What are natural stones for? A guide for those who want to make informed choices.

Natural stones are ancient, fascinating and incredibly versatile materials. But today, the proliferation of information and the multitude of products that imitate stone make it difficult to obtain the correct and desired information. Thus, when considering a renovation or the architectural construction of a new home, the question of how to choose stones and what they can be used for specifically is increasingly being asked.

If you are also asking yourself these questions, as a private citizen or as a professional, you are in the right place. In this article, we want to guide you through the discovery of natural stone, not only as a decorative element, but as a technical material, capable of offering beauty, resistance and durability over time.

Natural stones have a dual function: aesthetic and technical.

Whether it is a floor, wall or furniture piece, each natural stone always fulfils two essential functions:

• aesthetic function, as it conveys style, elegance and uniqueness to rooms thanks to its colours, veining and unrepeatable details, typical of nature;
• technical function, as it guarantees resistance, functionality and durability over time, adapting to the environment in which it is laid.

These two aspects should always be considered together, as choosing the right stone means finding the perfect balance between form and function. In fact, the general criteria that are taken into account when choosing the correct stone to use are:

• an aesthetic criterion, depending on the rooms and furnishings, personal taste and the style to be pursued;
• a technical criterion that guides the choice of materials for their mechanical characteristics, in relation to their intended use.

Where to use natural stone?

Natural stone belongs to the vast family of building, construction, finishing and furnishing materials. It is perhaps the only building and furnishing material that can be used in any context: from large monumental works to the finest design details. Here are some examples of its use:

• contours and window sills;
• internal and external stairs;
• interior floors (polished, honed or brushed and, if you plan underfloor heating, an excellent thermal conductor, ideal for maintaining warmth and comfort) and exterior floors (flamed, bush-hammered and non-slip);
• vertical cladding, also backlit with the right material;
• ventilated facades;
• kitchen and bathroom tops, built-in, semi-recessed and countertop, as well as hollowed monobloc washbasins;
• shaped cornices and decorations;
• columns and balustrades;
• furnishing accessories such as vases, fountains and statues;
• furnishing objects such as lamps, plates and holders;
• funerary art;
• technical and artistic mosaics
• monuments to embellish gardens and parks.

There are natural stones that can be used both indoors and outdoors, others for which it is preferable to use mainly indoors, and still others for which it is preferable to use certain formats.
The choice of the type of natural stone to be used must take into account the intrinsic characteristics of the material in relation to the project and the object to be realised. This is also why the Consortium was created: to clarify the customer's ideas. See how it works.

When to use a durable stone? And when a resistant one? Let's clarify!

One often hears that a stone is resistant, hard, robust or other appellations that qualify some property. The use of these terms is often improper and may raise doubts as to their actual meaning. A frequent example is the two terms durability and resistance.

• Durability is the ability of a stone to maintain its technical, mechanical and colour characteristics over time, resisting rain, wind, frost, chemical and biological agents. It is not measured with a number, but by adding up the reactions in response to certain situations.
• Strength refers to a specific and measurable property depending on its use. Some examples are:
  • the compressive strength, if you are considering material for load-bearing columns;
  • the flexural strength, if you are designing lintels;
  • the impact resistance, as far as falling objects are concerned;
  • abrasion resistance, in order to know the relationship with walking wear.

Each of these resistances has a different meaning from the others and expresses different properties of the same stone.
To say generically "this stone is resistant" makes little sense if one does not specify what it resists. Only then can you consciously choose the right material for your project.
And so, we invite you to contact us, because in addition to advice on the type of stone, you will discover important and fundamental characteristics for realising a suitable architecture for your specific needs.

Natural stone is a long-lasting choice if you know how to use it.

Choosing natural stone today is a decision that concerns the quality of life, the sustainability of the environment and the well-being of one's everyday life. Because they are authentic natural materials, they are witnesses of time, bearers of beauty and extraordinary technical qualities.

Choosing natural stone means embracing a living material, capable of transforming a space not only aesthetically, but also emotionally. Each block of material, each slab, each tile and every object born from the raw material tells a unique story, made up of thousands of years of geology, of craftsmanship knowledge handed down over time, of attention to quality and care for detail.

Choosing natural stone for your buildings means taking responsibility for making informed choices, recognising the beauty of natural imperfection, against the standardisation of industrial materials.

Natural stone represents a concrete and up-to-date answer that fits perfectly into the most modern projects, anywhere, indoors or outdoors, bringing with it values of durability, living comfort and authenticity. It is therefore important to orient oneself among the materials, understand their characteristics and receive support in the choice. And that is precisely where we come in.

Contact us for more information and let us take you step-by-step through your next project.