BASALTITE®
Basaltite® is a medium-grey stone with some crystals of leucite immersed in a microcrystalline structure, derived from the hardening of lava in the eruption centre of Bolsena – Bagnoregio.
The noble grey colour of Basaltite® matches perfectly with all materials, modern or antique, like steal, wood, glass and aluminium, emphasizing their beauty and use.
With its compact structure, this stone does not necessarily need to be filled, contrarily to other lavastones with large open-hole structure.
Modern up-dated analysis have confirmed what has been known for centuries: Basaltite® is a stone, which is frost and heat resistant, has a low humidity absorption rate, and has excellent technical characteristics, which makes it suitable for all interior and exterior use.
There is no part of Central Italy where Volsino Basalt hasn’t been used in some way, from traditional building to urban décor, art works to monuments. Through time given many commercial names (Basaltite and Basaltina), not univocal in their usage and meanings , Volsino Basalt has proven not only to be adaptable to every kind of use but It is also outstandingly durable: a characteristic in any case required of any work made from stone… Its use has been documented as far as back as Etruscan and Roman times, since 500 b.C. it was shipped to Rome on huge barges along the Tiber to the port of Ripetta, and given many uses in Rome, including the pavement for St. Peter’s square and the imperial Forums Road and the staircase of the Campidoglio”.
- Piero Primavori, Marmomacchine Classic n°195
Tipology
Filled and Polished
Filled and Honed
Brushed
Bushammered
Honed unfilled
Polished unfilled
Sandblasted
Sawn/Unpolished
Petrography
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
| Imbibition Coefficient | %0,87 |
| Compression breaking load (kgf/cm2) | 2219 |
| Compression breaking load after freezing (kgf/cm2) | 2179 |
| Flexual breaking test (kgf/cm2) | 205 |
| Impact test (cm.) | 45 |
| Elasticity Module (N/mm2) | 51975 |
| Thermal linear expansion coefficient | °C4,90×10-6 |
The tests were carried out on the basis of UNI standards. Basaltite® is defined as a “leucotefrite” with the following characteristics: heavy, compact, hard, with high values of compression breaking, flexural breaking test, impact test. This stone is to be considered a frost proof material./p>
University of Pisa – Department of structural engineering
Certificate n° 364/00
OUR STONE IS CERTIFIED IN BASE OF EVERY TEST ACTUALLY REQUESTED IN EUROPE
Contact us for any further request about test..
Use and Applications
Over the centuries, Basaltite® has proven not only its adaptability to every type of use, but also its remarkable longevity, a characteristic required of any work made from natural stone.
For many centuries, Basaltite® has been the building material of choice for significant buildings, stately homes, historic structures, and all types of ornamentation, leaving an indelible mark on the surrounding environment.
Its processing is documented from the Etruscan-Roman era; as early as the 5th century, it was exported to Rome on large barges via the Tiber River for the construction of numerous historically valuable works, which can still be admired today.
The modern use of Basaltite® greatly expands the traditional versatility of this material, which finds application in the following areas:
Thanks to its particular hardness and a high natural slip resistance, Basaltite®, being a non-frost-susceptible stone, finds specific application in urban furniture.
Dimension and Finishes
The blocks are quarried from banks with diamond wire (a particular and extremely up-dated extraction method for a Basalt quarry) and the max. slab dimension is 320×180/200 cm. Our production includes everything from the random slab to the finished cut-to-size (from the block-piece to the strong point of our production: the calibrated cut-to-size of 8 +10 mm thickness, even with large dimensions).
The stone can be finished as follows:
- Sawn Cut
- Honed
- Polished
- Filled and Honed
- Filled and Polished
- Brushed
- Sandblasted
- Bushammered