Lava stone

Glazed lava stone is a basalt lava product with majolica decorations in the surface. Since the word “majolica” identifies a wide range of terracotta products, the most correct definition  is “majolica on lava stone”.

Thanks to the ceramic aesthetic potentialities, combined with the mechanical and physical resistance of the basalt, glazed lava stone can be used for the production of tables, kitchen and bathroom tops, panels, floors, mosaics, sinks, showers bases and panelings.

The production process consists of different stages and takes place entirely in our workshop: the stone is custom cut, glazed, hand made decorated, refined and fired twice in our kilns at 1.000°C .

The combination of these processes create a scratch and water proof surface that is resistant to an extreme range of temperatures, corrosive chemicals, salty air and UV exposure. These characteristics make the lava stone suitable for both indoor and outdoor.

Ceramics

The ceramic manufacture is a very ancient art and it is practiced in different geographic areas all over the world.

According to its peculiarities, ceramic can be classified in:

-Compact paste ceramic, such as stoneware and porcelain. This kind of ceramic has characteristics of low porosity and is gas proof , water-proof and scratch resistant.
-Porous paste ceramic, such as majolica and terracotta, made of an absorbing and soft paste easy to scratch.

Terracotta

Terracotta is a kind of ceramic that after firing (at 980-990°C) has a color ranging from yellow to brownish red, due to the presence of salts and iron oxide. This element improves the mechanical resistance of the fired ceramic and makes the product surface vitrified and low porous.

Because of its characteristics of stability, long-lasting and lightness, terracotta is used for the production of bricks and it is considered to be the most common building material. In this case, the clay is not accurately purified.
Terracotta surface can be glazed or not and can also be used for the production of decorative elements (vases, jugs etc.) and tableware (plates, mugs etc.).

Clay

The firing temperature of clay varies according to the quantity of aluminium oxide contained.

The malleability of clay is due to the water in its structure that improves the plasticity of the material. That is the reason why clay is a perfect material for the realization of hand-crafted products.
When clay is dry but still not fired, is hard and fragile. Once fired, it becomes permanently solid.

Ceramic products

The word “ceramics” identifies not only the material, but also the wide range of products created using that material such as:

-traditional elements (used in building industry);
-paneling (roof and floor tiles);
-structural elements (bricks);
-sanitary ware;
-mechanical and aeronautic elements (used for engines and turbines)