My younger son recently installed ceramic tiles on our kitchen floor and back hall and in a half bath near the back door. Since the subfloor is ship-lapped with ply over, leveling wasn't necessary.

Removing the old floor covering, however (vinyl), was a chore. Heat and scrapers did the job, but it took several days.

Cost for wood, the various compositions and ceramic tiles came out about the same, so we went with the ceramic. Very satisfied.