Porcelain Countertop Pros and Cons
For luminous counters with easy care instructions, look no further
Porcelain is more durable and hardier than you might expect.
This counter material is very low maintenance and can mimic natural stone.
Porcelain may be harder to install than other countertops and has lower ROI.
Expect to pay around $50 to $120 per square foot to install these counters.
You may not have seen them in person yet—or realized it if you did—but porcelain countertops are growing in popularity across the United States. And that’s no surprise because they’re beautiful, durable, relatively affordable, and easy to care for. They can give you a luxury look for less and take far less upkeep and fuss than other kinds of countertop materials. However, they do have a few negatives—here, we discuss the pros and cons of porcelain countertops.
What Are Porcelain Countertops?
Porcelain—a type of pottery known for its white, almost translucent coloring and soft feel—is best known as the base of fine china. But its durability and beauty make it uniquely suited for use as a countertop material. Porcelain is made from a mix of clay, quartz, feldspar, and other natural materials and powdered stones that are ground up, mixed together, and then fired at a very high temperature, making it strong, hard, and unique looking.
After being popular in Europe for years, porcelain has just recently come to the attention of homeowners, designers, and builders in the United States. While it isn’t as popular as other countertop materials, it’s growing in popularity because it fits a niche that covers looks, price, and usability without a lot of fuss.
Pros of Porcelain Counters
Who doesn’t want pretty, durable, low-maintenance kitchen countertops? And if you’ve experienced them in person, you’ll know that porcelain counters are all this and more. Here are the main upsides:
Heat Endurance
Porcelain is extremely heat resistant. It’s manufactured at temperatures over 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit, so nothing you’ll pull out of your oven or off of your stove will damage it. You can place hot pans and pots directly on it without scorching, burning, or discoloring it.
Durability
Porcelain is almost 30% harder than granite, and it’s also scratch-resistant. That means you can cut directly on it and don’t need to worry about daily wear and tear. While you still will want to protect your investment by using cutting boards, not dropping heavy items on it, and protecting its edges, you won’t need to wince if a family member doesn’t treat it with kid gloves.
Some kitchen countertops are better suited for specific households. For example, if you have children and frequent spills happen, choose a nonporous material like quartz. A countertop installer can help you decide how durable the counter needs to be for your kitchen.
Easy to Maintain
All you’ll need to do is wipe off your porcelain counters to keep them clean. Because they aren’t porous and are stain-resistant, you won’t need to seal them or take special care to prevent damage. You can even use traditional household cleansers on them, and you won’t need to worry about exposure to acids or harsher chemicals. Skip the abrasive cloths and harsh cleaners to take extra care, though.
Doesn’t Absorb Water
When you spill or slosh water and other liquids on some countertops, you need to wipe them off right away or risk stains or damage. With porcelain, that’s not a problem. It has a miniscule absorption rate, meaning it’s virtually impervious to liquids.
Resists Discoloration
Porcelain counters won’t discolor or fade when exposed to sunlight, unlike quartz and other types of natural stone. This means you can install it directly beneath windows and never have to worry about closing your curtains.
Variety of Colors
Pure white is pretty, but with porcelain, you have dozens of colors and patterns to choose from. Because it’s engineered, manufacturers can add natural pigments and glazes during fabrication, meaning that you can customize the color and patterns. From solid colors to patterns that mimic natural stone like marble or quartz, wood grain, concrete, and even steel, the way it looks is up to you. You should make sure, though, that your slab’s manufacturer applies color throughout rather than just printing on the surface, as some early porcelain fabricators did.
Size Options
Manufacturers can make slabs of any size and dimension, so you can custom-order porcelain counters that exactly fit your cabinets with no cutting required at installation.
Environmentally Friendly
Porcelain is a green building material. It’s manufactured from natural clay and minerals, making it sustainable and renewable, meaning that it doesn’t off-gas VOCs or harmful compounds. There’s no quarrying risk to the environment, and many porcelain countertops are made in or near the United States, so there’s less shipping involved. You can also recycle it if you ever need to replace your countertops.Cons of Porcelain Countertops
Cons of Porcelain Countertops
While they do get glowing reviews from some homeowners, porcelain counters aren’t the perfect fit for everyone. Here are the reasons why some people might choose a different countertop material.
