The Terrazzo Story and How To Repair It
By Edward Green

Terrazzo traditionally is made of cement and marble and extra marble chips are present on the surface. The problem is that the cement portion is porous and as such quickly absorbs stains. In the modern form this drawback has been tried to be remedied. Now Terrazzo is made with synthetic resins such as urethane or epoxy that is used as a binder in place of cement. As such it does not stain as easily as the traditional Terrazzo. Terrazzo is a natural stone and concrete material that looks like a mosaic. It is polished to a high glaze and polyurethane resin is used to seal it. This sealing with clear polyurethane gives it a durable attractive look. Terrazzo is pre-cast and its constituents are 85% stone and 15% binder with steel reinforcing rods cast into the bowl.

If you wish to have a long lasting glaze on your terrazzo surface, clean it daily or as per the need, with detergent, warm water and a soft cloth. It is strictly unadvisable to put acid or alkaline solutions into the terrazzo bowl. If the terrazzo bowl has accidentally come into contact with any acidic or alkaline solution, the bowl should be thoroughly washed with water immediately. If you find that your bowl has turned hazel, it means that your bowl has surely come into contact with acidic or alkaline solution or has been affected by Ultra Violet radiation.

MAINTENANCE

You need to keep your terrazzo clean from dirt and soil. Soil acts as an abrasive and may damage your terrazzo. You can clean the surface with damp mopping with a cleansing liquid. The only precaution is that the cleansing liquid needs to be neutral. It is always clean the surface if anything spills onto the surface. That would mean that you are not allowing stains to take its place on the terrazzo floor. If you are dusting and sweeping the surface daily that would make the thorough cleaning job a lot easier.

REPAIR

If you find that your terrazzo has become stained which you are unable to remove with general detergent or if you find that your bowl has turned hazel, you surely need to repair your terrazzo. Repairing or restoring your terrazzo is a very simple affair. You require high quality exterior polyurethane, paint stripper and fine grained sandpaper.

First of all, you need to turn off the water to the unit. The existing polyurethane needs to be completely removed with the paint stripper. It is done to achieve a high quality new finish. If you find that your terrazzo has been stained, use a sandpaper to get rid of any stain that may have permeated the surface of the terrazzo. After that bowl needs to be thoroughly dried, otherwise polyurethane will not adhere to the surface well. According to the manufacturer’s instructions, apply two to three coasts of polyurethane. If this is not done you run the risk of water penetrating the surface and doing damage to the terrazzo. After that polyurethane should be left to dry completely. You will find the duration of time that polyurethane takes to completely dry in the directions provided by the manufacturer. Only when you are sure of the fact that polyurethane has dried thoroughly, then only water should be turned on.

It is imperative that the repair kit be used in strict accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions.

You will find that just by doing a little, you are able to have a long lasting and sparkling terrazzo.

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About The Author:
Edward Green owns and operates the highly successful Marble Master Ltd Company. Marble Master specializes in the Sales, Installation, Restoration and Refinishing of all types of natural stone and consultancy services to Architects, Restoration Companies and Interior Designers. http://www.marblemasteruk.com.