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But because of its vast range of effects, sizes and thicknesses, identifying the right material for your specific context requires in-depth assessment, based on criteria of practicality, durability and elegance. So the question naturally arises: how do you choose the right porcelain stoneware for your needs?
In this guide, we’ll find out how to select the most suitable porcelain stoneware flooring or paving, considering the material’s characteristics, design and intended uses.
Why choose porcelain stoneware for flooring, paving and wall coverings?
Porcelain stoneware is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a covering that impeccably combines aesthetic values with functional performance: thanks to its strength and durability, it can withstand daily wear and tear, intensive foot traffic and even the weight of heavy furniture, without any damage or deterioration.
Another of porcelain stoneware’s strengths is its easy care: this material can be cleaned with neutral cleaners, with no risk of spoiling its surface.
Since it’s waterproof, stoneware is ideal for damp locations like bathrooms and kitchens, where water can be a major problem for some materials. As it doesn’t absorb liquids, porcelain stoneware doesn’t warp and doesn’t allow mould to form, ensuring that the surface remains hygienic.
As well as its physical properties, this material also holds an impressive array of technical certificates: from the anti-slip versions, perfect for outdoor areas or zones with high humidity, to the antibacterial variants, such as those developed using the Puro Marazzi Antibacterial technology, which guarantee surfaces 99.9% free from bacteria.
Finally, Marazzi’s exclusive StepWise technology adds another level of innovation: this state-of-the-art treatment makes stoneware’s surfaces anti-slip yet soft to the touch, guaranteeing comfort and safety without sacrificing appearance.
Sustainability considerations
Marazzi porcelain stoneware doesn’t only stand for quality and design: it’s also an environment-friendly, sustainable option. The brand incorporates the use of recycled materials in its manufacturing processes, reducing environmental impact and promoting more eco-friendly production.
Choosing Marazzi’s ‘green’ porcelain stoneware means opting for a material that protects the environment, confirming the brand’s commitment to a more sustainable future.
How do you choose the right porcelain stoneware?
The choice of the most suitable porcelain stoneware depends on a number of fundamental factors:
- Size: from large sizes for continuous surfaces to medium and small sizes for smaller spaces;
- Effect: wood, marble, stone, concrete or resin, to suit every style;
- Colour: for designing warm, modern, inviting interiors;
- Thickness: different for indoors, outdoors or raised paving systems;
- Finish: matt or glossy, depending on aesthetic and functional requirements;
- Intended use: use for floors, walls, countertops, backsplash or swimming-pools.
Once you’ve decided the porcelain stoneware’s key parameters, the next step is to choose the specific material, starting from the design and the effect required.
Choosing porcelain stoneware by design and effect
Choosing porcelain stoneware by design and effect is essential if you want to make the rooms you’re creating special with surfaces that reflect your own style.
One of the most popular designs is the wood effect, ideal for creating warm, inviting interiors, making it perfect for living rooms and bedrooms. Given porcelain stoneware’s resistance to damp, this effect is even ideal for bathroom floors, where it adds visual and tactile appeal to the design scheme.
For anyone in search of a more refined, timeless look, the marble effect is an ideal choice: this finish is perfect for luxury bathrooms and interiors designed to impress, as it gives elegance and prestige to every room. Marble-effect stoneware surfaces combine this stone’s natural beauty with the versatility of stoneware, ideal if your aim is a style of impeccable sophistication.
The concrete effect, on the other hand, provides a minimalist, contemporary aesthetic. Perfect for modern and industrial chic design schemes, this material creates a mood of uncluttered simplicity, emphasising the character of lofts, open-plan kitchens and commercial locations. With its neutral shades and delicate textures, the concrete effect can be used in a wide range of combinations.
Last but not least, the stone effect is ideal if you want a material with a rugged, natural character, especially for outdoors or for rustic design schemes. With its weatherproof surfaces, this effect is particularly suited to terraces, pool edges and paths: collections like Marazzi’s Mystone Limestone offer a range of solutions that emphasise stone’s distinctive features and combine them with state-of-the-art technologies.
Choosing the right stoneware for your interior design style
Thanks to the vast range of effects and finishes available, porcelain stoneware is a material that can fit into any interior design style.
