Shot blasting natural stone and concrete for texture

Abrasive impact creates a micro-roughness of tens of microns that raises the surface friction coefficient. The piece gains grip without losing its identity: colour, veining and thickness remain intact. That is why shot blasting is the usual treatment for public flooring, platforms, stairs, pool edges and outdoor walkways, where the safety standard demands a minimum slip resistance value and the project cannot change the material.

The same process at lower intensity produces a highly sought-after aesthetic finish. The polished surface loses its gloss and takes on a satin, antique-looking texture. Shot blasting also lightens the stone slightly and softens the contrast of the veins, which evens out pieces that naturally vary from one another. On facade panels, claddings and designer flooring, that consistency between pieces is as valuable as the texture itself.

The traditional alternative for texturing stone is flaming, which applies a high-temperature flame so that thermal shock spalls the surface. It is effective but has known limitations: it requires handling gas torches, introduces thermal stress into the material and delivers results that vary from piece to piece. Shot blasting achieves the effect mechanically, with no heat, no risk of thermal cracking and a result that repeats piece after piece because it depends on adjustable parameters: abrasive flow, belt speed and blast wheel power.

Marble, granite, travertine and natural stone in general; concrete and precast elements; tiles, pavers, kerbstones and facade panels. The condition is that the piece be flat and rest stably on the conveyor belt. Intensity is adjusted to the hardness of the material: a soft stone needs less energy than granite to reach the same texture.

The CIN line from CYM Materiales uses a rubber conveyor belt and one or two blast wheels above the piece, which allows blasting one face only while the lower face stays intact and protected from abrasion. That is exactly what this process needs: texture is applied to the visible face, while the seating face keeps its original surface for bonding or laying. Pieces are loaded at the inlet, travel through in continuous pass and come out treated at the other end, with no intermediate handling.