Cleaning. In everyday use, warm water, a soft cloth or a clean mop and a neutral to slightly alkaline pH cleaner are sufficient. Mild all-purpose cleaners, mild washing-up foam and all commercially available sanitary and kitchen cleaners without hydrofluoric acid (HF) are suitable. The porcelain is almost completely acid-proof – even acetic, citric and hydrochloric acid have practically no effect on the slab. Take up spilled liquids promptly, because on the dark surface every dried trace can remain visible as a lighter film; the material itself, however, is non-porous and therefore stain-proof.
Do not use. Hydrofluoric acid (HF) and fluoride-bearing cleaners are the only class of substance that can genuinely attack porcelain – they occur practically only in industrial glass and stone cleaners and are not relevant in the household. And even though the slab is hard: steel wool and strongly abrasive pads can cause the finest dulling on the polished variant, which becomes visible as lighter lines on the dark slab.
Sealing. Not required – porcelain is inherently dense and non-porous, water absorption is below 0.1 %. A sealer would tend to show on the surface as a film and is superfluous.
Dark slabs – particular care notes. On a dark porcelain, water marks, limescale spots, fingerprints and matt abrasion marks are particularly clearly visible as lighter shadows. We recommend prompt drying off with a soft microfibre cloth after each use; on the polished variant in particular this pays off. The Naturale Matt variant (honed/soft matt) considerably mitigates the visibility problem – water droplets dry off less smoothly, fingerprints are less noticeable.
Kitchen. In kitchen use, Noir Desir is technically almost unbeatable: hot pans can be set down directly for short periods (the slab is unaffected well beyond 200 °C), acids such as vinegar, wine, lemon and tomato leave no traces, and there are no cut marks from polyester resin damage, because there is no polyester resin. Nevertheless we recommend chopping boards (knife blades blunt more quickly on the hard slab) and trivets when cooking as standard practice.
Bathroom. In the bathroom the slab is fully usable as a washstand, wall cladding, bath surround and shower. Anti-limescale sprays and all commercially available sanitary cleaners are approved. In the shower area, wipe off standing water promptly – on the dark slab, white limescale rims are particularly clearly visible.
Wall accent and furniture. As a wall cladding or furniture top (bar counter, reception), Noir Desir works particularly well in the polished, upright format, because the play of veins develops its full design effect over larger visible surfaces. In thin thicknesses (3 mm), lightweight wall claddings, interior doors and furniture fronts are also possible that could not be realised with engineered quartz or natural marble.
Outdoors and frost. Fully suitable. The slab is UV-stable, frost- and weather-resistant and can be used as a rear-ventilated façade panel, external wall cladding, pool surround and outdoor kitchen worktop. On external surfaces we recommend the Naturale Matt variant (better slip resistance, water marks less visible).
Scratches and repair. Porcelain is very hard (about Mohs 7) and therefore considerably more scratch-resistant than most natural materials. Deeper damage cannot simply be re-polished – repair is carried out by replacing the affected workpiece. Particular care is therefore required during fabrication at edges and cut-outs; mitred joints should be executed by experienced specialist firms with special adhesive and precise workshop preparation – with Noir Desir additionally with attention to the vein course at the edges.
