Porcelain Is Creating New Opportunities. Is Your Shop Ready?

Dear Fabricators,

Large-format porcelain is quickly becoming one of the most important growth opportunities in the surfacing industry. What was once viewed primarily as a specialty material is now being specified for showers, feature walls, fireplaces, exterior cladding, backsplashes, and other high-value applications.

For fabricators, that growth represents tremendous opportunity—but taking advantage of it requires the right knowledge and skills.

One of the biggest mistakes a shop can make is approaching porcelain the same way it approaches quartz or granite. Porcelain behaves differently. The tooling is different. The handling is different. Cutting, fabrication, finishing, and installation all require techniques specific to the material.

Learning those differences through trial and error can be expensive. Slab breakage, chipped edges, damaged tooling, callbacks, and unsuccessful installations can quickly turn a promising new product category into a costly learning experience.

That is exactly why we developed ISFA Porcelain Training.

You Won’t Just Watch. You’ll Build.

On September 1, we are bringing fabricators together in Houston, Texas, for a full day of hands-on porcelain training beginning at 9:00 a.m.

This is not a course designed around sitting in a classroom and watching someone else fabricate. It is a 100% hands-on training experience designed to give you practical skills you can take directly back to your shop.

Participants will work through the porcelain fabrication process from beginning to end—including material handling and inspection, cutting, fabrication, installation, and finishing.

We’ll get into the details that make a difference on the shop floor: water jet and bridge saw cutting techniques, feed rates, blade selection, sink cutouts, mitering and seaming, adhesives, edge work, polishing, handling, transportation, installation techniques, safety practices, and manufacturer warranty guidelines.

Most importantly, you’ll have the opportunity to work directly with the material and understand why techniques that may work well with quartz or granite cannot simply be transferred to porcelain.

See the Tools and Techniques in Action

Knowing which products and tools to use is one thing. Understanding how they perform in a real fabrication environment is another.

The Big Dog Adhesives demonstration will give attendees a closer look at adhesive applications within the porcelain fabrication process, including considerations around mitering, seaming, and assembly. It is an opportunity to connect product selection and application techniques with the quality of the finished project.

Terminator Diamond Products will demonstrate diamond tooling used in porcelain fabrication, giving attendees an opportunity to see how proper tooling and technique contribute to cleaner cuts, better finishes, greater consistency, and reduced risk of material damage.

Having industry suppliers participate adds another layer to the hands-on experience. Instead of simply talking about blades, tooling, adhesives, and fabrication methods, we can put those solutions to work and give attendees the opportunity to learn from the people who know them best.

Build Skills—and Build New Business

Technical education should do more than teach you how to fabricate a material. It should help prepare your business for what comes next.

As architects, designers, builders, and homeowners continue embracing large-format porcelain, shops that know how to fabricate and install it successfully will be better positioned to pursue projects their competitors may have to turn away.

And the opportunity extends well beyond countertops.

Understanding vertical porcelain applications can open the door to showers, fireplaces, feature walls, backsplashes, cladding, and other architectural projects that expand what your shop can offer its customers.

That is where education becomes an investment in your business.

The goal is not simply to complete a porcelain project during training. It is to leave with greater confidence in your tooling, processes, fabrication techniques, and installation practices so you can approach the next porcelain opportunity knowing your team is better prepared to execute it successfully.

Invest in Your Craft

Whether your shop is just beginning to work with porcelain or you already have experience and want to improve consistency, this training is an opportunity to sharpen your skills alongside other professionals who understand the realities of fabrication.

At ISFA, we believe some of the most valuable education happens when fabricators can get their hands on the material, ask questions, make cuts, solve problems, and learn from experienced professionals and one another.

That is what this training is designed to provide.

Participants who actively complete the project with a satisfactory result will also receive a certificate of completion.

Porcelain is creating new opportunities across our industry. I encourage you to make sure you—and your shop—are prepared to take advantage of them.

Join us September 1 in Houston and come ready to work. You won’t just watch. You’ll build.

Sincerely,

Aaron Davis
ISFA, Chief of Education