Terrazzo is one of the most well-known and used materials in Italy for flooring. While it fell out of favor after the 1960s, it has recently regained vitality, reclaiming popularity in high-quality renovations and high-end construction. Terrazzo is a durable cementitious composite, but understanding its characteristics and proper care is crucial to maintaining the beautiful and polished appearance of the floors.
Terrazzo: A Precious Material
Terrazzo is a material known worldwide, derived from recycling waste from marble and stone processing. Initially considered a humble product, the infinite decobest wigs pasante kondom air jordan 1 air jordan 4 custom youth nfl jersey wigs for sale castelli vantaggio jersey wmns air 1 mid aguilas cibaeñas jersey jerseys for sale oregon football uniforms rose toy adult jordan air force 1 49ers jersey joe burrow lsu jerseyrative possibilities have enabled the production of very beautiful and distinctive pavements, making it a refined and sought-after material. From a design, style, and aesthetic point of view, terrazzo is inspired by the splendid “Venetian terrazzo” floors that were made entirely on-site and still adorn Italy’s most beautiful villas.
But what are the common problems that can afflict these floors? In this article, we will provide a complete guide for the restoration and polishing of a damaged terrazzo floor or kitchen tables and countertops.
Characteristics of Terrazzo Floors
Terrazzo floors are known for their exceptional durability, resistance, and versatility, in addition to their aesthetic beauty. These features make them a popular choice for luxury residences worldwide. Let’s delve into these characteristics:
- Durability: Terrazzo floors are known for their long-term durability. Thanks to the natural composition of terrazzo, often including marbles, these floors can withstand daily wear and considerable traffic without losing their beauty or integrity.
- Resistance: Terrazzo is inherently resistant to external agents. It is particularly resistant to moisture, allowing it to be used in environments like kitchens and bathrooms without water damage concerns. Additionally, it is highly resistant to stains and dirt, significantly simplifying maintenance and cleaning.
- Versatility: Terrazzo floors are available in a wide range of colors and shapes, from geometric patterns to floral designs. This variety offers endless decoration and customization possibilities for spaces.geometrici a design floreali. Questa varietà offre infinite possibilità di decorazione e personalizzazione degli ambienti. You can choose the design that best suits the style and atmosphere of your home.
- Elegance: Terrazzo has a classic and timeless appearance that adds an elegant touch to any space. This flooring is often used to create an atmosphere of luxury and sophistication.
Terrazzo is a durable and resistant material, but over time, it can lose its original luster due to stains, scratches, or opaqueness. Fortunately, there are natural methods to polish a terrazzo floor without resorting to harsh chemicals.
How to polish a terrazzo floor
Polishing terrazzo is a process that requires precision and attention to detail. Terrazzo, a surface composed of small stone or marble fragments, can lose its natural shine over time due to wear, foot traffic, or superficial damage.
To restore an old terrazzo floor, a series of precise steps need to be followed.
How to Clean an Old Terrazzo Floor
Cleaning and maintaining shiny non-absorbent surfaces like terrazzo, Venetian or Genoese terrazzo, and Palladian require a specific care and maintenance. To preserve the beauty and integrity of these materials, it is essential to follow some essential guidelines.
- Ordinary cleaning with FLORA:
FLORA is a specific detergent for the ordinary cleaning of surfaces. It is designed to remove common dirt and keep them clean without damage. FLORA è un detergente specifico per la pulizia regolare delle superfici. È progettato per rimuovere lo sporco comune e mantenerle pulite senza danneggiarle. To use it, follow the instructions on the product label.
- Apply the solution to the surfaces to be cleaned and use a microfiber cloth. Ensure you remove dirt without scratching the surface. Rinse thoroughly with clean water after cleaning and dry the surfaces well.
2. Bright maintenance wax: REFIX LUCIDO
REFIX LUCIDO is a specific wax designed for the maintenance and preservation of surface gloss. This wax will help maintain a shiny finish, enhancing its brightness and providing additional protection against stains and wear.
- To use REFIX LUCIDO, follow the instructions on the label. Apply the wax evenly on the clean and dry surface with a wax spreader.
- Ensure the wax dries completely for at least a couple of hours before walking or placing objects on the surface.
By following these instructions, you can perform regular cleaning with FLORA to keep surfaces clean and then apply REFIX LUCIDO to preserve their shine. This combination of products will help maintain the surfaces in excellent condition and accentuate their beauty.
