About Porcelain Kitchen Countertops

Look around the world wide web for kitchen countertops and you will find that porcelain is becoming an option for this interior design project. More porcelain producers are supplying professionals with this material as an option for countertop surfaces. In this article we will consider why porcelain countertops are breaking onto the kitchen scene. Additionally, we will look at various aspects of kitchen countertops made of porcelain including suppliers, fabrication needs and why porcelain is an attractive option for countertops.

Porcelain And the Kitchen

As mentioned in another article titled: About Porcelain Surfaces we mentioned that porcelain has been used in architectural applications for many, many years. We also mentioned in that article how porcelain technology had progressed. Notice the following quote:

Along the way porcelain, a form of ceramic was created by means of the aforementioned technological advancements. Porcelain came to be a denser material with a lower moisture absorption rate. Additionally, porcelain found its way into many places of modern design and decor.

One of the "places" to which porcelain is making its way is the countertop. When some first hear that porcelain is an option for kitchen worktops and countertops, they naturally ask the obvious question, why?

Why Porcelain Countertops?

With so many options available for kitchen countertop materials, you may be among the people asking why porcelain countertops? After all, it seems like there is a plethora of materials for this application. Some of these include:

• Granite
• Tile
• Stainless steel
• Marble
• Wood
• Quartz
• Bamboo
• Pyrolithic Stone
• Solid Surface
• Laminate
• Quartzite
• Concrete
• Sintered Stone
• Ultracompact Surfaces

So it is understandable that one would ask why porcelain is now being used as a kitchen countertop material. To understand the answer to that question, we need to consider the characteristics of porcelain. Then we can elaborate on why porcelain is becoming an option for kitchen countertops.

Characteristics of Porcelain

Porcelain has some very desirable qualities. These characteristics contribute to the reason it is being offered as a countertop material. Let's look at some of these characteristics.

Porcelain is very hard. Porcelain is the result of a process called sintering. This process produces very hard materials that lend themselves to being used as countertop surfaces. The process is also controlled so the results can be consistent. So porcelain's hardness can be accurately produced.

Countertops made of porcelain are non-porous. The surface used for a kitchen countertop will be exposed to all sorts of other substances. The less absorbent the countertop is, the more stain resistant the surface.

Porcelain is easily cleaned. Because of the hardness and non-porous traits of porcelain, it can be easily cleaned and maintained. Any dirt or liquid that gets on the surface stays on the surface. Therefore, multiple cleaning methods can be used to remove foreign substances.

Surfaces composed of porcelain resist heat. Heat is another potential danger to a countertop in the kitchen. For example, putting a hot pan directly on a laminate surface will translate into a remodeling project if the pot is not sitting on a trivet. Porcelain is formed in an intensely hot environment that makes it extremely heat tolerant.

It is easy to understand the appeal of porcelain when considering the traits the material has to offer; hardness, non-porosity, cleaning ease, and heat resistance. Kitchen countertops benefit from all those characteristics and the many others that porcelain offers. That is why you will no doubt continue to see more and more suppliers of porcelain countertops in the future. Who are currently supplying the industry with porcelain countertops? Let's take a look.

Porcelain Countertop Suppliers

The porcelain industry is chalk full of manufacturers and suppliers that have been providing designers, decorators, fabricators and even architects with porcelain surfaces for many years. However, these producers are now introducing countertops made of porcelain. By increasing the thickness of the material, porcelain manufacturers are beginning to supply porcelain slabs that have the visual gravitas that consumers are accustomed to for countertops.

In addition to veteran porcelain producers, there will no doubt be new companies breaking into the industry to try their hand at supplying worktops and countertops made of porcelain. So what companies are currently marketing porcelain countertops? Here is a list of porcelain countertop labels we put together.

• Antolini
• Crossville
• Epic
• EuroWest
• Florim
• Infinito 2.0
• Laminam
• Magnifica
• Panoramic Porcelain
• Precision Stone Design
• Quadra
• SapienStone
• Stile

Fabricating Porcelain Countertops

As fabricators begin growing the number of materials they use for their services, they find that working with porcelain is both similar and different from other materials. Fabricating porcelain requires additional techniques and specific tools if the fabricator is going to produce a clean installation project. Getting familiar with best practices and techniques is one way to ensure that the installations of porcelain kitchen countertops are of the highest quality. However, the diamond blades and adhesives that fabricators use contribute to the success as well.

Cutting Countertops Made of Porcelain

Cutting porcelain requires specific diamond tooling. Bridge saw blades for porcelain must be constructed for cutting extremely hard materials cleanly. Hence, there are certain requirements for the composition of the diamond blade used for cutting porcelain. The core, the bond, the rim (or segments if the blade has them), and the diamonds must be designed for cutting in a specific manner. This design does not just happen by accident. Care must taken to configure the many parts of the blade so that it will perform correctly and efficiently on the material for which it is made.

Our blades are the result of a tried an true process that we have relied on for many of our products. Our approach to product development makes use of iterations and feedback from actual professionals. We test, analyze, adjust, and test again. This loop of activity allows us to understand what happens when the tool or adhesive is used. Subsequent iterations produce better and better results. The outcome is a blade or a glue works well with the material for which it is designed.

Porcelain Countertop Glue

Like our porcelain diamond blades, the adhesives we formulate for porcelain are made to get results on porcelain. In fact, many of our adhesives will bond ceramic materials. We offer cartridge glue for various projects. Depending on the environment and material of the project, you might need to choose a specific cartridge adhesive. Glaxs cartridge glue is formulated as a porcelain countertop cartridge glue; although it will bond virtually all materials. Glaxs adhesive is made for use indoors and outdoors. Furthermore, it is non-yellowing, VOC free, is ultra rapid and offers excellent adhesion.

Owning Porcelain Kitchen Countertops

For all the reasons mentioned above, it is easy to see why porcelain is making its way on to the scene of kitchen design. If you are contemplating becoming an owner of porcelain kitchen countertops, you will want to be sure you select a fabrication professional the has had the proper training in best practices and using the correct fabrication products for porcelain.

Fabricators looking to begin working with porcelain kitchen countertops should seek out guidance from porcelain countertop manufacturers on how to work this promising new countertop surface.