Porcelain Countertops Pros & Cons

Porcelain countertops are a trend that is gaining popularity in kitchens across the United States. If you’ve been considering a new countertop for your kitchen, bathroom, or other space in your home, you’ve likely come across the term porcelain countertop.

Porcelain can be used as a countertop material, flooring material, or sink material and is very versatile. The benefits of this beautiful countertop are numerous. Porcelain countertops are durable, stain-resistant, and easy to maintain.

The best part is, that they come in many designs and colors, so you can find the perfect one for your kitchen. Also, they come in different dimensions for easy installation in our homes.

What is porcelain made of? 

Porcelain is a kind of hard, white pottery. It was first made in China in the 13th century. Porcelain is a type of pottery and ceramic material that is translucent and pigmented. In the modern era, it is primarily used for tableware and decorative items.

It is made of a mixture of the clay mineral kaolinite with small quantities of the minerals quartz and feldspar. Porcelain is a vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic typically white or off-white in color.

It is made by mixing a clay body with bone ash, or an artificial substitute. White clay is mixed with feldspar, a group of minerals that is abundant in the Earth’s crust.

The clay is then heated to high temperatures, and the feldspar is added to make the clay form a hard, solid, and durable material. And that’s what porcelain is made of!

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Porcelain countertops Vs Dekton countertops:

• The main difference between porcelain and dekton countertops is how both are manufactured, what kinds of processes are involved and what types of raw materials are required.
• Dekton countertops evolved from porcelain countertops and are stronger than porcelain countertops.
• Porcelain countertops do not contain quartz as their ingredients while dekton countertops contain a combo of quartz, granites, and tiles that make them harder and long-lasting.
• Dekton countertops require regular sealing while porcelain countertops do not require re-sealing.
• Moreover, porcelains are lighter in weight and density that making their travel easy but dekton countertops are heavier in density and more thickness.
•  The process used for the fabrication of dekton countertops is known as Sinterized Technology and porcelains are made at extremely high temperatures.
• Damage to porcelain countertops cannot be repaired but dekton countertops can be repaired if they get damaged.

Edge Styles

Porcelain edge styles are more limited than natural stone or quartz since the patterns are just skin-deep. The pattern would be removed by cutting a fancy edge with rounded corners, bevels, and grooves.

When compared to other countertop materials, porcelain countertop edges are a little different. While it is possible to generate all the standard edges like round, beveled, straight, bullnose, ogee, cove, platner, waterfall, and others… you may not like the look of any of these.

Porcelain countertop edges, on the other hand, can be mitered in a variety of ways to maintain a consistent pattern over the edge. The majority of people prefer a square edge.

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Size and Thickness

Porcelain countertops are available in different dimensions ranging from 1*2, 1.50*2.50,3*4 (feet) to more 6*7, 8*10, 12*14,16*18 (feets).

But the thickness and density of porcelain countertops are somewhat less or low making them more delicate and can be easily broken into small pieces. Due to its low thickness, the porcelain countertops are less durable than other quartz countertops.

Installation Options

Porcelain countertops are very easy to install in our kitchens, interior walls, floors, bathrooms, etc by humans because of their lighter weight. The bigger slab size of porcelains has fewer cuts and seams. Porcelain is an easy-to-install product because of this, as well as its less weight. However, it is not suitable for do-it-yourself installation.

Advantages of Porcelain Countertops 

Durability

Porcelain is a durable material that is not only beautiful but also durable. It is resistant to bacteria, and stains, and will not scratch. It is also easy to clean with a simple soap and water solution.

The raw materials used for manufacturing porcelain are high grade and top quality which makes them strong enough for long life.

They can also be used for cooking purposes as well. They are stronger than normal tiles, marbles, granites, etc.

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Finishes

Choosing the right finish for your porcelain countertops is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. It will have a significant impact on the look of your kitchen, including the colors and textures of your cabinets and cabinetry, and the feel of your new countertops.

Porcelain countertops are available in a variety of finishes including matte/honed finish, and high glossy polished finish.

The most popular finish is a glossy, high-luster finish that is easy to clean and resists scratches and stains. Quality finishing of any materials will provide ultimate results to us.

The matte/honed finish is the most durable of the three finishes, as it is not as susceptible to scratches or stains.

Pattern and colors

Porcelain countertops are mostly made by human hands so they can have a wide range of colors, patterns, shades, and designs.

The colors range from red, yellow, green, white, black, and orange, mixed colors include white-black, silver-gold, red-green, and many colors, the list is endless. Different colors of porcelain always add beauty to our homes, especially in kitchens.

