Is porcelain the next trendy countertop material?
I'm sure every home today has tile in the kitchen and/or bathroom. The versatility and affordability of this material make it a mainstay in every home and building today. However, when porcelain was originally invented by the Chinese, the cost of making them restricted their use to only palaces, grand public buildings, and homes of the rich until the 1920s. It was the art deco movement that popularized porcelains and is responsible for the widespread use we see today.
Porcelain has a fascinating history and knowing it makes the product all the more admirable. Here is an article that does a great job of walking us through the history of porcelain: History of Porcelain. Though the article talks about porcelain in the context of tableware and drinkware, it paints a fantastic picture of the history associated with this material and the advances in research and development as well as manufacturing.
The Making of Porcelain Slabs
Now that you know a little bit about the origins of porcelain, let us explore how they are made in factories today.
The three main components used in the production of porcelain are clay, silica, and feldspar. Clay makes the bulk of the porcelain body and acts as a binder for all components while feldspar gives the porcelain body its sheen or vitreous quality and strength. Silica helps in making the porcelain body whiter and also reduces shrinkage during drying.
The general process of making porcelain tiles is similar to that we see for quartz materials. However, the number of raw ingredients and the firing temperatures for porcelain are exponentially higher. Below is a video showing the production of porcelain slabs.
The Benefits of Porcelain Countertops
With improvements and advancements in production technology over the last few decades, porcelain tiles are now being produced in large formats. To understand this improvement better, you should know that the porcelain tiles we see in our homes are commonly 24"x24" and sometimes 48"x48" or 52"x52". The large-format porcelain tiles being made today are an amazing 130"x65" approximately - the size of Quartz and natural stone slabs.
Porcelain slabs are also a fraction of the thickness in comparison to Quartz and natural stone with the most common thickness in the market today being 12mm and 6mm.
Porcelain slabs are also incredibly strong, resilient, and adaptable to any weather. They can be used on floors, countertops, walls, patios, outdoor furniture, building facades, and more.
With advancements in printing technology, porcelains are now being made to replicate natural stones with incredible details and at a fraction of the cost. Here is a picture that compares the Taj Mahal Quartzite with a Taj Mahal Porcelain slab. Can you guess which one is the real deal?
With technology advancing at breakneck speed, it is getting harder to tell the difference between the real and manufactured stone. In all honesty, if I was not touching the material or at least seeing it in person, even I would not be able to tell from the other. The technology truly is mind-blowing. P.s. The image on the right is that of porcelain and the left is natural quartzite.
Are Porcelain countertops the Real Deal? My Opinion
Porcelains truly are amazing! They are the most adaptable material on the market and also one of the most affordable. Some of the porcelain slabs being made today are those of bespoke natural stones whose costs are ten to fifteen times higher than their porcelain counterparts and out of reach for most homeowners.
In addition to being affordable, they are also quite easy to maintain just like quartz are highly resistant to spills, chemicals, and chips.
There are two downsides to porcelains. They can chip and will need to be repaired by a professional and the edge profile is limited to a waterfall edge due to their thickness.
Nevertheless, porcelain slab countertops are a great investment and look fantastic!
Have you fallen in love with porcelain yet? Need suggestions on the right countertop for you? Go ahead and hit the button below. I love discussing them. :)
Make sure to check out the other posts in the Countertop Series - part 2 talks about Granite, part 3 is all about Quartzite, part 4 demystifies Marble, part 5 covers everything you need to know about Travertine, part 6 shines a light on Onyx, part 7 is the story of Soapstone and part 8 is all about Quartz.
Comments