For a modern style, minimalist combinations of concrete- and marble-effect porcelain stoneware can be the ideal choice, while if you’re aiming for a classical interior, wood- and marble-effect porcelain stoneware are the ideal ingredient for a timeless, traditional look. For lovers of a rustic, welcoming mood on the other hand, stone- or terracotta-effect porcelain stoneware is the perfect solution, as it evokes the authenticity of these natural materials.
Creating a moodboard is a very useful practical aid when choosing materials, colours and effects, as it enables you to view and combine different options and get an idea of the aesthetic end result.
The moodboard is a fundamental tool when designing residential or commercial spaces or showrooms, since it lets you view and sort combinations of colours and material effects in a logical, organised way.
With these ‘stylistic drawing-boards’ you can try out materials in advance and define your style of choice with greater clarity.
Choosing porcelain stoneware by intended use
There are a number of options to choose from depending on the porcelain stoneware’s intended use: the following are a few practical examples for specific contexts.
Bathrooms, kitchens and other indoor areas: the characteristics of the best porcelain stoneware
Porcelain stoneware is an excellent choice for indoor floors and wall coverings: perfect for rooms like bathrooms, kitchens and living rooms, this material combines high design values with practicality, with options to suit all lifestyles.
- In the bathroom, thanks to its anti-slip properties and excellent resistance to damp it guarantees safety and durability even in a place where a lot of water is present.
- In the kitchen, its easy cleaning and stain-resistance make it ideal for intensive use.
- In the living room, wood- and marble-effects are amongst the most popular, helping to create warm, inviting moods without sacrificing convenience.
As well as on floors, porcelain stoneware is also a versatile option for covering vertical surfaces. The walls of bathrooms and kitchens, which don’t have to withstand foot traffic or heavy loads, can be covered with the same material as the floors, creating a unique, original visual continuity. This characteristic enables eye-catching design features such as ceramic carpets.
Another of porcelain stoneware’s benefits is its compatibility with under-floor heating systems, since it is able to conduct and distribute heat evenly, fundamental for comfort and impressive energy saving.
Choosing stoneware for outdoor areas: strength and thickness
Porcelain stoneware is also an ideal choice for outdoor areas.
This material is suitable for a wide range of outdoor applications, including terraces, gardens, paths, pool edges and even pools themselves.
One of the most important factors to bear in mind when choosing stoneware for outdoor use is the recommended porcelain stoneware thickness: for conventional installation, a standard size is fine, but for more innovative solutions, such as a floating paving, or tiles laid unglued on grass, gravel, etc., slabs with thickness of 20 mm are required. This thickness guarantees greater strength and stability, ideal for withstanding heavy loads and difficult environmental conditions, as in the case of driveways.
Technical premises
Porcelain stoneware with high technical performance characteristics is the ideal solution for both indoor and outdoor commercial and industrial locations, where surfaces are exposed to particularly challenging conditions of use. These locations require materials that can withstand intense traffic, heavy loads and constant stresses with no reduction in their safety and durability over time.
What’s more, porcelain stoneware in technical contexts offers a series of additional benefits, including resistance to chemicals, damp and variations in temperature, making it suitable even for outdoor areas exposed to adverse weather conditions.
Final practical tips for choosing porcelain stoneware
A number of fundamental factors must be carefully considered when choosing porcelain stoneware. One of the most important is the size of the tiles, crucial when defining spaces: large slabs are ideal for creating continuous surfaces and making small interiors appear larger, while small and medium sizes provide greater flexibility when designing details.
Another vital factor is the difference between glossy and matt stoneware. Glossy surfaces are elegant and gleaming, perfect for modern interiors or prestige locations, while matt finishes are ideal for a natural, minimalist aesthetic, with a more understated appeal.
Last but not least, obviously the choice of colour affects the interior’s mood: light shades make spaces seem larger, while brighter colours can be used to create distinctive highlights, such as on a wall of a shower or in a backsplash.
The Marazzi collections: Italian quality and design
The Marazzi collections exemplify the excellence of Italian design, combining beauty, innovation and sustainability: collections like Mystone Limestone accurately reproduce the consistency of stone, while Allmarble perfectly re-creates the elegance of the finest varieties of marble.
With porcelain stoneware, you can give a location character without sacrificing practical considerations: with its innovative collections and genuine Italian design, Marazzi enables you to transform any interior into a unique, individual place.
Explore the collections and be inspired by Marazzi’s style.