Terrazzo

Terrazzo is a man-made flooring consisting of natural stone pieces set in a cement or epoxy medium and it is either poured on site or precast as tiles. Marble pieces in the mix allow polishing to a high shine, and often the floors will have decorative patterns and features.

Terrazzo’s durability makes it a very popular flooring choice in high traffic environments such as supermarkets, airports and train stations – and restoring Terrazzo floors can produce stunning results.

The process involves diamond grinding, honing, polishing and, in some cases, crystallisation.

First, the floor is cut to remove deep scratches and any unevenness. Honing with finer grade diamond abrasives prepares the floor, while polishing with very fine grade diamonds gives the Terrazzo a high gloss look. Crystallisation will also give Terrazzo (and other floors containing calcium) a high, glass-like shine by using a polishing powder to chemically alter the surface of the stone.

Sealing Terrazzo floors can improve cleaning results dramatically.

For best results, the floor needs grinding, honing and polishing to the desired level before coats of stone floor sealer are applied to protect the floor from stains and light scratching.

Natural Stone impregnators can counter the porosity of Terrazzo, marble, Travertine, granite, slate, sandstone, limestone and other natural stone. By penetrating the surface of the stone, impregnators close small pores and reduce larger pores, preventing the absorption of liquid molecules. This prevents staining and dirt formation but allows the stone to breathe.

To test the porosity of your floor, pour a tablespoon of water onto the floor and leave for 5-10 minutes. If the water has been absorbed into the stone your floor is porous and susceptible to staining.

Stone restoration is a very skilled process with no short-cuts and only well-trained and experienced operators should carry out stone restoration. Although all stone floors will become dull and worn when exposed to traffic, a planned maintenance programme will ensure your beautiful Terrazzo floor fulfils its potential.

Case Study

Warwick University, Terrazzo Tiles Honing & Sealing

The terrazzo flooring in the Library building at the prestigious Warwick University had become dirty and dull and hard to clean after many years of wear and tear. Six toilet blocks and a five storey stair well was restored during the holidays before the students arrived for the new term. We removed old stains and light scratches by honing the surface and skirting. Once the terrazzo was smooth, completely clean and dry, we sealed the floor with an impregnating sealer to protect the floor from stains and wear and tear.

Testimonials

'It was unfortunate - and not the fault of Unique Floorcare - but we had a bit of a disaster in one of the areas where they were working. The plumbing failed and flooded the area. Unique Floorcare mucked in and helped us with tackling the problem and helped to reduce the impact on our Library users as much as possible. This was beyond their remit, they could have just walked away and returned to complete their work at a later date, but they didn’t and stayed to finish their work on schedule. Unique Floorcare's knowledge of contamination procedures was very valuable and given with sincerity. This enabled me to plan the extra resources to tackle the clean up work.’

Margaret Barwick, Facilities Officer, Warwick University


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The final result.
To clean up the floor and remove lippage we use coarse metal diamonds during the first few grinding steps.
Once the paint and other contamination is removed, we cary on grinding and polishing to build up a shine on the floor.
In some areas we have to remove cement and glue by hand.
Here is an area covered with cement. We have to take care when removing it to avoid damaging the terrazzo underneath.
Under radiators and other areas where our larger machinery cannot get to, we use hand held equipment.
After restoration.
Before and after picture.

Terrazzo Restoration, Mile End Road, London

Over 400m2 terrazzo floor space was restored in an old building in Mile End Road, London, as part of a renovation project for a textile company. For decades, the floor had been exposed to all kinds of traffic, it had been painted, covered with carpet, cement etc, before the client decided to bring it back to life.

Testimonials

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Dull and dirty appearance in the Gents' toilets with visible uric acid stains under the urinals.
After stain removal and diamond polishing we apply an impregnator and use crystallising powder. The clean and hygienic look is restored and the shine brought back to the floor.
Hazy overall look. Visible stains from spillages and wear and tear.
The ladies toilets after restoration. Even the grout lines have become more visible.
During uric acid stain removal.

Restoring Terrazzo, Wright Hassall Solicitors

Restore Terrazzo tiles to an even lustre finish and remove marks and uric acid stains from the floors in Ladies' and Gents' toilets.

Testimonials

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We carried out a demonstration for the customer before the work began.
After the floor has been stripped, honed and sealed with impregnator and burnished.
The past use of topical coating had become contaminated and made the floor looks dirty.
After completely stripping off the coating.
Evidence of how effective UHS burnishing can be.
The shine is enhanced by burnishing with UHS Burnisher.

Terrazzo Restoration, Higham Lane, Nuneaton

Restoration of two separate entrance areas with Terrazzo floor tiles, approx 150 m2. Removal of old finish from safety coating and supply of Cleaning Programme for in-house cleaning team.

Testimonials

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News, Advice & FAQs

Does Your Floor Stand Up to the Footfall?

Does Your Floor Stand Up to the Footfall?

Busy supermarkets often have a tough job on their hands trying to keep their floors clean and safe. A high flow of traffic takes its toll on the surface which will quickly become dirty and slippery and in the end wear out prematurely, unless it is treated.

Dust Free Concrete Floors

Dust Free Concrete Floors

Concrete dust create real cleaning problems for warehouses and production facilities with power floated concrete floors. Our Concrete Polishing system solves the problem, creates stunning floors and reduces cleaning cost.

How to Keep Floors Clean

How to Keep Floors Clean

Entrance matting act as the first line of defence when it comes to preventing outside dirt and grit from being walked into a building, and, even more importantly, they reduce the risk of slips and falls - a key consideration for all publicly accessible buildings. Research shows that up to 90% of all dirt and debris present within a building is tracked in from the outside on the bottom of shoes. An effective entrance mat measuring 6 meters can remove 75% of all this dirt, contain it in one place and reduce the cleaning cost otherwise required in the building.

The ‘Wet & Dry’ Floor Cleaning Method

The ‘Wet & Dry’ Floor Cleaning Method

What is the 'Wet-and-Dry' Method? When using the Mop & Bucket system, the 'Wet-and-Dry' method is a very simple yet incredibly effective step in picking dirt and grit off the surface during floor cleaning. First you wash the floor with a wet mop until you're satisfied you can't clean any more dirt off. Then you go over the damp area with a CLEAN, DRY mop to pick up any leftover dirt and grit you couldn't pick up during the clean. You will be amazed at how much dirt you can still pick up during this simple step, please see below.

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