Still very happy. Like I said before I have 4 young kids and a dog. They have been banged on and run into a ton and no issues. My electrician dropped a heavy metal drill attachment thing on it (twice!) and no marks or anything. I’m getting ready to redo the kids bath and am going to put porcelain in there too I love it so much.

What a disappointment to find out that this is what is being called "porcelain!" I have an old kitchen table from the 1920's with what was called a "porcelain" top. It's beautiful and indestructible, even at 100 years old. I wish I could have a countertop made of that stuff!

Thank you for your quick response! You said it was a brand called Florim? Do you have an overhang on your island?

We live in Northern VA so I'm not sure if there are any qualified fabricators who have experience with porcelain here.

Yes I have a 12 inch overhang. I also have waterfall sides. Not sure if the photo is helpful.

The photo of the overhang is very helpful. I wasn't thinking about doing waterfall sides but that may be the only way to get an overhang with porcelain countertop.

Does any one know differently?

I know that they installed supports under the counter top on top of the island. I think they would’ve done that even with out the water fall sides. I believe having the waterfall sides eliminated the need for 4 supports. So I have 3 instead. The supports can not be seen. Not sure if this makes sense.

More info here... I’m going to view slabs on Monday. I’ve looked into Florim, Envi, Sapienstone, Maxfine Marmi, Geoluxe, Neolith, Stile, Laminam, and Antolini Tech. All porcelain slab products. I haven’t found much difference in the products themselves but lots of differences in range of colors. I’ve spoken with 3 fabricator/installers and a few homeowners who have had porcelain countertops for over a year. So far everyone I’ve spoken with is very happy. Installer I spoke with today put 30 slabs of sapienstone into a single home. (Mind blown!) Moving forward with seeing if these slabs look as good in person as they do in pictures. Planning to do a basic 12mm or 1” edge.

Ultracompact.

Helpful! thank you for sharing Joseph Corlett, LLC

Joseph Corlett, LLC I was wondering if you have any advice about the durability of Daltile Porcelain? I recently looked at Dekton, Neolith and Daltile. The Daltile porcelain quote that I received came in at about $8,000. Dekton I was told would be about $10,000, and I hesitated to get a quote on the Neolith (although it's beautiful) due to some of the reviews, and I also saw a neolith countertop that had several chips which had been repaired but were very noticeable. The kitchen with the island is 55.1 sq. ft. and the quote was for the template, fabrication and install, pencil edge farm sink cutout, dishwasher brackets. Mitered 12.2 sq. ft. edge material & installation. Pencil edge and mitered edge with substrate buildup. I have also been looking at quartz but it seems that there are drawback with that as well. I love marble but don't want to deal with the etching and staining and granite is a little too busy and dark for me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

We put Sapienstone Calacata Silk in our kitchen and absolutely loved it until this morning. My husband was wiping down the counter when he accidentally tapped the edge and it chipped! Just like everybody warned. We took a chance and thought we were safe especially since we don't have kids at home. We are now regretting our decision to go with porcelain counters.

Diane:

People keep looking for a brand of a genre that will somehow be different than its nature. It doesn't exist. Porcelain/sintered/ultracompact surfaces chip and crack and are virtually unrepairable when they do. See the post above this one please.

So sorry to hear about the chip but thank you so much for sharing that very helpful info. It's greatly appreciated!

@Joseph Corlett, LLC I thought sintered stone and ultracompact (Dekton, Lapitec, etc) were superior to porcelain and did not chip as easily? In your opinion, what is the most durable countertop excluding Granite? Thanks!

