Remodeling Your Kitchen and Bathroom

4 Reasons to Consider Porcelain Over Granite for Your Kitchen Benchtops

Granite has long been the go-to choice for any homeowner interested in a high-end kitchen benchtop. But that could all be changing. There's a relatively new kid on the block, and that kid is called porcelain.

It might sound like an odd idea to use porcelain for your kitchen benchtops, but the truth is that it comes with a whole host of advantages over granite. Here are just four.

1. Porcelain Offers a Wider Range of Styles

Since granite is a natural stone, it isn't available in too many shades or colours. Porcelain is also made from natural materials, but varying them can produce a wide range of colours. If you want to work around a certain colour theme, you'll never feel restricted when you use porcelain for your benchtops. You'll even be able to have pigmentation applied to produce patterning – if you want the natural veining of a material such as marble, it can be done.

2. Porcelain Comes in Larger Slabs

In general, porcelain kitchen benchtops can be made from much larger slabs than you'd have with granite. Larger slabs mean fewer joins, which speeds up installation. Better yet, fewer grout lines means a seamless appearance, and there will be no risk of encountering seam issues in the future.

3. Porcelain Is Stronger

You'll typically raise some eyebrows when you tell people that porcelain is stronger than granite. Nevertheless, it's absolutely true. This is because porcelain is made by firing raw materials at incredibly high temperatures, and the glaze applied provides additional durability. Granite is also tough, but it's not quite as strong as porcelain. If you drop a pan or accidently scratch a knife across the surface of your benchtop, damage will be more likely when that benchtop is made of granite.

4. Porcelain Is Easier to Maintain

Any natural stone will need to be sealed after installation and then resealed every couple of years. This is because natural stone has a porous surface. If the seal starts to break down, your granite benchtop will start to collect bacteria, oil and water in its pores. This will produce staining and discoloration, and it's obviously going to make your working surfaces less hygienic. With porcelain, no sealing is ever required because the firing it goes through forms a protective barrier. You won't ever have to worry about resealing or face the consequences of forgetting to carry that task out.