Porcelain: Perfect for Perth
When you think of porcelain you may conjure an image of bone china figurines. Or maybe like us you’re keeping an eye on European design trends and seeing porcelain pop up almost everywhere. Porcelain has been used for thousands of years all around the world in many ways. Today this sophisticated material is preferred by the best builders for its durability, superior aesthetics and almost endless possibilities in construction.
Porcelain is made through a demanding process involving high quality clay, normally including kaolinite, kiln fired between 1200°C and 1400°C. The result is a versatile and incredibly durable ceramic that can be seamlessly integrated into kitchens, bathrooms, on walls, even outdoors. Porcelain panels represent a new benchmark in design.
If you are a new home buyer or home renovator looking to design a quality new kitchen, or simply looking to upgrade, then you’ve most likely noticed the rising popularity of porcelain benchtops. Porcelain’s durability and versatility has now seen it become the preferred material for kitchen benchtops. Read on for all the information you will need to decide whether porcelain is right for you.
The (many) benefits of porcelain
Versatility
Porcelain’s superior aesthetic and hardwearing qualities, paired with our expertise as innovative builders and designers, makes it well suited to almost every area in the home.
You are likely familiar with silky-smooth indoor porcelain benchtops – you may have even been inspired by a Bravvo porcelain benchtop.
Outdoor porcelain is also quickly gaining popularity as a hardwearing and visually striking material, perfect for everything from wall panelling to BBQ benchtops.
Visit our gallery to see the innovative ways in which Bravvo have achieved incredible results with personalised porcelain in different areas of the home.
Low silica content
Porcelain contains very low amounts (<4%) of silica which greatly reduces health risks for us as manufacturers.
There is absolutely no health risk in any of our finished stone products. However, to avoid disease attributed to silica dust we implement strict industry-leading safety measures in our workshop.
This includes crafting beautiful porcelain benchtops, despite the risks of silica dust being almost non-existent.
Durability
Porcelain has stood the test of time since it first showed up over 2,000 years ago, so it is sure to last in your home. Porcelain is a tough, crack-resistant and resilient material with physical properties that make it hardwearing both indoors and out.
Superior quality porcelain like the material Bravvo are proud to use is made from the finest quality clay and kiln fired for outstanding durability in all environments.
These are just some of the reasons we recommend porcelain to Perth building and renovation clients, however there are many more:
- Wide range of finishes
- Hardwearing and hygienic
- Thin profile for a sleek look
- Fantastic insulator
- Easy to install
- Low maintenance and easy to clean
- Incredibly resilient
- Seamless integration with all design styles
- Fire and flame resistant
Tailored to your needs
With a wide range of available finishes, textures, thicknesses, lengths available up to 3.2m by 1.6m, porcelain panels are highly customisable to suit your desired look.
Does porcelain have any drawbacks?
- Although porcelain is a highly durable material, heavy impact may cause it to chip or shatter where thinner porcelain benchtops are used, due its brittleness. However, this risk can be minimised by selecting porcelain panels of an appropriate thickness.
- Due to its density, porcelain panels can be extremely heavy and must only be installed by a professional.
- Porcelain stone benchtops can be more costly, due to greater manufacturing costs and a higher level of difficulty involved in installation.
When to use porcelain
Food preparation areas
Porcelain’s high density, hardness and low porosity make it highly resistant to absorption from spills, bacteria build up and scratches.
Around gas cooktops
Because it is heat and flame resistant, porcelain won’t crack or become discoloured making porcelain benchtops and splashbacks a popular choice.
Sunny areas
Forget fading: outdoor porcelain is highly UV resistant withstand the sun’s rays without losing its lustre.
Long benches and islands
Because porcelain slabs are available up to 3.2m by 1.6m – larger than quartz slabs – you can enjoy a kitchen prep area without joins.
Surface cladding
We supply matching porcelain panels and tiles for truly seamless integration in every room. Lighter and thinner than other materials (down to just 3mm), indoor porcelain is ideal for feature walls, kitchen door panels, drawer fronts, splashbacks – you name it!
Types of porcelain
Bella Series
The Bella Series porcelain panels are made by exposing carefully selected natural minerals to extremely high pressure and temperatures. Made in Italy, the Bella Series comes in several distinct styles and is perfectly suited to a majority of indoor and outdoor uses.
Neolith
Neolith takes an innovative approach to architecture and interior design. Providing material with extraordinary characteristics, appropriate for interiors and exteriors.
Laminam
The inspiration behind Laminam was to develop the largest, thinnest slab of ceramic ever seen, developing a new concept surface with huge potential and versatility that brings new value to the building architecture and interior design world.
Porcelain uses beyond the kitchen
The numerous benefits of porcelain mean its uses are not only limited to the kitchen. This ultra-compact material makes for an ideal, high quality, low maintenance material for any area of the home.
Bravvo have completed innovative transformations in bathrooms, walls, floors, outdoors and feature pieces, which you can see in our gallery.
Think Bravvo for porcelain
We are always pushing the boundaries of what is possible with porcelain.
Browse our project gallery to discover new ways this superior and sophisticated material can achieve an incredible finish in Perth homes.
If you have a project in mind, contact us to start a conversation. We will have a solution in porcelain or engineered stone, perfectly suited to your plans.
