Why Porphyry?
PRESTIGIOUS & ORIGINAL
There is nothing quite like Porphyry to add warm long lasting colour to any scheme. Whether through paving, tiling, cladding, as a kitchen worktop or street furniture – Porphyry offers unmatched strength & durability combined with a subtle and contemporary colour pallet that sets it apart from all other forms of stone.
There are also many ethical benefits to buying Italian Trentino Porphyry…
TRACEABILITY & SUSTAINABILITY
When you buy our Italian Porphyry you know exactly where it’s come from! All of our porphyry comes exclusively from Italy and mainly from the Trentino region of northern Italy. The extraction of Trentino porphyry is strictly controlled by E.S.PO – the board of control for the region – which has implemented laws and codes of practice to ensure that the impact on the landscape is minimised and restored, and that the wellbeing of stone workers and masons is kept paramount, with health and safety at work being a key component in the provincial by-laws. No other non-European country (China, India, Argentina, etc.) has implemented such legal requirements for workers welfare.
LOWER IN CO2 EMISSIONS
Because 80% of Trentino porphyry is extracted almost entirely by hand – supported only by hammer, chisel and human strength – carbon emissions from a Trentino quarry are kept to a minimum.
Emissions from stone transportation are kept as low as possible with stone processing taking place close to the quarries. Italian Porphyry has not been transported halfway across the world to final delivery.
When it comes to transportation from Italy to the UK, we use transport companies whoare members of Green Freight Europe – a program recently established to reduce the carbon footprint of transportation across Europe http://www.greenfreighteurope.eu/
STRONGER & LONGER LASTING
Italian PORPHYRY is renowned for its durability. Due to its fine grain composition, porphyry absorb very little water which makes it ideal for use in tough environments. Its hardness, strength in bending and compression, scratch, heat and chemicals resistance (it comes from volcanic activity after all) all add to its longevity. Due to its high compression breaking point, porphyry resists wear.
NEW FINISHES & COLOURS
Italian PORPHYRY is available in seven eye-catching colours that range through blues and greys, to greens, browns, reds and purples.
Many Finishes are also available including polished, honed, flamed and brushed as well as new kinds of edging finishes. Because porphyry is extensively worked by hand, our products (particularly our kitchen worktops) can be supplied with a special hand chiselled edge finish that creates a unique rustic feature.
IN SUMMARY
- Fully traceable with Trentino board of control provenance
- A greener more sustainable option with stone workers wellbeing at its core
- Incredibly strong and hard-wearing
- A distinctive colour palette to choose from
- Hand quarried and hand finished
- A special and unusual stone to make a prestigious difference
