Roman Cocciopesto Floor: Natural Beauty, No Cement, High Performance
Over 2,200 Years of Tradition
Cocciopesto Floor is a traditional flooring material made by mixing lime with crushed terracotta (cocciopesto) and natural aggregates. This historic Roman blend creates a durable, breathable, and visually striking floor — offering a high-end alternative to standard limecrete floors.
Surveyor Mick explains how a 2,000-year-old Roman Cocciopesto floor was made.
Benefits
Practical demonstration from Venice
- Luxurious, elegant appearance
- Warm material: pleasant to the touch and comfortable underfoot
- More solid and durable than limecrete with sand aggregates
- Far more breathable, managing moisture better than traditional sand-lime limecrete
- Excellent chemical resistance — particularly effective against salts (rising from the soil or sea salts)
The technique was popularised in Phoenician colonies in North Africa sometime before 256 BC,
spreading north to Sicily and eventually to the Italian peninsula. The ancient Roman architect Vitruvius documented this material, referring to it as Opus signinum (known in modern Italian as cocciopesto).
Historically, Cocciopesto was widely used in Roman villas and baths, and examples of Cocciopesto floors have been found throughout the Roman Empire.
Later, the Venetians adopted this flooring material for its ability to withstand moisture and sea salts, and refined its appearance to suit their luxurious lifestyles.
Today, Cocciopesto floors are once again gaining popularity — thanks to their many practical benefits and the same timeless elegance and sense of luxury that once captivated the Venetians.
Cocciopesto Floor Project
Explained by an Italian Architect
We used only natural materials in this project — most importantly, natural lime.
The walls, the floor, and even the layers beneath are all lime-based.
Cocciopesto Floor Construction Process:
- Initial preparation
First, we removed all the existing layers and kept only the sub-base. Foam glass or expanded clay aggregate would both have worked very well for this purpose. - Rinzaffo MGN Roman Base (Rinzaffo Controspinta)
A 1 cm layer was applied. This breathable waterproof barrier blocks salts from the concrete and soil. Thanks to certain volcanic aggregates from Mount Vesuvius, this lime mix becomes both durable and waterproof — while still breathable. - Insulation Layer – Lime Pumice
We applied a 12–14 cm layer of this lightweight, breathable, and durable lime-pumice slab, which also functions as thermal insulation.
Slim-profile alternatives: Termointonaco MGN or Termorasante Aerogel MGN
— super-insulating, labour-efficient options for thin-layer application. Cocciopesto Screed – Massetto Caldo MGN
Next, a 4–5 cm layer of this traditional Cocciopesto floor screed was added. It offers excellent heat storage capacity, with or without underfloor heating — warm to the touch and extremely comfortable to walk on.Finishing Layer – Cocciopesto Pastellone Veneziano Lime Floor Finish
This was the Venetians’ answer to the demand for beautiful, luxurious floors. It’s healthy, breathable, and entirely natural.
Skip to 3:18 in the video to see how the top layer is done.
The Bathroom in This Project
Jump to 4:00 in the video to see the seamless Pastellone bathroom floor finish.
For wet areas such as bathrooms, we used Fondo Pozzolanico MGN — a lime-based waterproofing layer. The screed was Massetto Caldo, followed by the levelling coat (Rasante B40), and finished with the classic Venetian Pastellone floor finish.
“I used Fondo Pozzolanico MGN here because in case of a leak, I wanted to make sure nothing seeps through to the lower level.”
– Italian architect in the video
This creates a kind of micro-vessel — completely waterproof, yet still breathable.
Thickness of Fondo Pozzolanico? Just a few millimetres.
Venetian Finish - Final Touches
Pastellone Veneziano floor surface is typically treated with:
One or two applications of linseed oil.
Two applications of Roman Beeswax Floor Polish, applied with a brush and polished with a soft cloth.
Drying time:
Allow around one week between layers. The beeswax smell will linger for a while but dissipates after a couple of weeks. Some areas may appear darker initially as the oil continues to absorb, but this evens out over time.
Why Use MGN Materials?
“I’ve used MGN in multiple projects. These are premium-quality materials — 100% natural, with no unhealthy additives like formaldehyde or cement.
I choose them for my family’s health, for the beauty, and because I see my colleagues truly connect with them. As an Architect you can express tradition and natural integrity with these materials.”
– Italian architect in the video
Learn More About These Unique Components:
Roman Waterproofing Base
Rinzaffo MGN keeps moisture and salts in check by turning liquid moisture into a regulated vapour flow
Thermal Insulation
Terrmointonaco 2000 MGN is a super-insulating, labour-efficient option for thin-layer application.
Super-Insulator
TerrmoRastante Aerogel MGN is probably the best insulator on the market, a pure aerogel-lime mix. Our best selling product
Lime Levelling Plaster
Rasante B40 MGN is a uniform, breathable, yet waterproof adhesion layer for levelling uneven surfaces internally
Cocciopesto Floor Screed
Based on laboratory measurements Massetto Caldo is producing approx. 16% more heat, and retains the heat longer than sand-cement screeds
Roman Floor Finish
Pastellone Veneziano MGN is the Ancient Roman floor finish, coming in 24+ colours. Healthy, breathable and entirely natural.
Now Available Across the UK
Cocciopesto Floor Build-Up
- Foamglass aggregate
- Rinzaffo MGN – breathable salt and moisture barrier
-
Insulation layer
Termointonaco MGN
Termorasante Aerogel MGN
or lime-pumice (as in the video) -
Cocciopesto Screed – Massetto Caldo MGN (with or without underfloor heating)
Excellent heat retention
Always warm to the touch
Very comfortable underfoot
Cocciopesto Floor Finish
- Levelling with Rasante B40 MGN and mesh
- Cocciopesto Pastellone Veneziano MGN Finish
- Linseed oil + beeswax mix — the original Roman recipe
Got Questions?
Planning Your Own Project?
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