Porcelain Countertops & Slabs: The Style of Natural Stone With the Performance of Porcelain Tile

By Roy Viana, Director of Natural Stone & Slab for Daltile

Porcelain slabs can be used on a multitude of surfaces, including countertops, floors, walls, fireplaces, vanities, backsplashes, shower walls, tub surrounds and even exterior cladding. They bring the stunning on-trend colors and patterns of marble, slate and other natural stones, as well as modern concrete looks to a space while still standing up to real-life activity. Because these slabs are made of authentic porcelain, they are heat-, stain-, scratch- and chemicalresistant, as well as durable and easy to maintain. The longevity of a porcelain countertop ranges from a decade to a lifetime, contingent upon the level of wear and tear it endures.

Perfect for Today’s Germ-Aware World

Porcelain slabs are resistant to the growth of bacteria, mold and mildew and are easy to clean. Basic cleaning with warm water and mild soap is sufficient, but professional cleaning services will not damage porcelain.

Luxury at an Attainable Price

Porcelain slabs are a great solution for designs that require a high-end look but are limited by budget or performance constraints. These panels easily bring the scale and style of natural stone slabs to projects where natural stone might be constrained by cost or installation limitations. Thanks to modern technology, the industry’s best manufacturers can create designs that are so realistic it is hard to tell the difference between porcelain slabs and the natural materials they are emulating.

Easy To Install

The thin nature of porcelain slabs makes them easy to install. A porcelain countertop is light to carry, lift, and put into place during installation. In addition, porcelain countertops can be installed right over an existing countertop; no demolition is needed.

Powerful Design Impact

Creating style and luxury through seamless, continuous surfaces is currently one of the hottest trends in interior design. Extra-large porcelain slabs make it easy to achieve this goal while adding powerful design impact, whether via a single installation, through the wraparound luxury of a floorto-wall-to-countertop continuum, or even book-matched for a stunning feature wall.

Kitchen Islands: The Hub of the Home

Porcelain slabs create beautiful kitchen islands with minimal or no seams, and a porcelain slab island nicely stands up to the wear and tear of busy family life and entertaining.

Spa-like Bathroom Oasis

Bathrooms are being reinvented to create luxury spaces where adults can escape the everyday chaos in today’s stressful, fast-paced world. This is a trend in new home construction and home renovations. Porcelain slabs uniquely provide seamless design and the ability to easily create the kind of wraparound luxury people want, from floors to walls to countertops.

The Super Shower

Super Showers are high-end, luxurious showers featuring an array of amenities, including rain showers, digital water temperature you can control from your smartphone, multiple showerheads and even steam options. These large, luxurious spaces are becoming a must-have for many homeowners. Again, porcelain slabs offer a seamless design that flows across several surfaces (floors to walls to countertops), creating luxury and elegance within the space.

Commercial Applications

Extra-large porcelain slabs are well-suited for commercial spaces, too; they’re ideal for many interior and exterior applications. With Daltile’s innovative tile-over-tile installation solution, this process streamlines and significantly reduces both time and expenses, granting a distinct benefit to commercial projects. Resilient against the rigors of heavy foot traffic, these slabs remain steadfast year after year, retaining their pristine appearance without succumbing to fading or breakage.

Further solidifying Daltile’s place at the top of the commercial leaderboard, porcelain slabs require so little maintenance that simple warm water and soap are enough to keep every surface glistening. Commercial spaces tend to comprise higher square footage; with larger areas to clean, the low maintenance feature of extra-large porcelain slabs is an unbeatable advantage.

Porcelain slabs offer a combination of durability, versatility and aesthetic appeal, making them an excellent choice for interior design projects. Their durability and longevity make them a cost-effective option while creating visually stunning spaces that stand the test of time.

Daltile’s nationwide network includes high-end showroom and warehouse locations that stock and display a comprehensive range of natural granite, marble, and quartzite slabs, as well as Daltile’s One Quartz and Panoramic Porcelain Surfaces. Daltile’s award-winning Panoramic Porcelain line features extra-large 127-inch by 64-inch slabs that offer extraordinary design, affordability and durability. To view all the stunning designs and learn more, visit www.daltile.com.