Sintered porcelain is fired at extreme temperature and pressure into a surface harder than granite, completely non-porous and fully UV stable. Slabs arrive in large formats, typically 126 by 63 inches, which allows a full island top or a floor-to-ceiling backsplash with no seam at all. For a covered terrace kitchen in Westport or Southport, nothing else comes close.
Engineered quartz cannot go outdoors; the resin binder discolours in UV and scorches under heat. Marble etches in acid rain and stains. Granite works but the colour palette is limited. Porcelain will not fade, will not freeze-crack through a Connecticut winter, will not stain, and never needs sealing. It is effectively the lowest-maintenance surface available anywhere.
This is the least forgiving material in our shop. Slabs are thin and brittle before they are installed, and they crack if handled carelessly. Because the decorative pattern is printed on the face rather than running through the body, any exposed edge has to be built up with a mitred return — two pieces cut at forty-five degrees and joined so the face pattern carries over the corner.
A mitre cut a fraction out of true shows as a dark line along the entire edge, and there is no polishing it away afterwards. Porcelain punishes shops that are learning on your kitchen. It is worth asking any fabricator how many porcelain jobs they have actually completed.
We fabricate the major sintered surfaces including Dekton, Neolith, Laminam, Florim and Lapitec, in thicknesses from 6mm cladding up to 20mm countertop gauge. Finishes range from high polish through soft matte to textured surfaces with genuine slip resistance for outdoor use.