FMG Twenty: the outdoor pavement solution

Porcelain is the most complete and most popular contemporary flooring material thanks to a production process giving it unique properties such as non-absorbency and ability to withstand frost and mechanical stress. These properties make porcelain the perfect flooring material for both indoor and outdoor use.
Outdoor pavements can be used to create numerous original spaces, enhancing gardens and lounge areas with a practical, well thought-out arrangement of pathways, entrances, outdoor stairways, balconies, terraces, arcades and swimming pool areas.

To respond to changing demand for outdoor paving materials, FMG Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti designed the Twenty line, a paving system made up of thick porcelain slabs designed for outdoor use (20 mm thick) that can be used to pave public areas, home gardens and wellness areas.
Available in the 60x60 and 24x24mm sizes, Twenty tiles withstand the effects of the weather and heavy loads, are easy to clean by ordinary cleaning methods (or with a hydroblaster) and suffer no substantial long-term technical or aesthetic alterations. Immune to moss and mildew, Twenty tiles are not altered by fertilisers or insecticides, by contact with salt (making them particularly suitable for use in coastal areas where there is salt in the air, or at high elevations, where salt is spread on the roads in winter).
The collection is composed of 5 material surfaces in natural colours, in the 60x60 cm size: Quarzite Verde, Pietra Europa, Pietra del Friuli, Pietra di Modica and Pietra di Bolsena.

There are 5 different ways of laying Twenty: dry over grass (1), over gravel (2) or sand (3); as a raised floor (4); glued onto a concrete slab (5).
Dry installation (methods 1, 2 and 3) is a quick, easy procedure requiring no particular substrates or adhesives. Replacement of individual tiles (to permit the passage of pipes, irrigation or lighting systems, or due to alteration of the subsoil) may be performed without the assistance of specially trained personnel.
The raised floor (4) is a supporting structure for reducing differences in level, with systems permitting adjustment of height and anti-squeaking sheaths. Like all raised floors, the solution creates a space underneath the porcelain tiles in which pipes and wires may be housed. This offers a number of obvious technical and design benefits for outdoor pavements, permitting drainage of water, allowing irrigation systems to be conveyed directly to flowerpots and lighting systems to be set up wherever they are needed to create a personalised lighting system.
Laying tiles over concrete slabs with adhesive (5) is the best solution for driveways, cycle paths, pedestrian walkways and sidewalks, where tiles will be subject to greater traffic and mechanical stress.

In addition, FMG offers the Twenty+ system, a paving solution including thicker outdoor paving tiles (21 mm) available on order (products R10 A+B+C, R11 A+B+C, R12 A+B+C in the 60x60 size in the FMG collections).
The Twenty+ system allows an indoor product from the FMG range to be paired with a second porcelain tile “made especially to create a stronger surface capable of supporting outdoor stress ”.
This versatile solution makes it possible to use the same surface inside and outside (choosing from a wider range of colours than is available for Twenty), creating a fascinating effect of aesthetic continuity and depth.
 

Marco Privato

---

GALLERY