If not, you missed some great information     

   and a great evening!

Dan explained the process for porcelain pavers—Dirt 101, the benefits & Features of Porcelain Pavers, Technical specifications, Benefits & Features of Porcelain Pavers, and the Domestic demand surge-Stock, Production, Capacity, and Availability.

Our member Adam Tompkins who is a Hardscape and Stone Specialist wrote the following:

Porcelain is less than .5% porous. This makes these pavers resistant to chemicals, stains, mold, mildew, and odor. Bonus feature they never need to be sealed like wood or stone. The breaking strength and density make them very durable and unlike many other materials they can withstand freeze/ thaw conditions. Maintenance is easy and they can even withstand pressure washing.

• Porcelain pavers are UV stable, so they retain the color and beauty longer than most materials.
• The ability to print not only colors but also texture make them very slip resistant

Probably the best feature is that because it is a printed surface you can make them look like anything. There are 100’s if not 1000’s of different prints to mimic natural stone and wood plank. Since this is a man-made product you get consistency that you cannot get with natural stone or wood. I think the most interesting aspect is that they can be set several different ways. You can set them in a standard mortar bed like indoor tile, you can set them on compacted sand, there are several pedestal systems that raise the tile off of the ground and they are so durable they can just be set on the ground like step stones. Up to this point there have only been “guidelines” for installation, but I just heard that ANSI and TCNA will have standards for installation by next year.

As we saw at both national tile shows this year, porcelain is being used everywhere. The technology is getting better every day. Some of the tiles and panels being produced now are indistinguishable from natural stone and wood. In the very near future, we will see through bodied porcelains that can be fabricated just like natural stone and totally repairable. I can’t wait to see what’s next.