I probably put in 400 hours worth of research on all things countertop this year w my new build- after not finding what I wanted for “look and color” with everything That met my needs for pros/cons...I ventured into the ever confusing world of “porcelain” & sintered stone. I’ve read the reviews, blogs, been on here, talked to multiple local fabricators, reps of the brands I had access to...you name it. And here’s the bottom line- every one still has pros and cons and none of them (any type of surface) is bullet proof. So you either take your chances with the stained marble, stained or scratched quartzite, stained or scratched quartz, granite, or chipped porcelain or sintered stone- something can happen to anything- and it just comes down to the people you get it from, who sell it, install it and fabricate it....if you find the right people within your supply chain who back their work and warranty to your standards- then just pick what you love. If they believe innit enough to sell it, and work with it and foot the bill if it fails your standards....well.......For whatnits worth- I wanted to go w sapienatone bc there customer service is IMPECCABLE. But they just didn’t have the slab size I needed Or that perfect color....I ended up choosing Neolith- there were a lot of issues during fabrication- it can be difficult to cut and install yes- but when you get a quote you like, from a company you know you can trust w warranties- it doesn’t cost me anything for however many tries it took them to get it perfect. A slab broke during transport and one during cutting and while I had to wait a few days more for new slabs to arrive for them to cut- they just ordered new ones- they got it right. I wanted what I wanted- and I got it. Despite the terrible reviews which deterred me in the beginning. But now- after getting to know the rep, and the fabricator etc- if something happens....im Taken care of. If something happens 5-10 years down the road....weLL, you should have seen the granite in my last home after 10 years- life just happens. Everyone has experiences that sway us one way or the other when we read them.,...but my Best advice after this exhausting adventure is simply to Work with good people who believe in what they’re selling and will back it w skin in the game- and get what makes your heart smile.

Jennifer P, I agree with you 100%, it seems that there are pros and cons to every countertop I have looked at as well. Can I ask where you live? I am in the Boston area and I’m wondering if you live nearby in regard to fabricators? Also, did you use the polished Neolith or Silk? The only other issue I find with porcelain is the cost to have the ends mitered, it really drives the total cost up. The fabricator I spoke in my area with regard to the many countertop materials recommended I use Quartz. Thanks so much for your post!

I agree with Jennifer & Diane. I’m hearing from porcelain fabricators that new technology and upgraded products are coming out all the time. Like slabs with color and pattern all the way through instead of just on surface. I am also seeing porcelain edges that are NOT built up -but left at 12mm. I think this actually looks more modern than a giant chunky 2” edge. (Ex: Anthony Carrino from HGTV “kitchen cousins” show just did his own house and used sapienstone in several locations w no mitered edge). If you’re using a mainly white slab, the edge won’t be noticeable at all, whether or not your “pattern” runs all the way through. The more colorful the pattern then you need to consider whether your chosen product has color all the way through or whether a white edge will be noticeable.

Roberto Colonatti has published his fabrication and installation manual. Make sure your fabricator reads, comprehends, and does exactly what Colonetti says please. He's the best in the world.

The guy bends porcelain and picks his tops up off the bench on the flat. That is supernaturalism is the countertop universe.

Kristin, Thanks so much for your input! Have you decided what product you will use for your countertops?

Gorgeous kitchen! Nice job... this is Neolith? My kids are both middle school and pretty clean so I’m learning towards polished but i love your testing period what a wise idea. What appliance brand did you go with?

I haven’t made a final decision on product- at first I was 100% sapienstone in the arabescato color, but then when i saw it in person it had way more blue undertones than expected. I also fell a little in love with a product called Gigantec (in a dramatic black and white color) which I think is a “house brand” porcelain slab here in Detroit from a large tile/ surface company called Ciot. I haven’t been able to find much info about Gigantec anywhere else which is why I think it may be exclusive to Ciot. Two others im also still considering is a product called Antolini Tech slabs in arabescato (similar pattern to sapienstone arabescato but less blue, more beige) and MSI Stile slab in arabescato. A top fabricator I’m talking with highly recommended Antolinis product. I’m not considering neolith only because they don’t carry a color/pattern that is similar to the arabescato pattern that i really like. I notice however that the Property Brothers on HGTV have been using neolith in their homes/ shows for over a year. I’m sure there is a reciprocal relationship for the promotion but I also don’t think they’d use it if it was junk. Most recently I saw them put it into a $4-5M home in CA. Again gorgeous kitchen!!!!

