How much longer can I use ceramic dishes that have their glaze starting to wear down?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “how to reglaze a coffee mug“
How much longer can I use ceramic dishes that have their glaze starting to wear down?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “how to reglaze a coffee mug“
Even if the glaze is wearing down it won’t revert back to clay, but if you want to, just keep them until they stop looking pleasing
Depends on the type of ceramics and if you want to eat/drink out of them.
There are the aesthetic and sanitation issues mentioned by the others. And the possible lead glazes.
I’m cautious, so I personally want to avoid eating or drinking out of lead glazed ceramics as the lead can leach out when placed in contact with acidic foods (orange juice, tomato sauce, vinegars, etc.) or when heated.
Commercially manufactured ceramics in the US since the late 1990s should be lead safe. Ceramics manufactured before this time, antique pieces or imported commercial ceramics will need to be considered on a case-by-case basis. Check if there’s any manufacturer’s mark and information on the bottom of the dish and Google maker, country, pattern, year, etc for information.
If made by craft potters (anywhere in the world), information will be harder to come by.
Include the results of your research and your risk tolerance when making your decision.
If these dishes end up containing lead glaze, but you really can’t bear to part with them, consider using them for display only or repurpose them for non-food uses (eg. pitcher as flower vase, teacup or mug as pencil well, etc). If so, label them as non-food safe for whomever comes after you.
Does the wear of the glaze represent a problem with glaze getting in the body? Realistically, no. Even in the extremely unlikely situation that there is lead in the glaze (almost no one anywhere, not just US, uses lead glazes these days), the quantities are far too small to do you any harm, and where there is no lead in it the glaze particles just pass through you without you noticing, just like the tiny pieces of sand you often get in shellfish.
Does the worn (or cracked or crazed) glaze present a risk? When the pottery under the glaze is exposed, there is a theoretical potential for the dish not to be as easy to clean as when the glaze is intact. This is a greater potential with earthenware because it is porous to water, whereas porcelain and stoneware do not absorb water. In theory, micro-organisms can get into the roughened pottery surface and not be removed by washing, which worries some people. In practice, we are surrounded by bacteria and a few more will probably not do any harm; and if you wash in hot water, especially in a hot dishwasher, all the bacteria will be killed. If you are doing so called ‘Eco-washing’, where temperatures may not go over 40C, bacteria will be encouraged. If you are worried, chuck (or reglaze if very valuable) the dish if there is lost or crazed glaze.
But I have a cup which I really like, made by a friend, which is earthenware with a soft glaze (glazes are usually really tough on stoneware and porcelain, as tough as the pot or tougher), and it is chipped. I have no plans to stop using it. My choice.
Presumably you mean for food, because otherwise it doesn’t matter. And the answer to that is right up until the clay is exposed or it gets areas were food particles could get stuck.
Ceramic lasts for years. You might contact a pottery expert and see if it can be reglazed. Usually they can with no problem. Wish you luck.
It depends on you standards of sanitation.
Ceramic dishes are glazed to make them smooth easy to clean. The glaze is a glass which is much softer than the ceramic body so during use it wears down. If the glaze and body are made commercially in the USA, is does not contain lead and other poisonous materials. However, if made by US art potters or potters in other countries, it may. If you can’t tell who made it or where it made, throw is out. It not worth taking chances since on these insidious poisons.
You probably could keep using them but why? It would be safer to buy new even though the paint used is a food safe one, I would be worried that the paint would start coming off in my food.