SETTING PATTERNS FOR TILES

Nowadays, in designing a building or a building infrastructure, the choice of matierals

overall is closely linked with their physical and mechanical characteristics, which bear
significant weight in the engineer’s calculations towards the stability and durability of
the project. Needless to say, exactly for its characteristics, porphyry tiles are used for
both interior and exterior areas. Natural cleft surface porphyry tiles are not
worked on the surface, they are only worked on their edges by splitting and sawing –
their natural stratification does not allow to get a uniform thickness, which is therefore
variable:

- Split edges porphyry is produced by compression-splitting of irregular slabs

using hydraulic presses fitted with blades suited to rough, unifinished stone. As a
result, the tiles are rectangular, their sides are split, and they have slightly
chamfered edges.
- Sawn edges porphyry is produced by cutting of irregular slabs with natural
cleft surface using diamond blade saws – what is more, they may also be semi-
polished, especially when used for interior areas. Their edges are perpendicular
to the face and they are cut at a 90° angle; their length can be either random or
fixed

Setting patterns for porphyry tiles can be summarised into the following main
classes:

- Paving laid in parallel rows using tiles all with at least one or two sides the same
and aligned joints;

Porfidi S.r.l.
Via del Borgolet, 36, 38040 FORNACE (TN), Italy
Tel: +39 0461 857511
e-Mail: info@porfidi-online.com
Visit our website: www.porfidi-online.com
- Paving laid in parallel rows using tiles all with at last one side the same and
staggered joints;

- Paving laid in parallel rows using tiles of different size with staggered joints;

Porfidi S.r.l.
Via del Borgolet, 36, 38040 FORNACE (TN), Italy
Tel: +39 0461 857511
e-Mail: info@porfidi-online.com
Visit our website: www.porfidi-online.com
- Roman paving with aligned and staggered joints

Porfidi S.r.l.
Via del Borgolet, 36, 38040 FORNACE (TN), Italy
Tel: +39 0461 857511
e-Mail: info@porfidi-online.com
Visit our website: www.porfidi-online.com