Jennifer P, Your kitchen looks beautiful! I know someone in my area that installed Neolith as well in the matte finish. She does have a chip from dropping a le creuset pan on the edge which is very heavy and would chip most counter materials (I think) and she also has a scratch but states she still loves it. Her kitchen is gorgeous as is yours. I would like to install a farmers sink and I wonder what the process is for that, i..e., do they miter it or just keep it as is? I'm pretty sure in the estimate I got they had included the sink to be mitered.
I was amazed at how much mitering drove the cost up...did you have the same experience? I have been at this for about a year and have tested so may quartz, quartzite, and porcelain products and although I did find that the porcelain did well, I also found that some of the quartz fared well too. My fabricator recommended that I stick with Cambria, Caesarstone or Silestone. She maintains that they are the best on the market however I have yet to find one that I absolutely love. I am getting close to starting the construction on my kitchen and I would like to have all of the design details decided before we start, and the countertops have been the biggest thorn in my side. I did test a quartz from Vadara that I liked, and it fared well but I have not been able to find many reviews on it on Houzz or anywhere else. Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful kitchen photos!

Jennifer, your kitchen is gorgeous! It's exactly what I have in mind. Do you mind sharing the specific name of the manufacturer, pattern name, and finish you used?

My appliances are jenn-air. The tops are Neolith, calacatta in the silk finish. For anyone considering Neolith tops- they have now released there new ultra soft finish...which is so much like honed marble it’s ridiculous, and cleans like a whiz. Feels like velvet to the touch. I tried so hard to hold out for it, bc I knew it was coming but my build timeline wouldn’t allow. I had a sample of the calacatta lux, which is exotic and unique. Outstanding durability and a breeze to clean. Obviously. Again-fabricator choice is crucial,,,,if they aren’t confident and proud of the brand you want- just don’t do it. Find a fabricator who is. Or find a way to love what your fabricator promotes. They all have there own comfort zones or kick backs it seems- so if you go into the great big world of everything countertop and you’d find your perfect color- be prepared to to enter into the same world to find fabricators, to find the one who will back the brand and top you chose. My builder had never worked w this stuff before- I had to find my own fabricator which I got a recommendation for, from the local rep of the material. They worked w my builder and it worked out. Again- I wouldn’t focus on “brand”...,my research had me conclude it really doesn’t matter.

The people who matter are the people who cut/install and warranty the durability. The durability of porcelains and sintered stones (non shiny) are rediculous. But chips or cracks can happen. So that’s where the warranty comes in. If I chip it 5 years in....when my kids are older...well, whatever, I scratched my granite 6 years in at my old house...it is what it is, for any material.

Finding your color, is hard enough on its own- then find a fabricator for that brand that has your color...one that backs and loves the product and doesn’t steer you away. It’s the only way. The world today- we have to do a lot more Individual research to get what we want if we’re picky. Which kind of sucks but was a harsh reality for me this past year. Everyone has there own agenda. If you want yours catered to- gotta put yourself thru the ringer. Sucks. But at least you get what makes your heart smile :)

Loved sapienstone arabescato so much too-y island is 11’ x 5’ so I needed mega slab sizes- which limited my options, so neolith was one of the inky brands who had a bigger slab size so Once I decided on materiel, I had to find a color I loved in the right slab size.

The edge mitering didn’t really cost me much extra- they cut a chunk off the same slab and attach it....it was one of the things that drew me to porcelain bc most of it (except some brands offering the thru body now, with a thicker 20mm slab) needs to be mitered regardless - so it’s built into the cost. You could do a 1” miter or a 5” miter and the cost is the same. Or was for me. I barely paid more at all for a thick mitered neolith, than if I had done a thicker mitered quartz.

Of my samples- most quartz did really well. Very durable. But I could, do damage and I could leave faint stains (I wanted a light color) bit I was also deliberately trying have “accidents” on them. The polished versions of any porcelain were a compete no. Way too easy to scratch. Some are even like an iPhone case...the layer on top just shatters and cracks out if something heavy is dropped.

My Neolith sample was indestructible- but it’s not fun to clean. I have to use bar keepers friend and a special scrubbing pad to get out the crazy stuff. The new ultra soft finish was a dream..,.wish I could have held out. The world of porcelain is evolving QUICKLY....thru body veining and thicker slabs that don’t need mitered, amazing finishes...all JUST COMING OUT or being released soon. If I could have waited a bit longer,..I would have!

