installers Chicago

Almost always. Tile does not flex, so it needs a flat, stable substrate u2014 otherwise you get lippage between tiles, cracked grout, or cracked tile. Large format is far less forgiving of an uneven floor than small tile.

That is lippage, and it comes from an uneven substrate or from tile with a natural warp. It is far more visible with long, large-format tiles. Correcting the floor first and setting the layout to suit is what prevents it.

No, and this is the most common misunderstanding in bathroom tiling. Grout fills the joints; the waterproofing layer under the tile is what keeps water out of the structure. Sealing grout helps with staining, not with waterproofing.

Before any tile is set. Where the cuts fall at walls, doorways and around fixtures decides how the finished room reads, and a layout that leaves a sliver cut at the most visible edge is the mark of a job that was not planned.

The setting material has to cure before the floor takes traffic, and grouting comes after that. Walking on it early breaks the bond while it is still developing, which is not visible at the time but shows up later as loose tile.