There are many different materials on the market, but the pros recommend natural stone and porcelain for bathroom and kitchen countertops. Natural stone won't show chips or imperfections as clearly, explains Angelica Baeza of Arizona Tile, one of the state's leading showrooms, but it does require regular sealing.
Ceramic tile is a strong middle-of-the-road option for new countertop options. It's durable, comes in a vast number of colors and sizes and is affordable to purchase in bulk. And it's also particularly friendly for a DIY project if you want to create your new counters yourself.
Known as the most durable type of tile on the market, porcelain is harder, denser, tougher, and less porous than ceramic tile. It also has a very low absorption rate, meaning it's virtually impervious to water damage, even after prolonged exposure.
Green Porcelain Tile Kitchen Countertop
Porcelain tile is ideal for hardworking kitchens. The material is made up of different clays and minerals that when fired forms a very durable surface that is much harder than ceramic.
Kitchen Countertops
Ceramic tile is impervious to heat and water, and when properly glazed, it won't stain. Proper sealant helps ensure grout won't discolor or stain, and large-format tiles cover a lot of area with minimal grout lines. Still most popular out west, ceramic tile is a solid option worth a second look.
However, porcelain is cheaper than granite, marble and quartz. And the good news is that once installed, your maintenance cost is very low. As you can see, a high-quality porcelain countertop is a versatile and durable product that gives you high performance and isn't difficult to install.
Cost: It costs more to manufacture porcelain tile. This means a higher price compared to ceramic tile. It's long-term durability, however, offers savings over time.
Ceramic and porcelain tile floors can be notoriously slippery. The very feature that makes tile easy to clean—its smooth, non-porous nature—also means that it is slippery underfoot. Add extra tile glazing, water, and dress shoes, and a rush to get to work can mean a trip to the emergency room instead.
The surface of most ceramic and porcelain tile does not need to be sealed, although some require a light application of a penetrating sealer to fill the micro pores on the surface of the tile. However, the grout joint between the tiles is usually very porous and generally made of a cement-based material.
Tile countertops were hugely popular in the '70s and '80s. Now they're making a comeback, albeit in more modern, minimally styled installations. Even if you have tile that's been there since before you were born, you can make it look good.
For countertops that will see heavy use in a wet location, install cement backerboard over the plywood base, and a trowel-applied or sheet membrane, before installing tile.
The tile itself can range from $2 a square foot up to $30 a square foot. The average cost to install tile countertops is $1,500 but can be done for as low as $500 or as high as $3,000, depending upon what you get. Installation costs run between $540 and $2,000 depending on the area you want to tile.
Unlike natural stone, laminate, or solid surface (made of mineral dust and resins), tile offers endless creative possibilities for your kitchen countertop—from simple square patterns to elaborate mosaics.
If the laminate surface and its lower substrate are in good condition, you can apply ceramic or porcelain tile directly on top of the laminate. In fact, a laminate countertop in good condition is nearly the ideal surface for tiling: flat, smooth, and level.
Countertops have one of the biggest visual impacts on a space, yet many refurbishing options are either too time consuming to complete or not financially feasible. A relatively inexpensive and quick way to resurface countertops is to install small peel and stick tiles on top of the existing surface.
Hard, dense, and solid, porcelain is resistant to most heavy stresses and can even be used in commercial environments. Be aware, though, that the hardness of porcelain can make it slightly more brittle than standard tiles, which means they can be more susceptible to cracking.
While both ceramic and porcelain are less expensive than most renovation materials, their price differences are due to their density differences. Porcelain tiles are therefore more expensive than ceramic tiles.
The average cost range for porcelain tiles is $2 to $30 a square foot for the material, with most people spending between $3 and $10 a square foot. Including installation, this makes the total average range $9 to $40 a square foot, with most people paying $10 to $20 a square foot.
The main difference between a porcelain and ceramic tile is the rate of water they absorb. Porcelain tiles absorb less than 0.5% of water whilst ceramic and other non-porcelain tiles will absorb more. This is down to the stuff used to make porcelain tiles. The clay is denser and so less porous.
Porcelain tiles have a fine-grained finish that is smoother than the finish on ceramic tiles. So, if the finish is slightly bumpy or coarse when you touch it, you're dealing with non-porcelain (ceramic) tile. If the tiles are already glazed, flip them over and look at the unglazed underside.
Porcelain, while extremely durable once installed, is very fragile during the fabricating process and can easily be chipped or cracked, which also makes finding an experienced fabricator highly important.”
Quartz takes first place in terms of durability. Made of crushed quartz stone mixed with polymers and resin, this artificially engineered stone countertop is an extremely durable surface that resembles natural stone.
Porcelain Countertop Price
The average price of porcelain slabs including installation is between $55 to $120 per square foot. Meanwhile, the average price of granite and quartz countertops including installation is around $45 to $200 per square foot and $75 to $150 per square foot, respectively.