Depends on the sink. I think it will work with a sleek contemporary version like this.

Here is a porcelain slab 1/2" on a bathroom vanity we did.

if you do get the porcelain, educate yourself on its install. some fabricators/installers are unaware that's it's to be installed just like you would large tile (with cement board and thinset mortar). this allows expansion and contraction. if they try to install like they would quartz (with silicone blobs) the porcelain can get hairline cracks. they also have to do radius corner and edges. So, do your homework and get someone who knows how to work with it.

yes you can do an under mount sink, but radius corners.

Thank you both. I’m planning to have a sink like the second picture. I’m nervous about this option though and not knowing if it will be properly installed. I just learned about it on Sunday and loved the looks of it. Have you heard of the brand/company level? This is what the store I visited carries. They quoted me $22.31 per sqf. Some of the forums I read said it can be as expensive as quartz. I’m still waiting for a quote on the quartz but I suspect the Caesar stone I like will be much more expensive.

$22 a foot is very suspect. I’d buy $122 a foot. That’s closer to reality. And yes, full thinset support underneath is required by most, not all, manufacturers. There are lots of seminars out there for fabricators to attend. Including upcoming ones in MI and CA with Roberto Colonetti. Contact Brent DeCinque to attend. He also runs a FB group for thin porcelain and sintered fabbers.

Dustin Aust’s job in Porcelain and Compact Surfaces Alliance Group.

There have been lots of issues with large porcelain breaking because it wasn’t supported properly. Blobbing is a NO. It’s still tile, just very big tile, and that means 90% coverage with specialty mortar is required. It’s fabricated more like stone, and installed like tile. There aren’t a lot around with year combination of skill sets.

$22? Someone forgot a 0.

I am a fabricator. Thinset for install and expensive. NOT $22/SF. Make sure your fabricator has experience with the product; it's a steep learning curve in the fab shop.

Thanks everyone. Point taken. I think I’m going to stay with quartz. I don’t want to take the risk. I appreciate all the advise!

old ryder and Cooks Kitchen,,,,if installed correctly, how do those porcelain slabs hold up? obviously no cutting on them, but other than that, any issues w/scratching? like if you throw your grocery bags on it and slide things across, any issues with that?

BTW, I was quoted $45 a sq ft for install only on that product. (I don't know if that included my trade discount)

the list price on the slab was 1700.

Beth; properly installed the porcelain should wear fine and be resistant to scratching. $45/sq ft for install seems reasonable given the substantial additional effort required for thinset.

Again the porcelain top I posted above and others throughout the same house were installed with silicone. Not blobs of it, just low profile lines, perimeter, criss-cross etc. on a solid cabinetry top. Material worked in (slab slid back and forth a bit) so there is less than a 1/6" void. I don't know all the manufactures recommendations (this was from "Stone Source") but I can't see how it would crack from non support. Thinset/cement board would have raised the top off the cabinet. Not the look we were going for. As for price not as high as people are quoting. Maybe because we have hundreds of fabricators in my area.

it's not the support that's the issue. It's expansion and contraction that causes tiny cracks. If the wood underneath expands, and the material doesn't not flex with it, what do you think is going to happen? the thinset allows for flexion w/o breaking.

Do you apply silicone blobs to porcelain floor tile or wall tile? no. it's set w/mortar. A porcelain slab is no different than a giant tile.

This material is not stone and it's not a man made material from quartz and resin. Porcelain is made from clay. So why would install be the same?

The slabs also need to be handled differently during transport to be fabricated. during fabrication special tools are needed to prevent hairline cracks and fissures. Mitering and cuts need to be done differently. And of course 90% coverage is needed w/proper mortar. When fabricated and installed correctly, porcelain countertops can be stronger than granite.

So, as you can see, it's a specialized product that should not be treated like other materials.

They have schools that show fabricators/installers how to install this material. if it was supposed to be 'silicone blobs', why the extra courses? Why all the hoopla over porcelain countertops getting cracks and fissures? It's because the install was done incorrectly.

As for price not as high as people are quoting. Maybe because we have hundreds of fabricators in my area.

Or maybe it's because they don't do anything differently than installing stone/or quartz. what they don't tell you is complaints they get down the line. They blame it on the product, not their method of install.

So it turns out that the cost of $22.31 did not include installation. I plan to send them the design and see how much they quote me and take it from there. If I decide to look further into it I’ll ask to speak to the installer so I can ask the questions based on all the information you have all kindly provided. One more question though, can the porcelain chip easier than quartz around the edges of the farm house sink? I’m just having a hard time picturing porcelain being as strong as quartz.

I'm not arguing about what's the best way to install these tops I'm just stating how it was done in my case. I specifically said NOT blobs of silicone. As far as expansion I also said it was put on soild cabinet top there is no expansion there. I would think silicone RUBBER is more flexible the CEMENT but that just my logical understanding. Thinset may be the recommended way to install. That's not how mine was done and there's no issues. I know it requires a different blade than you use for stone and handling it especially with cut outs can be tricky. Other than that I'll continue to build the cabinets and leave the install to "Beth H".

Our fabricator required 1" thick plywood under the porcelain slab for our bathroom double sink counter. This was part of a 13 slab master bath remodel.