Faience and porcelain: what is the difference?

Both faience and porcelain are popular materials for the production of dishes. Without preliminary preparation and knowledge of the features of these materials, it will be difficult to distinguish them from each other. Therefore, before picking up the dishes, you should be familiar with the characteristics of such products.

Such a strong similarity between faience and porcelain is explained by the fact that clay is the main material for their manufacture. In the production of added other components: mineral and organic. Each material has its own elements, so the composition is still different.

Faience is a subspecies of ceramics, which is made from baked clay. It also added silicate, white clay, quartz. The resulting product has small pores, it is quite fragile.

The product range is very wide: you can easily purchase salad bowls, plates, tea pairs, napkin holders, large dishes and much more. Tableware is not too expensive, because its production is relatively easy.

There are several advantages of faience:

• acceptable price;
• opacity;
• strength.

There are several disadvantages:

• rejects heat;
• after a time it starts cracking, with tiny cracks;
• with improper care, the glaze cracks and “crawls”.

As for porcelain, here we will observe the same composition, but the proportions will be different: unlike porcelain, porcelain contains less clay. Products made of such material are durable, they lack pores, transparency can be observed. Of course, dishes will be much more expensive than earthenware, since porcelain is harder to get.

We note some advantages:

• sophisticated and elegant appearance;
• quality;
• full environmental friendliness of products;
• excellent thermal conductivity.

Among the minuses:

• high price;
• the need for careful care;
• low impact resistance.

The first step in the manufacture of both materials is the preparation of the ingredients. To make faience, water is added to the mixture of clay and kaolin, and then sand. After filtering the mixture, it is exposed to filters, put in a grinder and left for some time in a cool room. Then the mass is sent to the second grinder. During the production of porcelain ingredients are also mixed, and then treated with several types of mixers. Then filtered, filtered and left in cool. After the required time has elapsed, the mixture is sent under a press.

At the second stage of making faience masters have to give shape to the mass, and then - burn it. Porcelain is shaped due to plaster, followed by thorough drying. And only after drying, porcelain is burned, using special furnaces for this, the temperature in which must be strictly controlled.

The third step is the same for both species. They are covered with glaze, painted and decorated. For painted faience usually used ready-made stencils, porcelain can be painted manually.

Products made from materials such as earthenware and porcelain are very beautiful.Despite external similarity, they differ from each other in physical characteristics and production technology. Consider the difference between the materials, and compare them.

• More than 85% of faience - clay, which is why products so well pass water. In porcelain, clay is much smaller, most of the composition is occupied by minor components, such as feldspar, white clay, etc. These characteristics are due to the fact that porcelain can resemble glass.
• In the manufacture of porcelain fired at very high temperatures, for the earthenware data, these figures will be much lower.
• Porcelain does not absorb moisture at all, but faience does not differ in this quality due to the fact that most of it is again made of clay.
• Porcelain is transparent, glass-like, light penetrates through it, but the second described material is absolutely not transparent.
• If you hit the dishes, the porcelain will emit a pure, melodic ringing, while faience products will respond with a dull sound.
• Porcelain does not age, it is eternal, but cracks resembling craquelure form on the surface of faience patterns. However, this does not affect the value, because over time such a pattern can not be avoided.
• Porcelain dishes will be easier if you compare exactly the same items from both materials.
• Porcelain, as a rule, is white, it can be painted. If you come across a product of a different color, then this is most likely faience.
• Ware from porcelain will be a little, but still stronger than its "competitor", in addition, it will be thinner.

It is impossible to unequivocally answer the question which ware would be better. Here you should focus on your own preferences and budget. If you want a beautiful dish for daily use, it is better, of course, to prefer faience, because if necessary, broken plates and cups can be replaced with ease and cheap.

Estets and lovers of everything thin can recommend porcelain dishes. With proper care, it is possible to keep it in the family for several generations, in addition, such products are appropriate at any celebration, they create a feeling of luxury and wealth. At the same time, faience products retain heat longer, they are characterized by a variety of shades, which gives more opportunities if you have a modern type of interior.

Be sure to examine different manufacturers, compare the models that they produce. Both faience and porcelain should have high-quality glaze, otherwise it may begin to absorb water and odors. In addition, careful selection is also important because these materials are often replaced by fakes. To buy the original and not be disappointed in the materials forever, it is recommended to note a few rules.

• When purchasing porcelain dishes, you should ask the seller for quality certificates. This is the first step to making the right choice.
• Hit the cup or plate with a spoon. Glass bells will inform you that there is porcelain in front of you. Also, it would not be superfluous to check the dishes in the light - it will help to determine the authenticity, because only porcelain shines through.
• Remember that real porcelain will not be cheap. If you are offered products at a price lower than everywhere else, they are definitely dishonest sellers.

As for the faience, it is almost never fake, because the dishes from this material are recognizable everywhere. Can give faience for porcelain, but not vice versa. In addition, the production technology of this material is simple and fast, so it is pointless to put fakes on the market.

It is no secret that any dishes will maintain an aesthetic appearance only with proper care. The materials described here are no exception. Products of both types do not like too hot water temperatures, as well as their drops. Therefore, it will be necessary to wash the dishes only in cool water, but you should forget about powder and hard sponges. Use only mild soap solution or mild dishwashing liquid.

Sometimes, even with the most careful care, porcelain can darken. But it is easy to cope with this, if you wipe the product with water with a small amount of soda or use citric acid. This will allow to whiten the surface, returning her original appearance.

Wipe cups and plates should be immediately, natural drying will cause ugly stains and additional time for the subsequent polishing. If this is a service that you use every six months, the dishes are put in a box, wrapping each piece of paper with paper. The box should be located separately from the rest, put boxes on it, other containers can not.

Faience allowed to warm in the microwave, but the dishes should be perfect, without cracks and chips. The impact of the stove should be short. For porcelain, such heating is prohibited.

Dishwasher-washing products of both types are possible, but only in the delicate mode and at a distance from each other. But in general, experts advise to still give preference to hand washing.

Differences of quality porcelain from a fake in the next video.