Jennifer P - such good info. If you know of what porcelain products are coming out thicker, thru-body veining, etc, can you share that info? Im rethinking my polished option... haven't placed my order yet still working on making a final choice on contractors.

Jennifer P, I have ordered Jenn Air appliances as well except for the dishwasher although they have not been delivered and I've been told that they need notice for delivery two months in advance as they are having difficulty placing orders due to COVID. Do you like your appliances so far? I did also see the Calacatta Lux in a showroom I was in, it's the only showroom in Mass that sells Neolith. They were installing it in their kitchen and yes it was really pretty! It has a little more going on than the Calacatta Silk and the Estatuario, If I remember correctly it has darker veining. There is a lot to think about and thanks for being so informative.

Jenn air appliances have been 50/50....nothing as special about them as what I would have thought for the upgrade amount and my micro oven combo that Was installed is defective...so I’ll be waiting for who knows how long for a replacement & unable to use it...no birthday cake or party in my new home for my daughters first birthday :(. HOWEVER, customer service has been outstanding. Just today I received a call from jenn air directly. My personal opinion, is that any brand this can happen with....things aren’t made the way they used to be. Good customer service is hard to come by.

as for NEW porcelains....dekton has released some 30mm slabs even, which is insane and awesome. Some of there colors have an almost they body, so you can’t hardly tell at the edge. Sapienstone has some great thru body veining. Neolith has the ultra soft finish just released as well as they body veining in production but not yet available. there Are so many more- i will dig up my porcelain folder from a few months Ago, I talked to several fabricators and brand reps and took notes. I’m more than willing to share,

as for the polished finish- when I saw my first polished slab omg porcelain- I was in AWW....gotgeous, shiny, the exact statement I wanted to make! No one could deter me from poloshed. As my research and testing period went on.,.And I began to see real exotic marbles...I started To come around to the more matte finishes...letting the beauty of the pattern take the stage vs the finish. It took a long time- I had my top contenders samples out on the counter in 12x12 sizes for weeks...looking at them, letting them get daily kitchen wear and tear usage etc. you May or may not change your love for polished...only time will tell spending time w some samples.

Jennifer P where at in Iowa? We’re going to be building in Cedar Falls and are interested in this porcelain route four countertops.

Jennifer P that's so disappointing about the Jenn Air products! I ordered a Built-in Microwave Oven with Convection from Jenn Air (JMC2427IM) and the professional range as I do not have the wall space for the wall oven (JGRP430HM). I keep questioning if I made the right decision. I also ordered their refrigerator with water and ice dispenser on the outside door but wondering if I should change to a refrigerator that can be paneled. I'm happy to hear that customer service has been in touch and I hope your issues get worked out....so sorry to hear about your daughter’s birthday!

As far countertops, I agree with you in regard to the porcelain, I loved the polished as well but would definitely go with the silk. The Stone yard that I visit sells Neolith and Vadara Quartz and to me some of the Vadara quartz is the most realistic looking quartz (that looks natural, not necessarily like Calacatta) is the Sereno Bianco, Sereno Gold, Laneve, Calacatta Dorado and Blanco Venato however if you want a Calacatta look, none of those will look as good as the Neolith.

i wouldn’t stress about the jenn air. any brand can have its issues- things across the board aren’t made the same as they used to be. i Picked jenn air bc of some of the features that weren’t offered in the cheaper brand and because I liked the way it looked :) customer Service has been outstanding- they Ordered a new unit and are replacing it and installing.

I’m in Des Moines- im such an advocate of these new materials I tested out (neolith, dekton, sapienstone etc...,) that we are now having our kitchen dining table made out of It... heck, I might even have tops for every high usage area made out of this stuff! Not having to worry about the slamming forks, and All things disaster of having a bunch of crazy littles- makes me so much more at ease vs worrying about ruining my investments When life happens. So many great colors out there now W fantastic textures & Even wood looks. I say I’m an advocate of the materiel...but the material is only as good as it’s fabricator and installer. Everything you read about the negative stuff w porcelain being harder to cut, transport & install, is true. if I wouldn’t have had a fabricator/installer willing to back the heck out of my choice- I never would have done it...would have been too big of a risk for me. Some fabricators now are actually specializing in this stuff now tho..,the gaining popularity is definitely helping the fabricators catch up w experience and tools. So that’s a plus. If you can’t find a fabricator or aren’t sure...I would contact the company that had the color/brand you’re interested in, have Them put you in touch with the rep for your area, and that rep can recommend .

