Terrazo floors: durable and stylish

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Terazzo is a composite material, poured in place or precast, that consists of marble, quartz, granite, glass or other suitable stone chips. The binder is cementitious, modified cementitious or resinous. Terrazo floor is a very-durable and long-lasting floor.

Terrazo's origins

The word "Terrazo" comes from the Italian word for" terrace. Terrazo was originally invented by Venetian construction workers as a low cost flooring material using discarded marble chips from upscale jobs. So, as most of the techniques, terrazzo it was born out of necessity. Consisting originally of marble chips, clay, and goat milk (as the sealer), production of terrazzo became much easier after the 1920s and the introduction of electric industrial grinders and other power equipment.

How terrazo is installed.

There are various types of terrazo installation methods included the epoxy terrazo, the sand cushion, the bonded, the monolithic, the polyacrylate and the rustic-bonded terrazo. In general, terrazo is cured and then ground and polished to a smooth surface. It is messy to install and requires time for pouring, curing and grinding to complete the process. Terrazo can be precast to avoid much of the on-site work required of standard installation. The downsize of the epoxy resin base is that it can be only used for interiors.

The epoxy terrazo system is excellent for multi-colored patterns and designs. It can be specified with glass, synthetic or granite aggregates, in lieu of marble to provide brilliant colors or chemical resistant. Light weight and flexibility make it ideal for multi-story use. It has the lowest maintenance cost due to non-absorbency. It also has the quickest pour to grind installation

The sand cushion and bonded methods are very heavy and are usually designed as part of the architecture of the building. The sand cushion is the best cement system, that due to the underbed's depth, wire mesh reinforcing, isolation sheeting and sand layer absorbs minor substrate defects. In a similar way bonded terrazo, with sand-cement underbed has less dependence on the concrete slab for flatness when compared to monolithic.

The advantages of monolithic terrazo, is the fast installation and the most economical price.

Polyacrylate terrazo is an ideal option to replace vinyl or carpet without depth transition difficulties. It is characterized by the fast installation and moderate price. Polymer provides strength to allow for thinner applications of cementitious systems.

Precast terrazo is a made-to-measure product. Countertops, sinks, tabletops can be made from precast concrete.

References:

The National Terrazo & Mosaix association, INC
Terrazo,Wikipedia. org
Gabrielle Di Stefano. 2012. Terrazzo Makes a Comeback for Floors and More. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/5868202/list/Terrazzo-Makes-a-Comeback-for-Floors-and-More. [Accessed 29 January 14].
David Kent Ballast FAIA CSI, 2010. Interior Detailing: Concept to Construction. 1 Edition. Wiley.

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