I just want to update for 2019 and say that Marazzi has moved to new ownership recently, and I've seen reviews around the web about people complaining that there is an increased grayish tint to some of the tiles with more recent production beginning around 2018. @bill_vincent stated back in 2009 in a previous comment in this thread that the Marazzi tile he'd used wasn't always square, but we had tile layers this year who recommended it as a good-quality tile, so your mileage may vary. Upon visiting a Marazzi showroom in my area, I was very impressed with the variety and style of the tile on display. Thanks for all the comments here on Florida Tile. I believe I'll avoid it based on these reviews. We used Italian-made Happy Floors tile for a recent master bathroom project and are pleased with it. The installers said it was very square, and the style we chose was a through-body porcelain. Every word-of-mouth recommendation and online review I've read about USA-made Crossville tile has been good. Apparently they have a strict system of quality control. The one complaint is that it can be expensive compared to similar tile in other lines. However, the finish coating on some of Crossville's products is supposedly high-tech to make it more cleanable and long-lasting, so maybe it would be worth it. We've found that our area ProSource seems to offer the best price on Crossville and runs periodic sales on it. Note that there is more than one tile company with the name "Crossville," referencing the location of the city of Crossville, Tennessee, where these companies are located, but I'm talking about Crossville Inc. also known as Crossville Studios. It appears that Dal-Tile's quality is across the board and varies from style to style. Thanks everyone for the input.

Marana, you might want to check out the "Garden Junk" forum as there are several folks who do mosaics for outside. I'm sure if you posted your question in that forum you would get very good replies. There is also a Stained Glass and Mosaic forum someone just posted a msg yesterday (10/23). I don't do mosaics but just love your idea of places the tiles down as they are. That certainly would work for me. Thanks for sharing the idea (if you don't mind). Sal

I heard back from Schluter. Here's my question and their answer: Question: Can the uncoupling membrane be installed directly over existing ceramic tile? This is a basement - the tile is installed over the concrete subfloor. Tile is in good shape - just ugly. We don't want to remove it. So if the membrane can be installed over top, what type of thinset should we use to bond the membrane to the existing tile? Answer: If the following requirements are met, we expect this type of installation to be successful. However, given the wide range of potential existing conditions, this application is not covered by a specific detail in the Schluter-DITRA Installation Handbook and is therefore not covered under warranty. In principle, DITRA can be installed over existing tile. In general, the following minimum requirements must be met for a successful installation. The substructure must be adequate, per the DITRA Installation Handbook (e.g., joist spacing, plywood thickness, etc). The existing tile must be well bonded; any loose tile must be removed. The tile must be cleaned before the DITRA installation to remove any bond breakers. The DITRA can be installed in a similar fashion to what is called out in detail D-V-T in the DITRA Installation Handbook. (I looked this up, and it's referring to installing over vinyl.) Option 1. Use a rapid-setting modified thin-set mortar suitable for bonding to existing tile to install the DITRA Option 2. Skim coat the tile with a modified thin-set mortar or suitable cement-based embossing leveler, allow it to dry, and install the DITRA with unmodified thin-set mortar For further details please see attached Ditra installation Handbook

depends on the size of the tile. That tile in your picture is from AnnSacks (see link above) Chrysalis is a collection of hand cut and fitted artisan glass mosaics that stand out for their beauty and craftsmanship. .Mosaics are film face mounted. .Sheeted repeat sections will fit together in an interlocking system. It says it's film-faced. (which means it comes on a sheet_) But other tiles can come as individuals. this is a 4x4 some come on mesh sheets, some come w/the film on the front. (if the tile is somewhat see-through, like a glass, the film face is a better option since the mesh won't be visible. ) Floor and Decor has this glass tile, much cheaper than the ann sacks. https://www.flooranddecor.com/glass-decoratives/marina-del-ray-arabesque-glass-mosaic-100463090.html https://www.decorsmosaic.com/products/azure-glass-mosaic-tile-in-fish-scale-for-floor-and-wall-cgt012-99