In support of what Jennifer said - it’s really worth it to sort of pick a product you want to move toward and then contact the mfg to recommend fabricators /installers in your area. They’ll only recommend fabricators that can handle their product correctly and won’t give them a bad name by cutting and installing it poorly. That’s how I found the best guys in metro Detroit that handle porcelain, they know a ton about it, have a lot of experience with it, and will back their cutting and installation. They were recommended highly by the company that created the slabs.

Kristin Clippert - I am also in the Detroit area and have fallen in love with the Antolini and Gigantec porcelain slabs. I have really struggled to find information from many people that have used the porcelain for a while. I'm curious if you decided? I'd also love to know which fabricator you are going with. If you build it up with the mitered edge, what is your fabricator putting under the countertop surface? I spoke with one that was just trying a new foam product under it, I believe it's denser than the kerdi foam backer board. The other fabricator said they used to use Kerti, but are starting to go back to their original way of just creating a wooden skeleton underneath it. I'd love to know what you, or anyone, has learned about this!

Jennifer P. - Love your countertops! I would like to go the polished route and I've taken a knife to my Antolini polished porcelain sample and barely see a scratch mark after sawing on it, I suppose over time these marks would add up if I cut on the surface. What else did you test the product with?

Hey Shawn! The porcelain fabricators I've narrowed down to are L&E Granite & Marble and Leonardo's - Im 90% sure I will use one of them, they've been very helpful and very attentive with answering questions (multiple in a day) and following up with me to see where I'm at with my project. I believe they are European guys who have lots of experience w porcelain and they used to work together but split apart into two businesses - they both have good Facebook pages with lots of photos of their work. Both come highly recommended from mfgs like MSI and almost all of them are located in the Farmington/Wixom area if you need to drive out to see slabs - they work with any product, but recommended Laminam or Antolini to me as top quality... I havent found anything in Laminam that I fell in love with but I do like the selection of Antolini slabs... "Arabescato" may be my favorite color/pattern. Antolini Tech slab "Arabescato"

(Side note: We haven't started demo yet but its because Im switching general contractors, re-interviewing companies to handle the entire project - my initital company was just too unresponsive, plus we decided to remove a wall which is also expanding the amount of flooring and other considerations so that's why its taking awhile to begin, but I hope to get going in Jan 2021 or shortly thereafter - I would rather go very slow and get it all perfect than rush through and have regrets).

I haven't made a final decision on slab because I'm waiting to work with my new contractor to pull together all the cabinet samples, hardware, flooring choices, etc and look at them all together to create just the right design. (So far I really really like Nightingale Co out of Rochester, I am leaning toward hiring them.)

I haven't personally discussed or researched how the fabricators are framing it out underneath the slabs or supporting it, but I hear that processes and products are improving all the time. Another fabricator/installer Ive talked extensively with is A/V Kitchen Design in Lake Orion down the street from my neighborhood. He is not quite as experienced w porcelain yet as L&E or Leonardo's (which is why I am not going to use him as my installer), but he did have a lot of insight into the cutting and installation process and was on the approved list of installers. He used to work at Hard Rock Stone Works installing granite and quartz for many years (Hard Rock coincidentally quoted my porcelain job as well and were MUCH more expensive than my quotes from Leonardos and L&E, so there's no way Im working with Hard Rock).

At this point Im also leaning toward only doing a small 1" mitered edge or no edge because I personally feel it looks more contemporary, but I am doing a waterfall on both sides of my island so that may force me to do a mitered edge. It also depends on the color of the slab I choose and whether the color runs all the way through the slab or when you cut it, its just white inside. I think I could get away with either idea if I chose the Arabescato? But one of my other fave slabs from Gigantec is the color "Renior Extreme" which I saw in person at CIOT and it was breathtaking! Gigantec Porcleain 12mm "Renior Extreme" It has some more dramatic black and white coloring - and if you cut that and don't add a mitered edge, in some areas you will just see the white underneath the black on top, and it will look odd and perhaps "fake" to not be wrapped around the edge.