Cost
If you have a tight budget, porcelain isn’t the most wallet-friendly countertop option—butcher block, laminate, and other countertop materials can be much less expensive to purchase and install. Porcelain is a newer option, and there aren’t as many fabricators as there are for other, more common countertop materials. The high-density nature of porcelain also makes it more expensive to manufacture, and full-sized slabs can be costly.
However, it is still less expensive than many types of natural stone, including quartz, marble, and granite, and the price is coming down as more companies roll out their own porcelain countertop lines.
Can Crack
Porcelain is durable, but it’s not invincible. Its hardness makes it brittle and inflexible, so if they’re subjected to blunt force, or you drop heavy items on them, porcelain counters can crack. These cracks can be sharp, and you will probably need to hire a professional to deal with the crack and seal it to prevent injury.
Limited Edge Styles
If you have very specific requirements for edge style, you should make sure it’s available in porcelain countertops. That’s because porcelain has relatively limited edge profile options, and you generally can’t get them with elaborate edgework. However, if you want a more common edge style, such as straight, apron, waterfall, square, or mitered, you’ll find porcelain slabs fitting that description.
Fewer Repair Options
If you crack or chip your granite or soapstone countertops, it can be possible to have them repaired, depending on where and how extensive the damage is. That’s not the case with porcelain. If you can’t live with accidental cracks, chips, or rough edges, you’ll need to replace your counters. This can be a deal breaker if you’re, say, comparing porcelain vs. quartz countertops.
Installation Challenges
Since porcelain slabs can be bigger, thinner, and more rigid than other types of countertop materials, they can be delicate and harder to install. These qualities also mean installers need to use specialty materials to cut them to get clean seams that won’t chip or show damage, and it can be hard to get seams sealed and finished correctly. You must hire an installer who knows what they’re doing and has dealt with porcelain countertops before, and this expertise can increase the cost to install countertops.
How Much Do Porcelain Countertops Cost?
Porcelain countertops are in the middle range of counter materials. They’re more expensive than budget options like tile, laminate, and acrylic countertops but less expensive than marble, quartz, and soapstone; they straddle the affordability line between affordable and luxury. When deciding whether you should invest in porcelain, consider your budget and the look, color, and pattern you’re after.
The amount you can expect to spend on new porcelain countertops ranges from $50 to $120 per square foot, including installation, but costs vary based on a number of factors. This is on par with other mid-range countertop options that have similar pros and cons. Consider whether local countertop installers near you have the experience to do the work and if the necessary care and expected life span are good fits for you.
However, to get a better idea of what your specific job may cost, you’ll need to price the exact material (including edge, thickness, and slab size) and whether it’s easily available in your location.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
If you don’t crack under pressure, DIY porcelain countertops can cost $750 to $3,500—which is about two to three times less than professional installation. If you’re going DIY, you’ll want to go with porcelain tiles rather than a full slab, as the slabs are very thin and prone to cracking before they hit the countertop.
But, if you want to use a large slab for your porcelain countertop, hire a countertop contractor near you to help you. If your DIY installation requires any electrical or plumbing work, you’ll also want to hire a licensed pro to get the proper permits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both quartz and porcelain countertops have pros and cons, and which stone works best for you depends on a variety of factors. Quartz is a customizable manufactured stone that can take a beating, but it’s heavy and can’t take the heat of a hot pan without some discoloration. Porcelain is fairly lightweight, has a classic look, and is very heat resistant but can crack under heavy weight.
The cost depends on the quality of each material. On average, porcelain countertops cost $50 to $120 per square foot, whereas the price of quartz countertops can range anywhere from $50 to $200 per square foot. Looking at the data, the cheaper end of both materials is roughly the same, but on average, porcelain costs around $80 less per square foot.
You can put hot pans on porcelain countertops. Porcelain is highly resistant to heat—it’s manufactured at around 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit, so it can withstand a ton of heat without cracking or damaging. Even though the high heat is a plus, you should still be cautious when putting hot surfaces on porcelain countertops.
Porcelain countertops have a fairly long life span, sometimes lasting for decades. Depending on how much wear and tear you put your countertops through, it could last 25 to 50 years. But be warned, porcelain is also prone to cracking, so as long as you take good care of it, you’ll have those countertops looking brand new for years to come.
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