The Stuff Stone Tiles Are Made Of

What makes ancient Roman roads, and indeed modern plazas and pavements, withstand the test of time is the natural stone materials they are made of. The most common materials are cobblestones and porphyr.

Cobblestones

There is simply no substitute for natural stone. Cobblestones are resistant to scratches, fungus, acids, slips and stains. They are highly durable, withstanding weather resistance and they don't shrink or warp. As they are non-porous, they are not easily affected by industrial pollution.

Cobblestones give a charming Old World feel to pavements and outdoor pavings. Indeed, cobblestones (paving cubes) are among the few materials which have been successfully used for more than 2000 years.

Available in a variety of surface finishes and colours, cobblestones create an endless variety of shapes, finishes and colour combinations that add character to landscaped areas, walkways, swimming pool decks, driveways as well as industrial areas.

These qualities make possible the production of stone pavers which can withstand any kind of heavy traffic.

Porphyry

Porphyry has a naturally rough surface. Thanks to the difference in hardness of the minerals it contains, porphyry pavings do not become smooth due to wear and tear, or slippery when it rains.

This makes porphyry especially suitable for outdoor surfaces since it is unaffected by freezing and thawing. It is recommended in factories and foundries because of its high resistance to chemical reagents. It is also particularly recommended for public works, for example for constructing the banks of river bed and for building external walls and road embankment walls.

What's more, it has an extremely low maintenance cost, and this is proved by the excellent conditions of many roads and squares paved hundreds of years ago.

The increase in modern road traffic has led to the adoption of protective coverings. They have to be highly resistant to compression and sliding friction (which prevent slipping), elastic, impermeable, easy to repair and inspect below ground, and have low installation and maintenance costs..

Porphyry fits all these requirements. According to the thickness and size of the stratum, porphyry can be worked into cubes, tiles, irregular slabs, kerbstones, binders, smolleri and rusticated ashlar, and by further workmanship into sawn, polished and semi-polished material.

Porphyry has paved all the most beautiful squares in Europe and the world over, including:
Find out more about the exciting origin of Porphyry.

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