Back to your comments about how they are framing/supporting the slab - I bet if you called Leonardo's or L&E they would be more than happy to discuss that with you, as they've been very open to answering all my questions. Good luck! Let me know more about your project as well if you have time!

If anyone in the Atlanta area need fabricators and installers for porcelain, Porcetalia provides experts for their customers! Check out our website at www.porcetalia.com and google our name for our photos. Also our Houzz Profile has project photos that we have completed! Please contact us with any questions, even if it's just questions about porcelain in general! We are always happy to help!

I'm a granite/marble fabricator and installer for the last 18 years. Half our jobs are porcelain countertops now and they are complete garbage. They break extremely easy, the epoxy does not stick properly. Waterfall islands cannot be grinded flush because the print will disappear. And we are always getting phone calls for repairs for example someone hitting the edge and breaking it off or someone drops something from only a few inches off the counter and they break instantly. It is basically like glass, something always goes wrong with them. I do not recommend them to anyone and quarts is definitely the better option. Granite would be the best option because it is natural. Designers are pushing this product only to make money.

HU:

Get Roberto Colonatti's fabrication and installation manual and get back to us please. You're describing fabricator and installer error and blaming the material.

Jennifer P - I'm in Des Moines as well!! Contractor has spec'd porcelain for our new build and I did a test of the Neolith and the quartzite slab I love and results were shocking? The Neolith wiped right off and the quartzite stained horribly. I have a 5x10 ft kitchen island and waiting to hear if the Neolith slabs come large enough. Can you tell me if you are still happy with your porcelain counters and what edge profile you used? Thank you so much!

Jennifer P - also is that an induction cooktop I see? I have used gas my whole life and planning to switch to induction but very nervous! I'm also nervous about switching to a single bowl sink but everyone seems to love theirs and I do plan to do a workstation sink.

After reading all night on Neolith products on here I was wondering if anyone has done the backsplash area in polished and the countertop/island in ultra matte?

I like most absolutely love the polished and all quotes I’ve gotten were for polished. However it seems I’m setting myself up for some quick heartache

Any thoughts?

@Diane Sacchetti Hi Diane- Reading this thread from last year. I am also in the Boston area and also looking at porcelain/Neolith countertops. I'm early on in my search as I had been considering Caesarstone. Did you install them? And can I ask if you found a good fabricator? Thanks, Audrey

Hi Jennifer

Would you mind sharing who your fabricator was?

"Not sure if the photo is helpful."

Dana:

My apologies for taking two years to notice, but your photo is very helpful in showing how not to do something. Porcelain is veneer only. It has little structural strength and should never be used as you've shown. One toe kick and your top is destroyed.

I had it done through starlight kitchens. I researched the crap out of it and asked a ton of questions based on my research.

I also have 4 kids under the age of 10 and am on our 2nd dog. The counter tops are almost 2 years old and not a scratch or Chip has occurred. We have hosted 2 Christmas parties. One catered one not and they both were a bit rowdy and not a ding in the counters. I absolutely love them.

Dana - so glad to hear your porcelain is holding up so great!! That’s very encouraging.

After 2+ years of planning / designing and researching all things kitchen and countertops, we started construction in July and we are finally about to see it all come together! Our cabinets arrive from Amish Indiana on Monday and I met with our fabricator on Friday (and saw my 4 gorgeous Antolini slabs) who said it will only be 2-3 weeks to cut them after we discuss where the pattern/ veining should be seen. I absolutely cannot wait!!! In a fun and unexpected twist, my fabricator also had some porcelain remnants that matched the countertops so well that we are using these for a quick fireplace surround update too.

I hope to post photos in about a month? Maybe they will inspire someone else to also try porcelain w/ a vetted and experienced fabricator.

Finished kitchen in Oct 2022 Antolini porcelain

Just finishing mudroom Lowes porcelain (DeVanti?)