In a shower or genuinely wet area, yes — tile itself isn't a waterproof system on its own, since water can still travel through grout lines to the substrate underneath. A membrane beneath the tile creates the actual waterproof barrier; the tile is the wear surface on top of it.

Sloped flooring lets water actually drain instead of pooling against thresholds, curbs, or walls. You'd typically notice standing water lingering after a shower, or water finding its way past a curb — both are signs the slope wasn't built correctly, and it's worth having checked before it causes a leak.

Porcelain tile or waterproof rigid-core LVP are the safest choices for a kitchen's wet zones, with attention paid to sealing the seams and edges around the sink and dishwasher specifically, since that's where slow leaks are most likely to go unnoticed.

Large, polished tile can be a genuine slip risk on a floor that regularly gets walked on wet with bare feet. Smaller-format or matte/textured tile provides meaningfully better traction in a bathroom, especially inside a shower — we'd steer you toward a different tile than what might work beautifully in a living room.

South Florida's ambient humidity makes grout and caulk more prone to mold growth than in drier climates, especially if the grout was never sealed. Mold-resistant or epoxy grout, combined with proper sealing, addresses the root cause far better than repeated surface cleaning.

Waterproof rigid-core LVP can work in a bathroom's dry zones, but it's generally not recommended inside or immediately around a shower or tub, where standing water and seam exposure are much higher than in the rest of the house — tile with proper waterproofing underneath is the more reliable choice there.

Water-resistant or waterproof flooring describes the surface material's own tolerance for moisture. A waterproofed floor system means there's an actual membrane beneath the flooring creating a continuous barrier, protecting the structure underneath — you can have waterproof-rated flooring installed without a waterproofed system underneath it, which is a meaningfully weaker setup in a genuinely wet room.

With a properly installed waterproofing membrane that extends across the shower floor and up the walls to the correct height, integrated with the drain's bonding flange so there's no gap in the waterproof plane — that continuous seal is what keeps water from ever reaching the substrate in the first place.