Porcelain countertops and slabs in Chicago and the suburbs
Porcelain slab fabrication: what we fabricate
Large-format porcelain slabs, mostly 12mm: Calacatta Gold on a floor-to-ceiling fireplace and a full-height kitchen backsplash with a matching range hood, Calacatta bookmatched on a fireplace, Statuary on shower walls, Sahara Noir honed and polished on two fireplaces, and Calacatta Viola as a block island in a wine cellar. The pattern is printed and fired, so slabs are consistent and the sizes are large. We fabricate Neolith and Dekton.
Where porcelain belongs
Where stone can't go, or can't go seamlessly: fireplaces next to heat, full-height walls, shower and tub surrounds, range hoods, and outdoor kitchens. Porcelain is heat-proof, UV-stable, scratch-resistant, and non-porous. As a countertop it's excellent for a modern kitchen that wants a matte, seamless surface. Where it asks for care: it's hard but brittle, so the edge work and the installer matter more than with any other material.
Finish and edge
Matte and polished, in the slab's own finish. Because porcelain is thin, most edges are mitered so a 12mm slab reads as a 2cm or thicker block — on hearths, islands, and hood cladding. Bookmatching two slabs across a fireplace centerline is where porcelain's large format shines.
Care, honestly
Nothing to seal, strong stain resistance, hot pans straight on it. Avoid hard impacts on an unsupported edge — that's the one way to chip it — and it will look the same in twenty years as it does the day it's set.
Porcelain next to quartz and stone
Against quartz, porcelain takes heat and sun that quartz cannot, which is why it goes on fireplaces and outdoors. Against natural stone, it is consistent from slab to slab, thinner, and never sealed; the trade is that the pattern is printed, not grown, and the edges need more care. For the side-by-side, read quartz vs. porcelain and Living with porcelain.
Porcelain we have installed
Calacatta Gold on a floor-to-ceiling Chicago fireplace, Calacatta Gold in a Northbrook kitchen, Calacatta Gold with Pure White quartz in a Chicago kitchen, Calacatta Statuary in a Wilmette kitchen, bookmatched Calacatta on a Western Springs fireplace, Statuary on Barrington shower walls, honed Sahara Noir in Park Ridge, polished Sahara Noir in Northbrook, and Calacatta Viola on a Hinsdale wine cellar island.
Where the work is
The porcelain projects above are in Chicago, Wilmette, Western Springs, Barrington, Park Ridge, Northbrook, and Hinsdale.
Porcelain · Common questions
Is porcelain durable as a countertop?
Very. Large-format porcelain is heat-proof, UV-stable, scratch-resistant, and non-porous — you can set a hot pan on it. It is hard but brittle, so the fabrication and edge work matter; done right, it lasts.
Can porcelain go on walls and fireplaces?
Yes — that's where it shines. Slabs are large and thin, so we can run a single surface up a full-height backsplash, wrap a fireplace floor to ceiling, or clad a full shower wall with almost no seams.
Does porcelain need sealing?
No. Porcelain is fired non-porous, so it never needs sealing and resists staining.
Can porcelain be used outdoors?
Yes. Porcelain is UV-stable and heat-proof, so it holds its color in the sun, which is where engineered quartz struggles.
Does porcelain chip?
It can, at an exposed edge under a hard impact. Porcelain is hard but brittle, so edges are mitered and supported, and the installation matters more than with any other material.
