Porcelain Slabs & Large Format Tiles

Think of everything you know about porcelain floor tiles. Now imagine having all those benefits on the countertop, the wall, bath and shower, or fireplace with very few joints and lots less grout. Europe has been designing with these extra-large format surfaces for a few years. Now they have hit the American market and are making a huge impact. Large format porcelain slabs increase the scale and style of porcelain tile on par with natural stone slab. This is opening up a whole new world.

These beautiful tiles are show stoppers. They are often used on feature walls for hotels, entryways, master showers, and entertainment walls. They come in 48” x 48’ pieces, as well as 96” x 48” pieces. Unique to the ADU Design Center 20% of our large format porcelain tiles have a book-matching option. This makes the tiles look as one continuous piece. A true MUST SEE, in person. We have 4 full wall displays featuring these in our showroom.

More About Porcelain

Porcelain is a vitrified pottery material that can be opaque or somewhat translucent. Porcelain is made from heating a mix of powdered china stone and white china clay, also known as kaolin, at about 1450°C.  The high temperature causes the china stone to vitrify into a dense, highly durable material, while the object retains its shape thanks to the kaolin. Impurities such as silica, mineral oxides, and feldspars exist in the clay, but rather than detracting from the porcelain’s quality, they add to its strength and color. When porcelain slabs are manufactured for use in countertops, they’re coated with a pigmented glaze. This is to give them an aesthetic appeal similar to that of natural stone or even marble.

After enduring such high fabrication temperatures, it makes sense that one advantage is its heat resistance. You should have no problem handling hot pots and pans even when you place them directly on a porcelain countertop. Porcelain is stronger than the hardiest granite – almost 30% stronger in fact. Porcelain’s tough structure also makes it scratch resistant. You can even slice and dice food right on it without worrying about your knives damaging the surface. Besides being easy to keep clean, porcelain is also non-porous and stain resistant. That’s music to a countertop owner’s ears because it means no sealing is required. Quality porcelain used to make countertops is scratchproof, along with being heatproof and highly durable.