Just as expensive as quartz, with much scarcer available trained knowledgeable fabricators. The substrate has to be perfect. That means the best cabinet installer that you can pay for too.

I am in the SF Bay Area so hopefully I can find an installer. What should I look for in a fabricator?

The $100 a square guy who has been to the manufacturers training classes. Ask them about ANSI A108.19

Have you read up about all the problems with porcelain counters, including lots of chipping problems?

There seems to be conflicting reviews on porcelain counters. Some people say they are great and have no problems. Others seem to have chipping and cracking. Every product out there seems to have negative reviews so it can be hard to decide on anything. What is the truth about porcelain counters - are they a durable product if installed properly?

Yes *if* installed properly. Do your research on the 'if.'

The training is only beginning to catch up to the demand. That’s why you have so many poor reviews. You had a lot of untrained people installing. “How hard can it be?” It turns out, like everything, most of the work to get a great job occurs in the prep, and the small things that make big differences.

I had been considering porcelain countertops, even found someone trained to do them about 2 hours from me that said he would do the install. But, the reviews scare me. I believe I'm back to quartzite in the kitchen & quartz or granite in the bathrooms/office (butcher block in the laundry). I agree, there are bad reviews on every single type of countertop out there. And, it's often those with bad experiences leaving the reviews, and those who love the product rarely take the time to leave a review. It's that way with most products out there, from my experience. Doesn't mean I don't still look at those reviews, because it always influences my decision in the end.

As with anything we all need to do our research ahead of time. In a case like this make sure your fabricator has been in business for a long time, has low turnover within the install and fabrication departments and works on high-end projects. A fabricator well versed in quartzite, for example, has taken the time to learn about this beautiful, yet temperamental material. Not every fabricator wants to work with quartzite. Same goes for porcelain (or sintra). When you find a fabricator who you feel will do a good job ask for several customers who have porcelain installed by them and then call them up. Best of luck!

We’re also considering Magnifica in Luxe White for our kitchen countertops and backsplash. I’d interested to hear what you ultimately selected, thanks!

Bedrosian did a nice job with the patterns for the Magnifica line. I am looking at using some of their large format tile in the Magnifica Taj Mahal pattern for my master bathroom and maybe another bathroom too.

Lots more competitors coming into the large format porcelain slab market.

Other porcelain slab brands that looked nice too (although I didn't see very large samples) are:

- Manufacturer: Imola Ceramica, Collection: The Room

- Walker Zanger (not a manufacturer, they rebrand with their name): Secolo collection

TBD.

It's a big giant piece of tile that takes special handling, saws & blades. The skills & training are still getting developed out there so I'm getting the same $100/sf labor wags in my region (Sacramento CA)

vs slab granite, quartzite, manmade quartz and other slab products etc that have widely developed trades, its expensive vs the others. That should change w time.

Hi @bardzil seems like you ended up going with quartz instead of the porcelain slab for your counter tops. Could you provide some insight into why you chose quartz and did you end up buying caesarstone?

@bardzil, can you post pictures please? Any trouble with Compac Unique, I was thinking about installing it but there's a thread on Houzz of people with lots of problems with it. Please advise how your doing? Thank you in advance!

so far we don’t have any significant problems with the compac unique calacatta. It cleans up well. I may have a couple small scratches but I bought the last 3 slabs the warehouse had left and I think the damage happened there because they were probably moved around a bunch as people looked at them.

there are two tiny holes in one spot which are a little concerning but they are tiny and not really noticeable (smaller than a pin). But I don’t know exactly when or how those got there.

overall, I think they are beautiful and seem pretty durable. Mine are polished finish.

Thank you. Looks beautiful!

I just spent almost $8,000 on 2 Bedrosians Magnifica Calacatta Oro counters for my master bath and so far- nightmare!!! The slab is supposed to have a soft white background with gold (Oro) veining. What showed up was blue grey color that’s not even close to the soft white of the sample of the slab they showed me in the warehouse. It’s a completely different color- not even close to the same color family ( blue-grey vs. cream!). Of course we didn’t know it was wrong until fabricated and installed. Waiting to hear back from Bedrosians if they’ll take responsibility and fix. I’ll keep you updated but BEWARE... I picked expensive porcelain because it’s supposed to be very consistent in color and no surprises. Now my beautiful beige/ cream master bath has an ugly ( expensive) grey countertop in the middle of it 😭

If you’re in the Bay Area (California) you should contact Quintals Granite and Marble, they have lots of experience fabricating porcelain slabs. We are going with Magnifica Statuario Super White in the 12mm thickness for kitchen and bathroom countertops and also for the face of our fireplace. a friend of mine has another brand porcelain countertop in her kitchen and she loves it and she has kids

@veronicamg1973, how did your porcelain slabs turn out and how are they wearing? We are considering using the Magnifica slabs as well? We also reached out to Quintals for a quote. waiting to hear back.

I use Porcelain slabs all the time and have the best fabricator in town for them. They are the most durable counter top you can get. They are even more beautiful than quartz and have so many applications. We use them from fireplace facades, floors, counter tops and walls in the shower, cabinet coverings, islands, etc.

The large procelain panels combine the look of natural materials with advanced, innovative technology. It is water-proof, resistant to scratching, staining, wear and aggressive chemicals. We specialize in Kitchen and Bathroom Designs and remodeling and I love using the Magnifica Porcelain by Bedrosians.

@sara levy. How did it work out with Bedrosians? I'm dealing with a different issue with porcelain countertops chipping and I've found customer service to be terrible.

Also curious to hear about the experience with the Magnifica. I’ve been reading about sintered stone or porcelain as alternatives to engineered quartz for my kitchen counters. The primary advantage I see is heat resistance. But a ton of negative reviews on chipping and cracking, which are turning me off.

@veronicamg1973 @Mike D @Gene G hi all, i am curious if you had it installed and how its held up? also looking into this and need a fabricator

It looks and wears beautifully!

But you need a fabricator that is certified. If they don’t have the right equipment they will shatter it is so much stronger than quartz. Call the stone company and get a referral
From them. They know who is certified and has the right equipment

I work with the Bedrosdians office in Denver and they are wonderful to deal with!