Outdoor floorings and pavers
The use of natural stone in paving in squares and streets is justified, apart from its own beauty, by its resistance to atmospheric agents, physical resistance and durability. It is also due to the variety of finishes in its textures, which prevent slipping in damp conditions, an essential requirement in these floors.
Outdoor paving in natural stone has a long tradition (for example, Roman roads and streets), and its evolution has a lot to do with the improvement of sawing procedures and texture finishes, as well as bonding and grouting materials, which have led to the need for thinner tiles.
Another important aspect to point out is that, thanks to technical advances in the production of different products, in addition to the main and traditional use of natural stone in tiles, paving stones and kerbs, singular elements of urban furniture are currently manufactured, with the designs and shapes that are projected, with almost no aesthetic limits: benches, grilles, bollards, fountains, sculptures…
It is important to analyse the physical-mechanical characteristics of the stone to be used in the paving, in order to use the right size and thickness, and to take the following points into account: bending stresses, abrasive wear, slip resistance and impact stresses. And last but not least, it is also necessary to have a professional installation, such as the one offered by Naturpiedra’s own installation teams.
Other aspects to be taken into account for the proper functioning of the paving are the joints, the eyebrows and the adherence. Paving in outdoor paving has made a strong comeback and its use, both in public squares and streets, as well as in private homes, is gaining ground over traditional tile paving. Traditional cobblestones are currently very fashionable in Spain and are experiencing a new youth, such as the Portuguese paving stone, with various colours that are usually combined in shapes and designs such as those existing in Lisbon and Porto, and the cobblestones of slate, quartzite, phyllite and multicoloured travertine due to their tonality (very hardened in terms of dirt), hardness and non-slip textures, without leaving aside the traditional granite, marbles, gneiss and limestones.
