gigabit: thanks. I was WAY off on what I thought it meant. I read your link. I was thinking I wanted colorthrough porcelain, unglazed, for the same color all the way through, so when you drop a cast iron frying pan on it, the chip is the same color. (Which I have done!) But I've had my glazed ceramic tile floors throughout this house for 10 years now, and only that one chip in the kitchen. So, this is not a major problem. For the new house, maybe I should consider the same tiles again. My only concern is these floors are a bit slippery for us, and we're getting older. I'll have to see if there are any glazed ceramic that have a higher COF (I think that's what you call it.)

Looks like this to me … https://www.tilebar.com/portmore-sky-3x8-glazed-ceramic-tile.html

If your walk in shower is of standard size, you can get solid shower bases made of various materials, from cast iron, to acrylic, to Corian to terrazzo. I have a custom shower base made out of Corian and I think it probably worked out less expensive than tile overall because the labor was so much less. Honestly I don't know that I would ever do a tile shower base again unless the shower was gigantic. If I were to, I would also probably use the Daltile Keystones. as well.

The best installation method is one that is TCNA approved (They need the TCNA Manual to show you) and that is done properly, using that method. There are a lot of right ways. Just not as many right way installers. Even those who have "been doing it for 30 years" are usually doing it wrong. Having a TCNA Manual that looks like it's been opened a time or two is just one method of screening a tile subcontractor. https://whytile.com/qualified-labor/  https://tcnatile.com/products/publications/2023-tcna-handbook-for-ceramic-glass-and-stone-tile-installation/