From fabrication to installation on kitchen islands, bathroom floors, walls, and beyond, this comprehensive guide explores every essential aspect of working with porcelain slabs. We’ll cover best practices, professional tips, and common pitfalls to ensure your project succeeds from start to finish.

The kitchen countertop serves as more than just a work surface—it’s a design centerpiece and a functional core of your home. From timeless materials like marble to modern, resilient porcelain and eco-friendly options like recycled glass, the ideal countertop combines beauty, practicality, and harmony with your kitchen’s overall aesthetic. This guide explores the best kitchen countertop ideas for 2024, helping you find a solution that suits your lifestyle and design preferences.

In modern kitchens, where both style and function matter, choosing a heat-resistant countertop material is essential. Whether you're an avid home chef or someone who simply appreciates a well-designed space, countertops that can endure high temperatures without warping, cracking, or discoloring are invaluable. There are several standout materials that offer durability, beauty, and practicality. This guide dives deep into the best heat-resistant countertop materials available, offering insights into their features, pros, cons, and maintenance needs.

Porcelain slabs are ultra-thin, large-format ceramic panels made from refined natural clays, feldspar, silica, and other minerals. These materials are formed into massive sheets—commonly measuring over 3.2 × 1.3 m (126″×63″)—and fired at extremely high temperatures above 1200 °C, achieving vitrification that makes the slabs dense, non-porous, and highly durable  . Unlike traditional ceramics, porcelain slabs can mimic marble, concrete, wood, and metallic aesthetics while offering top-tier performance in indoor and outdoor environments.

When flipping a property, every decision matters—but few carry as much weight as flooring. A well-chosen floor doesn’t just make a home look more appealing; it can significantly increase resale value and help a listing stand out in a competitive market. Whether you’re updating a fixer-upper or modernizing an older space, selecting the right flooring is essential for maximizing your return on investment.

When it comes to outfitting your cottage with the perfect flooring, there’s more at stake than just picking something pretty. Cottages, especially those used year-round, endure intense seasonal shifts—from hot, humid summers to cold, dry winters. That means your flooring must do more than look good—it has to perform well under extreme conditions, offer comfort, and require minimal maintenance, even in fluctuating humidity and temperatures.

When planning a new flooring project, one of the most important decisions you’ll face is whether to handle the installation yourself or hire a professional. While cost savings can make the DIY route appealing, factors such as material type, installation complexity, and your own skill level should heavily influence your choice. Making the right call can mean the difference between a flawless finish and a frustrating, expensive do-over.

When planning a flooring project, most homeowners and designers naturally focus on the surface—what you see, feel, and walk on. The wood grain, the stain, the sheen, and the color palette all contribute to a room’s aesthetic. But beneath every well-installed wood floor lies a crucial yet often overlooked component: the underlayment.

When planning a bathroom renovation, your choice of countertop material matters as much as your tiles or fixtures. It needs to look beautiful, resist moisture, and stand up to daily wear. Porcelain, granite, marble, and quartz are all popular options—but not all are equally suited for the unique challenges of bathroom use.

Countertops are more than just functional surfaces—they set the tone for your kitchen or bathroom, influence your home’s resale value, and significantly affect your renovation budget. In Toronto, quartz countertops have long been the popular choice for their clean look, durability, and low maintenance. But with the rising popularity of porcelain slabs, many homeowners are now weighing the pros and cons of each material.

The materials chosen for countertops, feature walls, vanities, and surfaces across residential and commercial projects have a profound effect on the overall aesthetic and performance of a space. Among recent advancements in engineered stone, Nano Ink Quartz has garnered attention for its improved visual depth and resistance to surface wear. However, when stacked against the versatility and technical superiority of porcelain slabs, even this newer generation of quartz begins to show its limits.

Founded in the early 2000s, Laminam revolutionized the ceramics industry with the introduction of large-format, ultra-thin ceramic slabs. Originally conceived as an R&D hub for developing and industrializing innovative ceramic products, the company quickly evolved, identifying new applications across both traditional and emerging design sectors.

European wood flooring has long been admired in high-end interior design magazines, known for its clean lines, elegant tones, and timeless sophistication. But this design trend isn’t just reserved for showrooms—homeowners across North America are now choosing European-style hardwood flooring to bring luxury and refinement into their living spaces. So what makes European flooring so popular? Here are six standout benefits of choosing European wood flooring for your home.

25 Of the most asked questions about wood flooring options and installation (Series 2):

• What’s the best type of wood flooring for pets?

• How can I protect my wood floors from scratches and dents?

• How do I remove stains from wood floors?

• What’s the best way to clean wood floors without damaging them?

• How long do wood floors typically last?

• Can radiant heating be used under wood floors?

• Can wood flooring be installed over existing tile or concrete?

• Do wood floors add value to your home?

• How do I know if my wood floor needs to be refinished or replaced?

• What type of wood flooring is best for high-traffic areas?

25 Of the most asked questions about wood flooring options and installation (Series 1):

• What is the difference between solid hardwood and engineered hardwood flooring?

• How does vinyl plank flooring compare to real wood in terms of durability?

• Is laminate flooring a good alternative to hardwood

• What types of wood species are available for hardwood flooring?

• Which wood flooring option is best for high-traffic areas?

• Can engineered hardwood be installed in basements or over concrete?

• How long does solid hardwood flooring typically last

• What is the average cost difference between solid hardwood and laminate flooring?

• Is vinyl plank flooring waterproof?

• Can wood flooring be installed over radiant heating systems?

Choosing to install new flooring is a big decision that can dramatically enhance the look, feel, and value of your home or commercial space. Whether you’re remodeling a single room or giving your entire property a fresh new look, the flooring you select—and more importantly, who installs it—can make all the difference.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to choose the right flooring installer, including the research process, evaluating materials, checking credentials, and more. By the end, you’ll be equipped with everything you need to make a confident, informed choice.