One Terrazzo … Countless Magic​

One may disagree with Christopher Wren when he said “The secret of architectural excellence is to translate the proportions of a dachshund into bricks, mortar and marble” but once he gets familiar with Terrazzo floor and its variants he may wonder how was Wren able to conclude that thought with such accuracy, way back in 17th century. The history of Terrazzo flooring is long and rich but the most significant part is its birth from the great Venetian marble mines of Italy where the workers used to collect the chips of marble and mix them to a suitable base of mortar or cement to get a coarsely developed terrazzo floor. Sometimes the same was done by treating the chips by wetting them or using goat milk on the chips due to which those chips changed their color and the result would be a coarse yet fascinating Terrazzo flooring design. From the humble abode of workers, it caught the eyes of contemporary flooring experts who picked the Terrazzo flooring style and gave it a more refined and aesthetic character to become the new charmer of the stone flooring world.
Terrazzo

HSB 466

Terrazzo

HSB 500

Terrazzo

HSB 578

Terrazzo

HSB 581

The terrazzo floor is the new marvel of the world of flooring as it is wonderful assimilation of strength, elegance and texture. It is easy to negate the beauty of the terrazzo floor when compared in a monotonous manner with marble or other stones used for flooring purposes. But a keen observation of this magnificent artistic assembly of mortar and marble will present an entirely different picture where the terrazzo floor meets the dual parameters of strength and elegance. Now, the bigger question is whether the terrazzo floor possesses the variety and options available under other stone categories. You may be amazed to learn that the terrazzo floor is like marble with design on demand. This makes it one of the most versatile flooring options today. The variants of the terrazzo floor are as per the technique used to make it. We will discuss major variants in this article.
An epoxy matrix is used to bind an incredibly thin layer of terrazzo design developed from the use of pieces of marble, glass, or granite. The most advantageous property of an epoxy terrazzo flooring lies in its versatility of design and quick speed of installation apart from its lightweight. Here the matrix used is of epoxy resin and polyacrylate which has better strength in compression and superior resilience to direct impact when compared to cement. Due to its characteristics, it’s suitability for stone flooring gets higher. Coming to the aspect of beauty, the use of epoxy resin instead of cement opens the door of endless colors and textures available for flooring.
Thin Set Terrazzo System (Epoxy Terrazzo Floor)
Terrazzo

HSB 855

Terrazzo

HSB 973

Terrazzo

HSB 639

terrazzo flooring

HSB 1626

It is further divided into different sub-categories which are 

Monolithic Terrazzo floor

A monolithic terrazzo floor is prepared by the bonding of a terrazzo toping with a new or pre-existing concrete slab.This is one of the basic variant of terrazzo flooring & it can be used for both indoor and outdoor purposes.

Sand Cushion Terrazzo floor

The terrazzo is poured over a wire-reinforced mud-bed and cement mixture. There is an isolation sheet on top sand dusting due to which a floating floor that is capable of compensating the horizontal or lateral movement of the building. Thus the use of this variant of terrazzo floor eliminates the possibility of cracking in the floor.

Washed/ Rustic Terrazzo floor:

This variant is particularly used for exteriors like patios, stairs, etc. These are either ground or un-ground with a textured surface and thus provides a better grip.

Bonded Terrazzo Floor

At the inception of its use as a flooring option the basic concept was to mix the chips of marble in a cementitious base and it like a concrete floor. The same concept is followed in the bonded terrazzo floor in a much-refined form. In this type, the terrazzo top is laid on a cement base which makes it suitable for indoor as well as outdoor use. However, its size limits the design versatility and the color options too are less versatile as compared to the epoxy terrazzo floor.

Cementitious Terrazzo Systems

There are furthermore variants available with slight addition or subtraction of elements or techniques and you may rest assured that whatever your choice may be, it would meet its destination when you choose HSB Stone Work’s Terrazzo floor. The Terrazzo flooring gives you the rarest combination of flexibility in the design along with the sturdiness of a resilient floor. With Terrazzo floors you may stretch your imaginations from custom designs to the most complex geometrical and non-geometrical shapes