We can manufacture porcelain with any color combination and design for the perfect look and decoration of kitchens.

There are many patterns of porcelain including ring-like structure, willow shape, diamond shape, star appearance, circled look, building looks, car-structured, and many more. The tree trunk patterns are more prevalent as most people like woody structures.

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How Much Do Porcelain Countertops Cost?

The cost of porcelain countertops depends on their quality, the types of raw materials ṣused for making them, and the manufacturer countries. In a separate section, we break down the pricing of porcelain countertops.

In brief, slab porcelain countertops will cost $40 to $120 per square foot to install, depending on the material, the style of edge you have loved into it (if any), and the job’s intricacy.

The higher the cost per square foot, the more corners, cutouts, and seams there are. They are costlier than other types of quartz countertops and tiles or marbles.

Installation options and designs

The installation process of porcelain countertops is very easy and comfortable. Because of their lightweight and small sizes, they can be installed anywhere with ease.

Carrying and transporting porcelain countertops takes little time as compared to marbles and heavy-sized granites. They can also be applied over existing tiles and marbles or any other countertops.

They are also used for making floors, bathroom walls, laundry places, and somewhat interior walls. Many attractive designs are also available in porcelain countertops such as potteric, toys, forestry, rivers, etc.

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Heat and acid-resistant

As we know porcelain countertops are manufactured at very high temperatures with many mixing materials.

They are high heat, temperature, and acid resistant and do not let the bacteria rise and sustain. They are also less prone to chemicals and cleaning agents.

Their colors and designs also do not fade with increasing temperature, thus they always look new. They are also recyclable i-e the used porcelain can again be used on some other parts.

They are also used in kitchen cabinets, wall panels, and decorative assets in our homes.

Dimensions And availability

Porcelain countertops are mostly available in small slabs or sizes with dimensions of 1*2, 1.50*2.50,3*4 (feet), and many according to our home requirements and the type of building we are making.

Availability largely depends on demand and areas like urban, metropolitan, and rural.  They are mostly preferred in villages and towns and some villagers even make them on their own.

Protection from Stain and UV rays 

This is one of the unique features of porcelain countertops protecting themselves from harmful ultraviolet rays coming from the sun. They have a protective layer for UV rays.

These are also stain-free and stains do not stick to them for a longer time this increases their pleasant appearance.

Disadvantages of Porcelain Countertops

Smooth/Fragile

The porcelain countertops are very soft, lightweight, and can be cut and damaged easily. There are chances of getting broken or damaged even if a small tool or iron falls on it.

Also during transportation, a huge amount of porcelain countertops get damaged.

While cutting them, many cut pieces are wasted. We should also be careful while cleaning them with any fluids and chemicals.

Read More: How to Cut Granite

Less availability

As porcelain countertops are less in demand, customers find them difficult to buy and locate. Due to high demands and more stock of granites, tiles, and marbles porcelain itself finds it difficult to compete with them.

Also, there are very few manufacturers and factories of porcelain countertops. Price is also the main concern for less availability of porcelain.

Artificial shades

The designs and shades over the porcelain countertops are not natural, manufacturers make and apply attractive designs and shades over the finished porcelain products. That’s Why we are not familiar with the natural look of porcelain.

Maintenance, Cleaning, and Repairs

Regular maintenance is required for porcelain countertops for their dynamic and fascinating look. If you use toxic chemicals like ammonia, you won’t have any trouble.

On the other hand, natural stone has pores that can collect water, bacteria, oil, and other elements that make it unclean and cause stains and discoloration, especially when the sealer breaks down with time.

The finish on the porcelain creates a water-resistant, easy-to-clean surface. Cleaning with warm water or rubbing with a moist cloth is usually all that is required to keep a clean, sanitary surface.

If any part gets damaged then we have to remove the entire single piece and install another porcelain countertop.

How To Clean Porcelain Countertops

It is simple and easy to clean the surface of a porcelain countertop. The following are some of the most significant cleaning steps  for porcelain countertops

• In spite of porcelain countertops being acidic and chemicals resistant, we should not use any types of chemical-containing fluids for cleaning its surfaces.
• For spills, simply rinse them with hot water before rubbing them away with a clean cloth.
• After cleaning it down with the soap solution, rinse it with water and dry it with a clean cloth.
• To sanitize its surface, use neutral liquid soaps or detergents. The sanitary function of porcelain countertops will be improved much more with this method.
• You avoid scratch marks and a loss of sheen, make sure to use non-abrasive wipes or cloth.

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