CERAMIC-COATED LAVA STONE

Ceramic-coated lava stone, a new processing technique (the ceramicization of Etna’s lava basalt) now allows the ancient lava stone to be used in a truly original way. The result is a highly innovative product: ceramic-coated lava basalt.

Raw material and processing

Only with the careful choice of the raw material and with the meticulous and perfectionistic processing that for over 30 years have distinguished us in the sector, we are able to offer our customers products of the highest quality, durability and beauty!

Lava Stone

The ceramic lava stone is:

  • anti-wear
  • stain resistant
  • water repellent
  • antacid
  • frosty
  • high impact resistance
  • high resistance to breaking load
  • high heat resistance
  • Hygienic

Kitchen worktops, worktops for bars, restaurants and tables are just some of the products doable. They are unassailable from vinegar, oil, lemon juice and any other product. Each of our creations is entirely hand-decorated and therefore unique. Added to this is the exclusivity of the decoration which can be customized on request.

Resistance of Artesole ceramic lava stone

Resistance to impacts, stains and scratches of the ceramic lava stone, made with care and passion by the Artesole art factory

shapeless boulder cut of lava stone

Extraction and selection of Lava Basalt

The men who work on Etna call this mountain with the nickname of “good giant”, because they have learned to live with its impetuous fury that sometimes destroys, but very often gives its delicious fruits and a lot of raw material for the construction of the inhabited centers that rise along its slopes.

At the foot of the highest active volcano in Europe, in these enormous quarries, we work for b> the extraction of these large basaltic blocks intended for the processing industry for a first treatment

The blocks are then divided and destined for specific uses: public buildings, urban furniture products , private buildings, furniture accessories, artistic and decorative production.Only after this classification can we proceed with the creation of the first basic shapes to be sold to end users, who sometimes intervene directly in the sawmill to guide the creation of the raw products based on the uses for which they were designed. Huge machines work day and night to cut and smooth semi-finished products.

We already intervene directly at this stage of processing: our specialistsevaluate the quality of the volcanic rock for supervision of the raw product. This is a quality control fundamental to guarantee to the customer a perfect product from all points of view.

In this way, the subsequent cutting and shaping phase which takes place at our headquarters in Giarre (carried out with sophisticated and impressive equipment) have the guarantee of final product of the highest quality.

sink decoration in lava stone

Ceramization and Decoration

La Pietra Lavica, once shaped according to the measurements of the project, is ceramicized and decorated by hand by master decorators.

The ceramization using enamel is the part that will subsequently be decorated and which will melt with the lava stone during firing. The Lava Stone absorbs the glaze which, once fired, gives this material the unique characteristics that distinguish it.

The choice of ceramic pigments and the mastery of the handmade decoration is a fundamental factor in obtaining a finished product of refined beauty.

lava stone table with chairs overlooking the sea

Cooking

Subsequently, after the shaped, glazed and decorated material, it is fired at temperature of about 950 ° with & nbsp; special high-temperature blast furnaces for ceramization.

In this very long and delicate phase, we check or that everything happens in an optimal way. A minimum temperature change inside the oven would be enough to frustrate entire weeks of careful processing!

After approximately 56 hours required to reach the high temperature and to cool, the goods are taken out of the ovens and packed ready to be shipped.
Il the final result of this rather lengthy process is to have a product that is absolutely hygienicecologicalanti-stain and anti-corrosion as it is enamelled. In addition, it is extremely resistant, because it is a very hard material, and therefore recommended for the production of kitchen tops, tops for bathrooms as well as washbasins, shower trays and more.

Technical features

  • Commercial name : lava basalt
  • Category : stone material
  • Origin : Volcano Etna
  • Extraction : shapeless blocks
  • Petrographic definition : effusive rock
  • Chemical Composition : prevalence of silicates
  • Coeff. of inhibition : 5/6 Mohs
  • Hardness : 1.62%
  • Simple compressive strength : 109 mpa
  • After freezing : 108 MPa
  • Friction wear : 9.21 mm
  • Impact breaking test : 60 cm
  • Knoop microhardness : 4,260 MPa
  • Resistance to chemical agents : Unassailable
  • Surface workings : plan sawn, sanded, polished, bush-hammered
  • Color : on dark gray tones
  • Dimensions : free
  • Thicknesses : minimum 1cm
  • Applicability : glue and mortar
  • Treatments : All possible treatments

Physico-chemical analysis

Table of chemical analysis of major elements (% by weight). The ranges of variation are shown

Elements Lava flow 1886 Lava flow 1910
SiO2 48,95 – 49,57 49,61 – 49,67
TiO2 1,38 – 1,47 1,43 – 1,52
AI2O3 19,01 – 19,22 19,04 – 19,13
Fe2O3 1,90 – 2,66 3,15 – 3,59
FeO 5,98 – 6,21 4,94 – 5,39
MnO 0,16 – 0,18 0,16 – 0,18
MgO 5,12 – 5,54 4,87 – 5,19
CaO 9,21 – 9,37 9,08 – 9,20
Na2O 4,23 – 4,37 4,39 – 4,41
K2O 1,42 – 1,49 1,46 – 1,47
P2O5 0,43 – 0,46 0,46 – 0,47
H2O+ 0,13 – 0,37 0,10 – 0,12
H2O- 0,52 – 0,60 0,43 – 0,58

Chemical analysis table of minor elements (p.p.m.). The ranges of variation are shown.

Elements Lava flow 1886 Lava flow 1910
Rb 28 – 35 40
U 2,4 2,4
Th 8,6 – 9 8,2


Detected by the research laboratory of the Politecnico di Torino, they report the following declaration:
The samples under examination do not contain toxic chemicals and presenting an overall migration below the limits established by the D.M. March 21, 1973, can be used for food purposes. Based on the chemical composition, the natural basalt in question can be equated with category A glass objects free from lead.