Why are they a thing? Is it because they want people to replace quartz and granite countertops they already installed? lol From what little I know about them, they're durable, but their patterns are only on the top of the slab, so any scratches or cracks, chips that form on the counter would stick out like a sore thumb, probably. And I don't think those are easily-repaired, but I could be wrong. The other thing is that most of those porcelain slabs have the typical "square" or flat edges since the pattern is just thrown on the top. Stuff like granite has the varying pattern throughout. It's one of the things I always liked about granite over some of the "fake granite" materials. Most of those just looked synthetic to where no matter what slab you looked at, it just looked the same. It could be at 10 different houses and it just looked the same. I don't think you have to seal porcelain (?) so that could be a plus over most granite. And I do think it's not easy to scratch or chip, but like I said, if it does, I'm not sure it's easy to repair. Eh, who cares... you'll probably be ripping it up to put in the next new in thing in about 5-10 years anyway... which will probably go back to being granite. It's a vicious cycle.
I agree. I have porcelain tiles on the floor and they are very durable. Probably the most durable product you can use in heavy traffic areas. However if you drop something heavy on it then it will chip and like Dr. of Dunk said, the pattern is only on the surface so it will leave a chip mark. If its a small chip then you don't really see it. I have this chipped on the floor that when I mop the floor I think that it is a stain. Mopped it and spray some stuff on then I realize its the same mark that has been there forever. Why not just get quartz?
Good feedback. My buddy who builds high dollar homes said it’s super durable and looks really nice in a contemporary home. Believe it or not, we still have laminate. I bought my house as a foreclosure at a super low price and we’ve been slowly remodeling ever since. When we bought it that was a great idea. Now I’d just rather have a complete house but I’m not going to buy something new in the current hyper-inflated housing market. Anyway, my wife doesn’t love granite and doesn’t like quartz. She does, however, like the grey-veined white porcelain.
Something to think about: they cost about the same as granite or quartz, but are "unproven" on the market. When I say that, the market of buyers hasn't "spoken" about the perceived value since its so new. In 3-4 years, will we buyers be looking at porcelain countertops like they do with Corian or Formica...or is it the new "quartz" and sought after. So you could theoretically be spending the same amount of money as an established product but get a negative return on investment in a few years depending on what the market thinks of them. Early returns on some websites I saw show that resale is ALREADY negatively affected on homes with porcelain rather than quartz, quartzite or granite. It also has a higher potential to chip or crack from blunt force than natural stone, but I guess its repairable sort of like a bathtub.
It’s durable in that it holds up. I got porcelain tiles on the floor. The ones on the floor have a rougher surface to walk on so you don’t slip. The ones that are shower tiles are smoother but soap scum and hard water stains also sticks to it and doesn’t seem to get off no matter what i try to get rid of it.
that’s what I recently got for my mom. She had laminate too and it had a lot of scratches and chips on the laminate as well. The quartz is pretty durable but I read you can’t really leave hot stuff on it. Every product has its advantages and disadvantages.
They do work in more modern homes with modern kitchens because clean lines, simplicity, etc. are more in now, whereas maybe 10-20 years ago, Texas was still looked like it was buried in the gawdy Victorian age or something with furnishings, cabinetry, etc. I like the modern, more "modern-Euro" stuff way more and have for years. Back during granite countertop's highest popularity, you could get various kinds of edges to go with cabinetry and whatnot in the kitchen. Nowadays everything is simple and flatter for the most part, so a flat slab of porcelain works since old-school edges like beveled-types may not look as good. I hear you can still get them with some of those other edge types, but they may not look continuous or as good since the pattern doesn't go through the porcelain. It doesn't scratch easily, and I don't think it really chips easily. Some people say you can cut on it, but ceramic knives will scratch it. I'd never cut on the counter itself, so it wouldn't bother me. It's kind of like diamonds are durable and the hardest natural substance known, but how do jewelers create facets on a diamond? Some simple *tap* *tap* *tap* actions and they're carving up a diamond. The biggest "durability" issue with porcelain may be that if you crack or scratch it, it may stick out like a sore thumb and not be easily fixable, but they do look good.
