Terrazzo flooring

Terrazzo flooring systems have existed for centuries, dating back to the Roman times. Marble chips, by products of exquisite sculptures, were mixed with cement and ground to a polished finish to create the original terrazzo flooring system.
Terrazzo, from the Italian word for terraces, was created several hundred years ago in Europe when Venetian workers discovered a new use for discarded marble remnants. Since that time, it has become a logical, practical solution for contemporary design and construction.
Terrazzo is an extremely versatile material which can be applied in situ to floors and other surfaces, made into tiles or cast into moulds to almost any shape. It is probably the most widely used of all hard floorings, certainly in heavily trafficked areas. It is to be found in shopping malls, airports, railway and underground stations, hospitals and supermarkets.
The name "terrazzo" derives from the Italian word "terrazza" meaning terrace. It is so called because this type of flooring originated in the north eastern region of Italy known as Friuli, where the inhabitants hundreds of years ago utilised pebbles and stones from nearby river beds to pave the earth adjacent to their homes. The surface thus produced was naturally uneven and over time a method was devised for rubbing down the floors. This consisted of a long wooden pole to one end of which was fixed a rough stone weighted to produce the necessary abrasion.
These show refinements in technique gradually taking place in this period. Wooden templates were employed to separate colours and to create floral and other designs; aggregates were mixed and graded; lime was incorporated into the matrix and marble dust was introduced as a colouring agent.
After the war machinery became more complex. With the advent of multi-station automatic presses and multi-headed linear grinders for making terrazzo tiles, a real transformation occurred, accelerated by the increasing demand for speedier operations on building sites.
The beauty and versatility of Terrazzo offers today's architects/designers a contemporary flooring and wall material for interior and exterior design use.
These strips were not only designed to separate colors, but they played an essential role in the control of localizing shrinkage in the Terrazzo topping, preventing cracks from marring the aesthetics of this beautiful surface. Soon advanced technology gave this industry various gauges of all these strips, resulting in the creation of elaborate and intricate patterns and designs.
The technology of carborundum stones on a rotating head, aided in advancing grinding and polishing procedures to today's standards.
When white Portland cement was introduced into this industry, it expanded the horizon of Terrazzo colors with the mineral color pigment additives. Now the spectrum of color for Terrazzo was unlimited. During this time numerous chemical companies were developing cleaners and sealers to enhance the beauty of Terrazzo.
Terrazzo has proven itself through history as the sensible choice for floor surfaces that require resistance to heavy abuse, while still retaining beauty and low maintenance costs.
Whether for the rush of thousands of feet with the floor that takes the hurry in an airport or train station, or contemplation and joy in a quiet church, in a school planned for education of our children, or hospital, where footsteps can mean life itself, no other kind of flooring today can create so much beauty with such long range economy. When you build for lasting strength you can also create the lasting beauty of timeless Terrazzo.
Terrazzo is a signature material. It allows you the freedom to create detailed and multicolored designs, while still maintaining a seamless surface; one that is durable, easy to maintain and truly unique. And while beauty and durability are still important, today’s designers, architects and building owners are also keenly aware of the economy and performance of their flooring system.
Marble has been defined as a metamorphic rock formed by the recrystallization of limestone. However, in recent decades, marble has been redefined to include all calcareous rocks capable of taking a polish (such as onyx, travertine, and attractive serpentine rocks). Marble is quarried, selected to avoid off color or contaminated material, crushed and sized to yield marble chips for Terrazzo. Excellent domestic and imported marble chips are available for use in terrazzo in a wide range of colors and can be combined in infinite varieties to create color harmonies of every description.
It is doubtful that there is a flooring material in use today that is as care-free as terrazzo. To best understand terrazzo, you must first break it down into components. Terrazzo consists of marble chips and/or other aggregates in combination with a binder of portland cement. The marble chips and/or aggregates are mixed.
Terrazzo floors require time and patience to allow the curing process to run its natural course. It is also a fact that many terrazzo colors will appear mottled initially. This does not indicate that the installing contractor did not execute properly. This less than desirable appearance is often beyond the control of the terrazzo contractor as it is the normal characteristics of the system. It is a fact that, initially, the aesthetics of a new terrazzo floor is far from what is desired, but it is predictable that with each passing day the aesthetics will increase and the results of a good installation will be recognized. This provides the owner with the performance, aesthetics and ease of maintenance for the life-long expectancy known by the history of terrazzo.