A process for treating a substrate made of stone material, preferably in the form of slabs, is provided which process improves the mechanical, thermal and catalytic properties of the substrate. The process includes applying a protective coating to the outer surface of the substrate made of stone material and, to improve adhesion of the protective coating to the outer surface of the substrate, preliminarily subjecting the substrate to one or more pre-treatment steps that eliminate or reduce the presence of pollutants and porosity on the surface of the substrate. The pre-treatment of the substrate made of stone material comprises at least one step of treatment under vacuum conditions inside an autoclave, preferably under pressure conditions lower than 10.sup.2 mbar. Then, after having brought the substrate back to ambient pressure, it is possible to apply and effectively adhere the protective coating to the surface of the stone material.

A process for treating a substrate made of stone material, preferably in the form of slabs, is provided which process improves the mechanical, thermal and catalytic properties of the substrate. The process includes applying a protective coating to the outer surface of the substrate made of stone material and, to improve adhesion of the protective coating to the outer surface of the substrate, preliminarily subjecting the substrate to one or more pre-treatment steps that eliminate or reduce the presence of pollutants and porosity on the surface of the substrate. The pre-treatment of the substrate made of stone material comprises at least one step of treatment under vacuum conditions inside an autoclave, preferably under pressure conditions lower than 10.sup.2 mbar. Then, after having brought the substrate back to ambient pressure, it is possible to apply and effectively adhere the protective coating to the surface of the stone material.