Large-Format Porcelain vs. Ultra-Compact Surfaces & Sintered Stone. What’s the Difference?
Much like a diamond, extreme heat and pressure are used to make porcelain, ultra-compact surfaces, and sintered stone. Porcelain, ultra-compact surfaces, and sintered stone use sintering in their production. Sintering is the process of compacting and forming a solid mass of material by heat or pressure resulting in a more durable material that is resistant to extreme heat, abrasions, scratches, and stains. Additionally, porcelain, ultra-compact surfaces and sintered stone are cared for and maintained similarly. They differ slightly in ingredients and in the specific processes through which each brand is sintered. That is what makes each manufacturer unique – but all share the same superior performance.
Similarities between the materials:
Porcelain slabs, sintered stone, and ultra-compact surfaces are all fired at high temperatures to create dense, durable, and non-porous materials that are resistant to scratches, stains, moisture, and UV rays and can be used to create seamless surfaces with minimal grout lines. They are available in a range of sizes and thicknesses and can be used for a variety of applications including flooring, wall cladding, countertops, and outdoor applications. They all require expert fabrication and installation that differ from traditional stone materials.
Slight differences between the materials:
Large-format porcelain, also known as porcelain slabs, is made from natural clay, feldspar, and other natural materials. Sintered stone is made by compacting natural minerals, such as quartz and porcelain, at an extremely high pressure and temperature. Ultra-compact surfaces are created from a combination of glass, quartz, and porcelain material. One of the manufacturers, Dekton, uses a unique manufacturing process known as Sinterized Particle Technology to create this material.
When it comes to the fabrication and installation of sintered stone, ultra-compact surfaces, and large-format porcelain trust the industry leader, Moderno Porcelain Works. We are 100% dedicated to working with these materials.
