LARGE FORMAT PORCELAIN
I put this material in its own category because it so new. Every week I am seeing new colors, sizes and applications. It comes in thicknesses ranging from 1⁄4” to 3⁄4” and sizes from 24” x 24” to full slabs 8’ x 10’. Some think this is going to be just a passing fad. I can tell you it is not going away and will continue to get better and better. Companies like Cosentino and MSI have invested millions of dollars in plants, marketing, and inventory to make this material. In the future we will see slabs of porcelain that will look identical to natural stone and have none of the maintenance that stone requires. Think about this: there are porcelain tiles that look exactly like wood plank. They have the texture and color of natural wood but never have to be sanded or oiled. Do you think they can’t do the same with these large format tiles to make them look like natural stone?
PORCELAIN SLAB FOR COUNTER TOPS
There are several brands on the market like Dekton, Stile, and Neolith. Each one has variances in the materials used to create the product but they are very similar in the way they have to be processed. They require special tooling and often the fabricator must be trained and certi ed to be able to work with the distributor. Since each slab is like a giant porcelain tile there is stress in the slab that must be released by cutting an inch or two off two opposing sides before any fabricating can even begin. Cutting the slab requires a special bonded blade that is different from normal bridge saw blades. The most successful blades have segments that are soft bonded with a high concentrate of diamond. The segments are closely butted together to give a smooth and chip free cut. This is critical as over 90% of the edge details are going to be a “mitered” edge. This means that the sawyer must make two perfect 45 degree cuts and laminate the pieces together to make a 90 degree edge that is as close to invisible as possible. The cutting can only be done from the outside of the slab in to the material. Plunge cutting will cause the piece to crack or split and is unrepairable. Coring is also a challenge as regular stone bits will destroy the surrounding area where the hole needs to go. Either a thin wall continuous bit or vacuum brazed bit is recommended. Polishing is very easy as the mitered edge only requires that the sharp corner be brought down to the point where it is no longer sharp and dangerous.
PORCELAIN PANELS FOR WALLS
This is the perfect application for the new large format porcelain. It is thinner and lighter weight, waterproof and antibacterial. There have been many debates on how to properly cut it. Some recommend a score and snap method and others diamond blades on various saws. Many of these are manufactured to look exactly like stone and even made to “bookmatch” multiple pieces. Bookmatching is where the veins of one piece continue onto the next piece. Our Stinger porcelain blades work great for this application.
OUTDOOR PORCELAIN PAVERS
These tiles are the newest thing in large format. They are heavy 3⁄4” thick super durable pavers that require almost zero maintenance or sealing. They can be set like any other paver and have many colors, designs and textures. Our Thin turbo porcelain blade gave the fastest chip free cuts in testing.