Terrazzo Floor Laying

A traditional terrazzo job like the one at the ewells house consists of a cement and aggregate mix spread over a concrete slab to a depth of about half an inch.

Terrazzo floor laying. Terrazzo floor tiles must be laid onto a concrete subfloor. Floor preparation is very important before terrazzo laying commences a stable concrete floor is required in order to achieve a durable crack free terrazzo floor. This mixture is placed on an already present concrete slab then polished to a shiny smooth finish. First cement masons or terrazzo workers build a solid level concrete foundation that is 3 to 4 inches 76 to 102 mm deep.

Use thinset between the floor and the concrete board and also use screws or nails to attach it securely to the wooden subfloor. If it is a new floor ample time is needed for the concrete to cure. Marble chip cementitious terrazzo requires three layers of materials. Sealing the terrazzo floor the final stage involves cleaning and sealing the terrazzo surface.

To prepare for the pour workmen cut inch deep grooves called control joints into the slab to guide the inevitable cracking as the concrete cures and shrinks. Basically terrazzo is a type of flooring that consists primarily of a mixture of concrete and marble chips or other aggregates of stone. The terrazzo flooring laid using precast terrazzo tiles flooring its specifications and laying procedure is discussed below. Terrazzo floor installed in a residential basement.

Put on protective eyewear and a respirator mask to protect yourself from terrazzo dust and sand the surface of the terrazzo to rough up the otherwise polished surface using either a commercial or hand held sander. When terrazzo is poured in situ onto large areas of floor metal expansion or divider strips are used to delineate the floor into sections to avoid cracking the strips are laid in the parts of the floor that are most likely to crack which should force the crack to happen along the join rather than in the center of the section. If your subfloor is made of wood you will need to install concrete board before tiling. The laying of terrazzo flooring can be carried out by two methods namely in situ laying and precast terrazzo tiles laying.

The floor is cleaned again and left to dry before a sealer is applied.