Terrazzo floors have been allowing for beautiful flooring systems since the 16th century. This type of flooring came from Venice and offers many great features. It is affordable, eco-friendly, beautiful, long-lasting and extremely durable. Many homeowners and commercial property owners wonder how it can be all those things at once. Whether you are installing new terrazzo flooring or having a terrazzo restoration, you may be curious about what makes up a terrazzo floor. Here’s what you need to know.
Three Layers of Terrazzo Flooring
Terrazzo flooring is made with three layers. The very bottom layer is a solid layer of concrete. It is around four inches deep, and that makes the floor extremely durable and long lasting. This also makes the floor eco-friendlier, because the concrete can be made of recycled materials. Finally, it also makes the floor more affordable because concrete is an inexpensive material.
The second layer of the terrazzo flooring is a layer of sand with metal divider strips. This layer allows the floor to feature a special design. The strips can be laid out into an infinite number of designs – anything you can design, terrazzo flooring can be created to reflect. It can be cut to curved or irregular shapes, and because the uppermost layer is a solid layer, there is never any grout to worry.
The third layer involves a mixture of cement and fine marble or glass chips to create the design. These are colored with a variety of pigments that can transform your floor into a work of art. This part must be hand-troweled to get the perfectly smooth surface that creates the floor.
How Terrazzo is Finished, and Terrazzo Restoration
After a terrazzo floor is laid, it is finished by grinding the surface smooth, and then it is cleaned, polished, and sealed with a protective layer of clear sealant. This is the same process that is used for terrazzo restoration as well. The floor is fully cleaned, polished, and then sealed to make it look good as new.
This process allows the flooring to be used inside and outside, and in very high-traffic areas. It is scratch-resistant, stain-resistant, and easier to care for – in addition, to be durable and beautiful.
Now that you know what makes up a terrazzo floor, you can see why the affordable price of this floor is a steal!