Stain Protection Treatment for Terrazzo
The stain protection treatment for terrazzo floors offers highly effective protection, preserving the original aesthetic appearance and providing increased resistance to substances like oil, grease, and household agents. To achieve this stain protection, you can use GUARD, a transparent water-based oleophobic stain-resistant protector. This product helps preserve the original aesthetic appearance of terrazzo and provides increased resistance to stains. If you want to give shine to worn surfaces without using diamond discs and crystallizers, you can apply POLIFIN, the wax for floors that will provide a bright appearance and is maintained over time with REFIX LUCIDO.
This stain protection treatment is an ideal solution for both professional and DIY use to ensure the beauty and durability of terrazzo floors.
Professional Repolishing of Shiny Floors
The professional repolishing of shiny floors, through the cementitious agglomerate polishing system, is an effective method to restore the shine and integrity of surfaces in cementitious agglomerates, such as marble floors, Palladian terrazzo, terrazzo, and Venetian terrazzo, which have experienced wear and corrosion due to daily use and household substances over time. This system removes micro-scratches and corrosion marks, restoring the surface’s original shine and brilliance, offering a renewed and impeccable appearance to the floors through three steps.
- Floor preparation and cleaning with UNIPUL
- Start with a general floor cleaning to remove visible dust and dirt. Ensure the floor is completely dry before further proceedings.
- Apply and spread UNIPUL on the floor using the floor scrubber equipped with the RED DISC. Ensure the detergent is evenly distributed over the entire floor surface.
- Allow UNIPUL to act for a few minutes. This resting period allows the detergent to act on dirt and residues.
- Then remove the detergent and dirt residue with a wet vacuum cleaner.
- Finally, rinse the floor with clean water to remove any detergent residues.
2. Pre-polishing with PRELUX DISC MARBEC:
Pre-polishing is a light sanding phase essential to prepare the floor surface before proceeding with the polishing. This step is particularly important when the floor shows clear signs of wear, scratches, or surface imperfections.
- Use the PRELUX DISC MARBEC, specially designed for pre-polishing. This disc, with the floor scrubber, helps remove surface imperfections without damaging the floor.
- Keep the surface wet during the application of the PRELUX DISC;
- Remove the formed residue with water and a wet vacuum cleaner and let it dry.
3. Polishing and crystallization with KW-STAR and white disc:
Polishing is the primary process to restore the floor’s shine. In this case, use KW-STAR, a powder containing micro-abrasives for polishing all types of marbles, terrazzo, and cementitious agglomerates, ideal for recovering shiny surfaces dulled by wear and corrosive substances.
- Apply KW-STAR to the floor following the instructions on the label.
- Use a WHITE DISC designed for the polishing phase. This disc will help achieve a bright and uniform finish on the floor surface.
How to Restore a Terrazzo Floor with DIY Methods
Our Do-It-Yourself kits are the ideal solution for restoring polished marbles and cementitious agglomerates, such as terrazzo, Palladian, and Venetian terrazzo, which may have been affected by acidic substances or lost their shine due to daily use or lime buildup. These kits will allow you to restore the original brilliance of your surfaces, which could include tables, kitchen tops, bathroom tops, or even small stains on floors.
Thanks to our high-quality products and detailed instructions provided in the kit, you will be able to achieve professional results and preserve the impeccable appearance of your surfaces in a simple and effective way.
This kit is suitable for the repolishing and removal of light stains and opacities due to wear, lime buildups, and acidic substances on stairs, walls, and bathroom countertops.
This kit is suitable for repolishing and removal of stains due to wear, lime buildups, or acidic substances, and scratches on heavily damaged stairs, walls, and bathroom countertops.
This kit is suitable for repolishing and removal of small stains and opacities due to wear, lime buildups, acidic substances, and micro-scratches on limited surfaces (e.g., small tiles).
For any information, don’t hesitate to contact us via WhatsApp at +393348578502 or call us at +390573959848. It will be a pleasure to assist you.
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10.07€
REFIX LUCIDO
Glossy maintenance wax for treated absorbent stone materials as cotto, stone and cement terrazzo placed inside.
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13.70€
RED DISC MARBEC | Not Very Abrasive
Disc for single brush or scrubber drier with slight abrasion for extraordinary cleaning of hard floors such as cotto, stone, marble, concrete, wood.
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114.23€
PRELUX DISC | MARBEC
For the pre-polishing of matt, worn, corroded and micro-scratched surfaces in natural stone (marble, travertine, granite), porcelain tiles, cement, grit and composite materials.
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13.70€
WHITE DISC MARBEC | Not Abrasive
Disc for single brush or washer-dryers without abrasives for extraordinary cleaning and polishing of hard flooring in delicate material such as stone, marble, wood.
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