whatever happenend to terazzo floors?
Two neighbor’s homes built in the late 50s when i was a kid had terazzo (sp) floors .
these people have not spent $ or revarnishing etc.
is it used anymore or has it died as a floor?
Two neighbor’s homes built in the late 50s when i was a kid had terazzo (sp) floors .
these people have not spent $ or revarnishing etc.
is it used anymore or has it died as a floor?
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Replies
Wain, I think you can still get it but its costly, probably why you dont see it to often.
Doug
Still used. A lot of labor and skill, plus special equipment. Lay the joints, pour, cure, grind, polish. Very expensive but very durable. Rare in residential. Used often in public buildings.
I've always wondered how on earth they did it before the invention of powered grinders and polishers. What did it take to finish a terazzo floor by hand?
Lots of time and elbow grease with hand stones.
No they just had to take the time to lay all the stones with the flat side up.Mr T
Happiness is a cold wet nose
Life is is never to busy to stop and pet the Doggies!!
And if you're going to do that, you might as well sort them out by colors and arrange them to make a picture. Mosaics have been used for thousands of years, and are probably a sort of ancestor to terrazo.
-- J.S.
might as well sort them out by colors and arrange them to make a picture
I've seen that, just up the road in fact. The Systems Administration Building has a map of Texas laid out in the terrazzo floor. Very spiffy, and not as maintenence-needy as tile mosaic (like in the Academic Building).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
there are epoxy based terazzo products for use over wood subfloors in residential applications. TOH did a kitchen about 5 years ago with the stuff. they put a bonding agent on the subfloor before pouring the terazzo. it was amazing to see all of the color options they showed the homeowner. they had to choose the color of the slurry and then the color(s) and mix of the aggregate. the aggregate is done by a percentage mix of the different stone colors. overwhelming
cost: at least $25 psf.
commercial applications are still quite common
carpenter in transition
Besides the cost, the fad has long since passed. It's a cold, hard, unattractive material that would not go in most homes. Maybe in a few limited styles, but not in most homes.
It's regaining popularity here in Florida, though tile still dominates. A cold hard floor is a benefit here :)
We used to live in Fla. Starter house, terrazzo floor. In the summer time that floor was wonderful. About the only cool place around. We would lay down on that floor....COOOOOLL.
I suppose bugs would not be a problem either.
99% of residential construction down here is slab-on-grade, but that doesn't keep the bugs out. The soil under the slab is treated prior to pouring, which keeps the subterranians at bay. We have drywood termites here as well, though, and they don't need moist wood. Fortunately, they chew about 10X slower than the subterranian types.
A lot of the houses pre-1960's down here have terrazo floors, and they're great - cool and very low maintenance. It's probably why they're coming back in style.
Unattractive?
I'm restoring a 1930 building on Randolph AFB in San Antonio that has terrazzo floors. There is nothing unattractive about them. Different color field from the cove base and border, brass joints, beautiful marble chips. Stuning after 70+ years. What was unattractive were the years of carpet and glue and neglect not to mention the halfassed patch and/or repair to damaged areas. Our subcontractor has done wonderful job.
Cold? Well duh. What stone/ceramic/concrete floor isn't?
Now, cost? Terribly high, new or restored. We are only doing four rooms, a gift to the historical folks. Everyone is extremely happy we did, at least, the four.A contented man enjoys the scenery of a detour
"It's a cold, hard, unattractive material that would not go in most homes. "
Many, including myself, find terrazo a warm (hydronic heat), hard, attractive material that would be great in many homes. ;o)
Our new library has terrazo steps...even the riser was ground nicely. How'd they do that?
I think the reason it's not used as much anymore in residential is simply because you can get cheap carpet and fake wood floors at HD for a lot less.
>> ... you can get cheap carpet and fake wood floors at HD for a lot less.
I'm sure that's one reason. Another is that there's no point in paying extra for a low maintenance floor when any floor can be converted to low maintenance by the simple expedient of not maintaining it.
Terazzo is mostly used in public building...schools mostly and yes, it is extremely durable and takes very little care over the years. Many of the scvhools I work in still try and repair and preserve what they have because of the cost of replacement...sometimes up to $100/SF!!! Yikes. In a residential application you can bet on it being a lot cheaper because of the wage differences. Have you considered the extra weight involved though? I have a section in my home which has similar flooring and you can actually see the curve forced into the floor rafters from the basement below. Obviously there is some engineering involved. It is a cold hard floor though...unless you maybe combine with rad. heat?? Good luck to you!
Eman
In additon to what everyone else has said,
The origins of the word "Terazzo" is (Italian? for) "prisoner". That's who traditionally did all the sanding down to a smooth surface. Mechanized now, but I think about that as I see it in subways and airports.