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About Terrazzo

Why? What? How? History
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Why Use Terrazzo?
Elegant, Durable, Timeless...
Even 100-year-old terrazzo floors still demonstrate the beauty of this ageless finish. FLEX your design with the ultimate in design fluidity! Create gorgeous floors, walls, tables, sinks, fountains, bars, logos, special art, statues, monuments and even ceilings that typically last the life of the building or even longer!
Cost Effective...
According to research conducted with various floor finishes over the lifespan of a building, Terrazzo is one of the most cost effective finishes for lobby areas, shopping centers, airports, or any area with heavier traffic where carpet or tile requires more maintenance and frequency of replacement.
Click Terrazzo Cost Calculator for details or visit our Historical Terrazzo page.
Easy To Maintain...
Terrazzo maintenance is minimal requiring only regular damp mopping with clean water and occasional re-sealing. Since Terrazzo has a non-pourous finish (no grout joints), potential location for bacteria and microbial growth zones are eliminated.
Terrazzo Maintenance Guide.
Terrazzo also improves indoor air quality while helping maintain a mold-free environment since it does not allow moisture to accumulate.
Sustainable
Epoxy terrazzo is environmentally friendly! It is actually one of the original recycling ideas with zero VOC materials, so there is little or no off-gassing over the life of the cured floor.

For more information, including a Terrazzo Case Study and possible points available in LEED© programs, visit our Sustainability and LEED page.
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What is Terrazzo?
Poured-In-Place Terrazzo...
Epoxy or cement binder is mixed with various aggregates like marble, quartz, glass, onyx, mirror and others, then poured-in place, on-site.  Areas are typically separated by zinc, brass or alluminum strips ranging in design from classic to more complex and intricate detail. The result is an elegant, uniformly textured, polished-to-smooth, surface—not just for floors but also walls, stairs, countertops, bars, ceilings and more.
Terrazzo's durability, low maintenance and unparalleled design capacity for custom installations make it the perfect flooring for modern architecture and creative expression. Terrazzo Maintenance Guide
Precast Terrazzo
Much like poured-in-place terrazzo, the main difference is that Precast Terrazzo is manufactured off-site. Stairs, cove base and walls are common examples of precast elements.
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How Terrazzo is Installed
historical terrazzo grinders image While today’s generation of terrazzo is still poured-in-place on the job site, and as durable as ever, its reputation has lagged far behind the reality of the industry. The evolution of the installation process has come a long way since those century-old floors were first installed. And with these advances, comes very good news for the GC in terms of costs, time, space and headaches.
terrazzo counter image Not only has terrazzo installation become simpler, cleaner and cheaper, its design capacity has expanded exponentially. Over recent decades, the terrazzo industry’s large-scale shift to epoxy from traditional sand-cushion has dramatically lowered costs while playing a key role in the several game-changing improvements in the process.
We recommend working with your regional WSTA Contractor Member(s). The level of skill required to properly install terrazzo also explains why our parent organization, The National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association (NTMA), has extensive education and training programs. Our member contractors know that training and skill enhancement is the key to quality terrazzo installations.

The one-minute time lapse video below shows an installation performed at McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada.