What's the difference between luxury Italian and budget-friendly porcelain?

If you’ve been drawn to the durability and low-maintenance benefits of porcelain paving, then the next step is for you to decide which type of porcelain paving is best for you and your project. At Select, we have two different types for you to choose from: luxury Italian and budget-porcelain.

In this blog, we'll break down the key differences between luxury Italian and budget porcelain tiles — by the time you reach the conclusion, you'll know exactly which option suits your style, budget, and garden vision!

At a glance: what’s the difference between luxury Italian and budget-friendly porcelain?

What is luxury Italian porcelain?

Luxury Italian porcelain paving is the pinnacle of elegance, craftsmanship, and design. It's manufactured in Italy, known for its high-quality porcelain production. It uses finer clay, and the firing process is tightly controlled, often at higher temperatures. This results in denser, harder, and more durable tile.

Print quality

Our Italian porcelain range has a high-definition finish. It’s crafted using cutting-edge technology, which ensures each tile is meticulously printed and detailed. Imagine the difference between printing a high-definition photo versus one with fewer pixels—luxury Italian porcelain delivers that high-definition finish.

The high-print quality of luxury Italian paving means it can mimic natural materials like stone or wood very accurately. Therefore luxury Italian porcelain is ideal for those who want their outdoor space to feel luxurious, unique, and natural.

Variation in appearance

Luxury Italian porcelain offers top-tier V ratings. A V rating measures how much colour and shade variation there is between individual tiles, therefore if you choose a product with a V4 rating it means that the next tile you remove from the pack has a high chance of looking different, whereas a V1 has a high chance of looking the same.

Face Variation

Face variation is the quantity of different faces. This variation ensures that your patio or garden space won’t have that “repeated” look, making it feel more natural and less artificial.

Italian porcelain often hits these upper levels, ensuring a diverse and natural look in your garden. A tile with high face variation is our Solaro tile, which features 22 different face variations.

Durability

Porcelain in general is well known for its strength, but the materials and printing processes used in luxury Italian paving also contribute to their longevity, making them resistant to outdoor wear and tear, such as fading, stains, and weather damage.

Our luxury Italian porcelain tiles include: Solaro, Cavo, Monviso, Paradiso and Cristallo.

What is Select budget-friendly porcelain?

Select’s budget-friendly porcelain is designed to give you high-quality paving at a more affordable price point. These tiles are typically made in regions like India, where the production processes differ slightly from the high-end Italian porcelain.

Print quality

The print quality in budget-friendly porcelain is still excellent but it has a lower “dpi” (dots per inch) than the luxury italian option. It is similar to the difference between a regular and high-definition photo. The overall finish might not be as sharp as its Italian counterpart, but for many, this isn’t a dealbreaker, especially if you're looking for value without compromising on durability.

Variation

The face, colour and shade variation in budget porcelain tends to be lower, with fewer design variations across the tiles, leading to a more uniform appearance. However, this can help you achieve a more minimalist, consistent look.

Durability

Budget-friendly porcelain still holds up incredibly well outdoors, with strong resistance to everyday wear and tear. Overall, it’s a smart choice for those who want a stylish, modern patio without stretching their budget too far.

Our budget-friendly porcelain tiles include: Kandla, Zaskar, Aravalli, Mizo and Saltoro.

So — which porcelain paving is best for me?

When choosing between luxury Italian and budget-friendly porcelain, the decision boils down to your personal style preferences and budget.

Choose luxury Italian porcelain if you’re after a high-end, unique look for your garden that feels natural and varied. The superior print quality, high face variation, and durability make it an excellent long-term investment.

Choose budget-friendly porcelain if you're looking for something stylish, modern, and affordable. It might not have the high-end finish of Italian porcelain, but it still offers a durable and attractive solution for your outdoor space.

If you’re still unsure we recommend ordering a free sample, so that you can see the difference first hand. Or if you have any questions that we weren’t able to answer in this blog for you, please get in touch!

We can’t wait to see what paving you end up choosing for your project!

P.S The next steps to making your dream patio is choosing the right grout type and colour.