Terrazzo Floor Cleaning

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find detailed examples of the cleaning and renovation of Terrazzo flooring carried out in Swansea

Cleaning and Polishing Terrazzo tiles

Terrazzo is actually the by-product of broken pieces of stone often Marble, Limestone and Granite, which rather than being wasted are set into to a cement screed and poured onto the floor. Then once the screed is set it is grinded to a polish. Because of this we find the best way to maintain Terrazzo is with the use of Burnishing Pads which hone the floor and restore its appearance.

Terrazzo has actually been around for a long time, but mainly became popular in the 1920s when the first electrical grinders showed up on the building sites making the process of polishing much easier. With this new variation of Terrazzo the builder/tiler was able to create new set designs and pieces which fitted perfectly with the demands of the “Roaring Twenties” as the flooring of choice for hotels, railway stations and offices wishing to add that wow factor to a hallway or entrance.

One of the big issues we find with older Travertine floors is cracking due to settlement in the sub floor. These floors are poured in sections so any cracks need to be filled with a matching resin and then cleaned, polished and sealed.

Below you will find detailed examples of work we have carried out in the past, it should give you some idea of what’s involved and what can be achieved with the right techniques and products.

Terrazzo Hallway Floor Restoration Pontarddulais Swansea

Cracked and Stained Terrazzo Floor Fully Restored in Pontarddulais

1 Comment / Swansea Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning /

The photographs below are of Terrazzo floor at a property in Pontarddulais, just outside Swansea. They had discovered the floor while preparing the property for sale, and instead of just covering the Terrazzo back up with a new carpet they decided to restore it to give add some wow factor as you opened the door.

Terrazzo Hallway Floor Before Restoration Pontarddulais Swansea

I went over to survey the floor and create a quote for its restoration. The floor was in a bad state with ingrained dirt and cracks. There was a lot of damage from nails being hammered into secure the old carpet as well as multiple large cracks, missing stones, and areas that had risen. There were also areas that had been previously repaired with concrete and multiple stains to deal with.

Terrazzo Hallway Floor Before Restoration Pontarddulais Swansea Cracked Terrazzo Hallway Floor Before Restoration Pontarddulais Swansea

I made multiple notes and later that day I sent over a detailed quotation that included all the products needed to complete the project. It wasn’t long before the reply came back confirming they would like to go ahead.

Cracked Terrazzo Floor Before Restoration Pontarddulais Swansea

Restoring a Terrazzo Floor in Pontarddulais

Being careful to work around their children and pets, work started with hand tools to grind off the concrete and work around all the edges and corners. There was a lot of damage, areas had to be filled, parts of the doorways were also repaired and there was a very large crack that had created a high raised section. This was ground down as much as possible and then using resin and tints was carefully filled many times to give the impression of marble pieces to fill the large gap.

The repair work took several days to complete using resin, tints and various stones to rebuild the damage to match the existing area.

This was followed with more grinding and cleaning with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and Remove & Go. These products are scrubbed into the floor to loosen deeply ingrained dirt, bringing it to the surface where it can be extracted with a wet vacuum

The next step was to mechanically polish and hone the Terrazzo using a series of Tile Doctor Burnishing pads from a coarse 400-grit though to a very fine 3500-grit. The pads are applied with water to capture the soiling generated and then the floor is rinsed and extracted after each pad. This process adds a deep shine and brilliance to the stone leaving a consistent polished sheen finish that blended the floor together reduced the visibility of the repairs.

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway

After allowing it to dry properly, the floor was sealed with multiple coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer. This is a colour enhancing impregnating sealer that soaks into the Terrazzo, occupying the pores and preventing dirt from residing there. This protection will ensure dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

Cracked Terrazzo Floor After Restoration Pontarddulais Swansea

The floor was completely transformed by the work and the family were extremely happy with the beautifully repaired and restored floor. It had been given a completely new lease of life and added value to their house.

Beautiful Terrazzo Floor After Restoration Pontarddulais Swansea Cracked Terrazzo Floor After Restoration Pontarddulais Swansea

For the aftercare of polished stone flooring, I recommended Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is a gentle yet effective neutral pH tile cleaner that contains a patina enhancer.

 

Professional Restoration of a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway in South Wales

Cracked and Stained Terrazzo Floor Fully Restored in Pontarddulais Read More »

Terrazzo Hallway Floor Restoration Neath

Terrazzo Floor Discovered under Hallway Carpet Restored in Neath

1 Comment / Neath Tile Cleaning, Terrazzo Floor Cleaning /

A family in Neath, just outside Swansea, got in touch about a Terrazzo floor that they discovered when pulling up old carpet in the hallway. Having discussed the floor on the phone I arranged to the property to better understand its condition and provide a quote for its restoration.

Terrazzo Hallway Floor Before Renovation Neath

It was a beautifully large hallway, but having spent many years under carpet it was now in a very poor state. There was a lot of damage from nails from gripper rods and door strips being hammered in to the floor to secure the carpet. There were also multiple large cracks, missing stones and areas that had risen.

Terrazzo Hallway Floor Before Renovation Neath Terrazzo Hallway Floor Before Renovation Neath

At some point in the past central heating pipes had been run across one section and then back filled with concrete. Multiple doorways had been all-but-destroyed by door strips and going into the other rooms entire quarry tiles were missing and smashed.

The family had taken on this charming house with the intention to maintain as many of the original features as possible, and upon discovering the floor hoped that it could be salvaged. Having discussed the work that was needed at length I worked out a quote for fully restoring the floor. Happy with the costs involved and keen to get it restored the quote was accepted.

Restoring a Terrazzo Floor in Neath

Work started with the repair work including the careful removal of concrete backfill using hand tools and a grinder. The rubble from this was cleared away and then the detailed repair work began using resin, tints and various stones to replicate the damaged and missing areas.

Terrazzo floors are made from stone chippings and in this floor, there was a lot of Marble content. Because of this we find the best way to renovate Terrazzo is to treat them like polished stone and hone them using a set of diamond burnishing pads. The pads come in a set from 400 to 3000 grit and are applied to the floor using a rotary floor buffer.

The first pad which is a coarse 400-grit that cuts through the grime and dirt. In this case I run it over the floor in combination with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which also adds lubrication. The process generates a lot of slurry which is rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum. The whole process was then repeated using an 800 and 1500-grit pad, only water was used with these pads and the floor was rinsed and extracted as before after each pad.

Terrazzo Hallway Floor During Cleaning Neath Terrazzo Hallway Floor During Burnishing Neath

To further enhance the appearance of the floor and add a lovely durable shine, Tile Doctor Shine Powder was then ground into the floor using a White buffing pad

Sealing a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway

After allowing it to dry properly, the floor was sealed with multiple coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer. This is a colour enhancing impregnating sealer that soaks into the Terrazzo, occupying the pores and preventing dirt from residing there. This protection will ensure dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.

Terrazzo Hallway Floor After Renovation Neath

The floor responded very well to the treatments and the couple were delighted with their stunning floor. The work had transformed the hallway and given the Terrazzo a new lease of life that has enhanced their spectacular house.

Terrazzo Hallway Floor After Renovation Neath

For aftercare on a floor like this I recommended using Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is a gentle yet effective neutral pH tile cleaner that contains a patina enhancer.

 

Professional Restoration of a Terrazzo Tiled Hallway in South Wales

Terrazzo Floor Discovered under Hallway Carpet Restored in Neath Read More »

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