When I took over purchasing for our mid-size company back in 2020, one of the first projects to land on my desk was coordinating a partial renovation of our Bangkok office. My job: source the tile. I had zero experience with porcelain tile at that point. I didn't know what "rectified" meant. I didn't understand why the same tile looked completely different in the showroom versus the actual installation. And I definitely didn't know the right questions to ask the distributor.
It took me 4 years and about 6 renovation projects to understand that the showroom visit isn't where you make the decision — it's where you verify it. The real work happens before you walk in the door.
So here's the checklist I now use for every tile sourcing task, drawing on the mistakes I've made (and a few I've watched other people make). It works whether you're visiting the Marazzi Thailand showroom on Sukhumvit 39 or checking out Marazzi tile at a Denver distributor. The fundamentals are the same.
Before the Showroom: What to Prepare
1. Calculate the real square footage
Not the architect's number. The actual number. I learned this the hard way when we came up about 15% short on our 2022 renovation because I ordered from a rough estimate on a floor plan. The ballpark rule: add 10–15% overage for cuts, waste, and breakage. For large-format tile, go closer to 15%. For mosaic sheets, 10% is usually enough.
Also write down the room-by-room breakdown, not just the total. If you're tiling a bathroom floor and a kitchen backsplash, those are different products with different quantity needs.
2. Shortlist the collections before you go
Marazzi has a huge catalog — from marble-look porcelain like the Marble Obsession collection to the weathered Moroccan Concrete look to the handcrafted feel of zellige-style wall tiles. Browsing the website first is the difference between a focused 2-hour showroom visit and a 4-hour wandering session.
Build your shortlist around:
- Use case (floor vs. wall vs. accent)
- Traffic level (PEI rating of 4+ for commercial floors, 3+ for residential)
- Maintenance appetite (a glossy marble-look finish needs more upkeep than a matte concrete-look)
- Slip resistance (check the COF rating, especially for bathrooms and entryways)
Five or six years ago, walking into a showroom and asking the salesperson "what's good?" was a workable strategy. In 2025, the range is so broad and the technical specs so important that going in without a shortlist is asking for a suboptimal decision. The fundamentals of tile quality haven't changed — but the way we source it definitely has.
3. Find the right showroom
If you're in Thailand, the Marazzi showroom on Sukhumvit 39 is a solid reference. It carries a broad selection and the staff can walk you through the product lines properly. If you're in Colorado, Marazzi tile is stocked by several tile distributors in Denver — a quick search for "marazzi tile Denver" will show you which ones carry the specific collection you're after.
One thing to confirm before you visit: is the tile physically in stock, or does the showroom only have samples? A sample board is not inventory. I made this mistake once — the showroom said "we have this tile," which actually meant "we can order it for you in three weeks." Ask upfront. It saves a wasted trip.
4. Bring the context
Don't walk into a showroom with just your phone. Bring:
- Floor plans with dimensions (scaled, not a napkin sketch)
- Photos of the space, from a few angles
- Paint color chips or the brand/color code
- Cabinet or countertop samples — if your project has white kitchen cabinets, definitely bring a sample or a clear photo. Tile looks dramatically different next to bright white versus warm oak.
- Plumbing fixture specs (for bathroom or kitchen projects)
At the Showroom: What to Verify
5. Order samples before you commit — seriously
Showroom lighting is designed to make tile look good. Actually, that's not quite right — it's designed to make tile look as good as possible, which is rarely how it looks in a real space. I didn't fully understand the value of physical samples until a $3,000 order in 2022 came back completely wrong. The tile matched the showroom perfectly. It just didn't match our actual lighting, our walls, or our expectations.
So order samples. Not just a 2x2 chip — at least a square foot. Place it on the actual floor or counter, in the room it's meant for, and look at it under the room's actual lighting. If the distributor ships samples to you, USPS large envelope rates are usually the cheapest option (as of January 2025, a First-Class Mail large envelope starts at $1.50 per their published rates at usps.com/stamps — pricing may have shifted, so verify when you check out).
6. Verify the full cost picture, not just unit price
When a tile order goes sideways, it's almost never the raw price per square foot. It's everything else: lead time, freight, minimums, restocking policy.
The questions I ask at every showroom now:
- Is this tile in local stock, or does it ship from a central warehouse? Same-city vs. cross-country makes a real difference in lead time.
- What's the minimum order quantity? Some collections have MOQs that will surprise you — especially for specialty lines.
- What's the lead time for a special order? Push for a calendar date, not "2–4 weeks." (In other words, ask them to confirm the week it lands.)
- What does delivery add to the cost per square foot? A great price is meaningless if freight doubles the effective unit cost.
- Can we return unopened boxes, and is there a restocking fee? Also: can the distributor pull more from the same batch if we run short?
- Is the entire order one production batch? Shade variation between batches is real. Mixing batches on one floor is how you get visible sections.
And get the quote in writing. The vendor who couldn't provide proper invoicing cost our department $2,400 in rejected expenses back in 2021. A verbal promise has no paper trail — if it isn't on the quote, you can't dispute it later.
7. Check environmental claims and fine print
Tile has a reputation as a sustainable material, and a lot of that is earned. But not all environmental claims are created equal. Per FTC guidelines (ftc.gov), claims like "recycled content" or "eco-friendly" must be substantiated — so if sustainability matters for your project (LEED, green building requirements, that sort of thing), ask for documentation. A good distributor will have it ready without making you feel like a nuisance.
Also worth checking before you sign off:
- Warranty terms — what's covered, who covers it, and for how long
- PEI rating — for floors, 4+ for commercial traffic
- COF rating — for wet areas, look for anti-slip certification
- Rectified vs. non-rectified edges — rectified tiles allow thinner grout lines, which changes the whole look of the installation
Common Mistakes That Cost Time and Money
Trusting the showroom lighting. Displays are lit from overhead and staged to impress. No scandal there — it's just how showrooms work. But it's exactly why samples in the real space matter.
Skipping the batch check. In 2023 I approved an order without asking about lot numbers. The tile arrived in two batches from different production runs. The color difference was subtle — but "subtle" is visible across a 400-square-foot floor. Now I ask every time, and I check lot numbers before installation starts.
Chasing the lowest unit price. The cheapest per-square-foot tile ended up costing us more once freight, minimum order sizes, and a rushed install schedule were factored in. A low price isn't a no-brainer deal if the total cost of ownership is higher.
One last caveat: this checklist reflects my experience buying for a commercial office in a metro area with direct showroom access. If you're sourcing from a rural area or handling a residential project, the process shifts a bit — samples become even more critical when you can't see the tile in person. But the core principle holds: verify before you buy, and never take a showroom display at face value.
