Marble

Marble: A floor that is always modern

A floor made of marble is a natural, elegant, classic and refined floor.
Historically, marble has been one of the most widely used flooring products in the most prestigious buildings.
Moreover, marble is always up-to-date, and has been able to adapt to minimalism and modern styles.

But what is marble? How is it formed?

Marble formation

Marble is produced by the sedimentation of various materials and the crystallisation of calcium carbonate. The combination of temperature and mountain pressure leads to the destruction of the structures, textures and fossils originally present, which recombine to form the various types of marble.

The colour of marble depends on the presence of mineral impurities (clay, silt, sand, iron oxides, flint nodules), existing in layers within the original sedimentary rock. During the metamorphic process these impurities are displaced and recrystallised due to pressure and heat.

White marbles, on the other hand, are the result of the metamorphosis of pure calcareous rocks, devoid of mineral impurities.

>>>History and geography of marble>> [in preparation].

Surface processing

One of the distinctions that we can make to classify the various types of marble flooring concerns the type of surface processing they have undergone. On the basis of this type of processing we can identify polished marble and antique marble.

► Polished marble

For those who want a perfectly mirror polished floor, and without joints, the ideal is the honed marble. The slabs are laid semi-skimmed, grouted and polished with a polishing machine that requires a constant flow of water. The result is a perfectly polished floor with no joints.

>>>Polished marble>> [in preparation].

► Antiqued marble

Antiqued marble, on the other hand, reproduces the process of abrasion by footsteps and atmospheric agents and allows a particularly smooth surface to be obtained. In some cases the antiqued effect is also produced with a wavy effect on the surface, the result of greater abrasion where the material is softer, in perfect imitation of what happens in nature.
In other cases, an imitation of the ancient floors of Venetian palaces and churches has been sought, where abrasion has been added to the effect of water, resulting in a worn but semi-glossy floor.

>>>Antique marble>> [in preparation].

Marble protection treatment

Marble must be treated to protect it from staining agents.
In the case of antiqued marble, this is usually already pre-treated so as to facilitate installation, which should preferably be carried out on a screed using the appropriate adhesives.
Some marbles require special adhesives: this is, for example, the case of alps green, which must be laid with non-water-based epoxy glue.

>>>What treatments for marble? >> [in preparation].

Cutting marble

To be able to cut tiles or marble slabs, a water-cooled Clipper with a diamond disc should be used. It is not possible to use an ordinary tile cutter.

>>> Marble laying equipment >>> [in preparation].

Vicenza and Verona marbles

The marbles of our areas (Vicenza and Verona) are Bianco Perlino or Biancone, Rosa Perlino and Rosso Asiago, all three characterised by friable veins, the presence of fossils and organic material inside, marbles originating from the plateau.

Equally well known and widespread are Rosso Verona and Giallo Reale, which are quarried in the Verona area.
Extremely widespread is Botticino di Brescia, another marble that has covered the floors and stairs of many of our homes.

>>>The Biancone marble>> [in preparation].
>>>Perlino pink>> [in preparation].
>>>Verona red>>[in preparation]
>>>Botticino>>>[in preparation]

Other marbles

Many other marbles of distant and sometimes even exotic origin are used for their particular, more vivid colours, such as the already mentioned Alpine Green, Persian Red Travertine (Iran), the very famous Carrara White or Marquinia Black and many others.

Marble trends at the moment

Marble with no veining, such as sandstone, with a light and neutral colour, has been in great demand lately.
Even grey marbles are currently trending because they are in line with modern and metropolitan styles of home furnishing.

A marble coffered floor in a restaurant

Antique marble flooring in a restaurant in Vicenza

Restaurant floors must be chosen carefully because they will contribute to the image of the restaurant and because they must be practical, resistant to wear and tear and easy to clean. If you decide to use marble, you should choose a marble with an antiqued surface and perhaps even a slightly wavy surface, which reproduces (in advance) the natural wear of the floor.

In this restaurant in Montebello Vicentino, we installed an antique marble coffered surface in the colours perlino pink, biancone di asiago and rosso verona.

Marble cladding in bathrooms

Marble is also an elegant protagonist in the bathroom.
Elegant boiserie can be created by laying rectangular slabs in a vertical and coordinated arrangement and decorated with listels, torelli, cigars and wainscoting.

Bagno in marmo a Vicenza — An unusual bathroom made in Lonigo (Vicenza) with wave-shaped upper slabs

Or in a more modern way, using large rectangular slabs stacked horizontally, without decoration.

Whether in the case of elegant panelling or more modern combinations, the experience of our interior designers can design attractive colour combinations and formats for timeless solutions.

Marble stairs

While the use of marble as flooring has declined, its application as a material for cladding masonry stairs is still predominant. Antiqued marble, in this case, has the advantage of being less slippery, more elegant and warm, and less susceptible to dirt.

Marble is distinguished from stoneware by the possibility of being worked, for example by the possibility of being laid with the front part of the tread worked in the form of a bullnose that protrudes in relation to the riser.

>>>Modern marble staircase realised in an office building in Vicenza >>>

>>>Marble staircase made in a house in Montecchio Maggiore>>>

Marble processing in steps

In addition to "bullnose" processing, there are other types of processing:

► owl beak, or "half torus". The tread of the staircase, instead of being completely rounded, is half rounded. This half-bull is superimposed, making it coincide perfectly with the riser, or as they say, it is laid "flush", so it does not protrude.

► straight-rib riser and tread. This is the classic 2 cm riser surmounted by a protruding 3 cm tread, both squared or, as they say, machined with a straight edge. This is the least expensive and most commonly used type of staircase.

►finally, the "simple" process involves cutting at 45 degrees both the riser and the tread, which are then joined and grouted so as to look like a monolithic object. The latter is the most expensive process.

Black marble washbasin on shelf in Vicenza

Approfondimenti

Per informazioni e preventivi clicca qui

Contattaci

Richiedi appuntamento