Perhaps due to their simple appearance and their classic style inspired by tradition, natural lava stone stairs are increasingly requested by those who wish to renovate their home or enrich it with precious details.
Natural stone stairs add a touch of elegance to any building and at the same time a sensation of naturalness that terracotta or ceramic flooring cannot give. Volcanic stone or natural lava stone is certainly the ideal choice for cladding both internal and external stairs. In fact, besides being an extremely resistant and durable material, it gives the environments in which it is used a classic and elegant atmosphere.
Suitable for both internal and external stairs, lava stone slabs present two essential characteristics, resistance and high impermeability, which make them very widespread. These are furnishing elements that stand out for exceptional resistance to foot traffic and low water absorption even without the use of impregnating agents.
What is Peperino
Among the most used stones for internal stairs, we find Peperino, a tuffaceous lava stone originating from the Cimini Mountains, in the province of Viterbo. Used by the great artists of the past for the creation of great works such as palaces and monuments, Peperino has always been particularly appreciated for its consistency even in adverse weather conditions.
The areas where Peperino is extracted range from Ariccia to Marino passing through Albano Laziale and each of these extraction areas boasts a different variety of Peperino. If you need to cover an external stone staircase, we recommend the most used Grey Peperino, while Pink Peperino finds wide diffusion mostly among stone stairs for interiors.
Types of Peperino Stone Stairs
An internal staircase in Peperino stone can be made in different models, to adapt to the conformation of the house and the furnishing elements already present. The most loved types of stone stairs include ramp, cantilever, and self-supporting ones.
Ramp natural stone stairs are the most solid and safe, ideal for frequent foot traffic and therefore more indicated for interiors. Cantilever external lava stone stairs are perfect for homes well exposed to sunlight, especially if they are near doors and windows, because they guarantee good filtering of light and air. A self-supporting lava stone staircase is finally suitable for those who want space under the stairs for further realizations.
Peperino: Internal and External Stair Cladding
Peperino is a natural rock of volcanic origin, born from the cementation of volcanic materials of the ancient Cimino Volcano. Over the centuries all these elements have consolidated due to the effect of physical actions and the natural presence of cement formed by the decomposition of glassy particles and calcium. This formation process makes Peperino resistant to time and atmospheric agents, while keeping it easily workable.
Grey Peperino is a very ancient rock, its name derives from the Latin term “lapis peperinus“, derived from piper (meaning pepper), due to the presence of black colored particles similar to peppercorns.
This material has historically been used by the Etruscans for the construction of funeral sarcophagi, by the Romans for buildings, eventually becoming the main material used for medieval and Renaissance constructions.
Today, Peperino stone is used in various realizations such as paving, thresholds, or cladding for stairs in both internal and external environments. With Peperino, it is possible to create extremely modern lava stone stairs, which adapt to every style of furniture.
Grey Peperino proves to be an excellent choice for cladding your own internal or external staircase for two reasons:
It is very hard and resists foot traffic
It has low water absorption
External Lava Stone Stairs
Micci Srl is a company specializing in the installation of Peperino lava stone slabs for newly built stairs or for cladding stairs already present in a home. Whatever the choice made, other elements to consider for the installation of external lava stone stairs and internal stone stairs are the finish and special processes. The finish gives the stone stairs a polished or brushed appearance, while special processes include bullnose (a toro) or half-bullnose (mezzo-toro) edges.
An example of the use of this material is the representative office of Ferrarelle Spa, in via Ripamonti in Milan, which was created through an architectural project starting from the recovery of an industrial chimney. The main entrance of the headquarters features a wide Staircase clad in Stone extracted and processed by Micci Srl. For the stone staircase cladding, Grey Peperino was chosen, a unique and exclusive stone that comes from the magmatic material surfaced from the Cimino volcano, in the heart of the Viterbo Tuscia. With Peperino, many types of stone stairs can be created, a material that allows customizing every product and responding to every need.