Porcelain slabs (known as porcelain paving) are manufactured by baking sand, clay and other minerals together. This mixture is then heated to a very high temperature in a kiln which produces a non-porous and extremely durable material.
They have become more and more fashionable over the years as they are beautiful to look at, very hard wearing and feel nice under your feet.
Are there any downsides to porcelain?
People will always tell you that porcelain slabs are excellent for both indoor and outdoor use. However it’s not all rosey in the porcelain garden and there are some downsides to porcelain.
Firstly, they are quite expensive. Typically more expensive than other, more commonly used, materials. This isn’t necessarily a negative as porcelain slabs are so hard wearing that, if you compare the lifetime cost against cheaper materials, it can be very economical to install porcelain. Although this will depend on considerations such as, how long are you keeping the installation? If you are looking to change the look in a few years or move house then it might not be economically viable.
Probably the biggest problem with laying porcelain slabs is installing them correctly. They are very finicky and, if not installed correctly, then they will “pop” – this is the colloquial term for the slabs lifting. This is a major problem and can happen many months after installation.
The biggest reason for porcelain slabs lifting is due to a lack of priming before the slabs are laid. Unlike traditional materials – stone or concrete slabs – with porcelain it is absolutely imperative that they are correctly primed before laying. This makes it a very arduous DIY job as you need several workers in order to cover an area properly. Someone manning the mixer to make the adhesive, someone applying the primer, someone laying / levelling the slabs and one or two other runners to carry materials to the correct area when they are needed.
Luckily, here at S. Matthew Paving Property and Ground Maintenance, as the name suggests, we are experts at laying all types of materials and have completed many porcelain jobs (including re-doing other tradespeoples poor workmanship). Why take risks with your time and money, get in touch with us and let us do it right for you first time!
The beauty of porcelain
