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Terrazzo flooring

06wt

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Has anyone thought of doing a terrazzo floor in the garage? I know an owner of a terrazzo contractor and i may do a terrazzo floor in my shop. Jus looking to hear some other guys thoughts on the subject.
 
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Sammy7

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Isn't terrazzo porous? The lobby of my old building had terrazzo floors and they had to be stripped down and redone every six months or so--and that was just moderate foot traffic. I think tire marks and oil stains would make the place like trash within a week.
 

XR80David

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Isn't terrazzo porous? The lobby of my old building had terrazzo floors and they had to be stripped down and redone every six months or so--and that was just moderate foot traffic. I think tire marks and oil stains would make the place like trash within a week.

Are you kidding me? Stripped down and redone after 6 months? That's horrible IMO, lol.
 

AlphaGarage

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Some terrazzo floors at one time used cement to bind together marble chips and other aggregate. Often the cement would need to be frequently cleaned.

For the last 20 or so years most terrazzo installs have switched to using epoxy as the binder. Besides being far easier to install the epoxy is stronger, much lighter, more versatile, and easier to maintain.
 
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06wt

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well nothing is final with the flooring in my shop but im going to do more research on terrazzo and if i end up choosing to do it i will post the whole install up for everone to see.
 
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boiler7904

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If it's an existing building, you may have trouble with transitions and door thresholds - the overhead door comes to mind. Terrazzo has some depth to it that requires a recessed slab to pull off correctly. You don't want it too thin at the edges or you'll only end up with a bunch of cracks.
 
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06wt

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well the floor i have to wok wiht needs to be completly chipped out anyway, if i do terrazzo or not im going to chip it up. but i will give the terrazzo guys what ever depth they require.
 

gearbuilder

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We have terrazzo in our shop and on the production floor. It is very tough, easy to clean, not any more slippery than concrete. My only complaint is if you drop a small object it is hard to find because of the aggregate.

I would love have it in my garage but assume it would be too expensive.

Jamie
 
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06wt

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chicago 434 UNION CARPENTER
We have terrazzo in our shop and on the production floor. It is very tough, easy to clean, not any more slippery than concrete. My only complaint is if you drop a small object it is hard to find because of the aggregate.

I would love have it in my garage but assume it would be too expensive.

Jamie
this is the feedback im looking to generate with this thread, thanks gear
 

TONE

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This might sound stupid but is Terrazzo the flooring that looks like little rocks all glued together?

If it is the dealership that I bought 3 of my cars from is completley done in it. The huge showroom, the sitting areas, the offices, etc.

They move the cars all around on it and it looks great. Its been like that since at least 2003 when I bought my 4runner there.

I go there all the time and also like the looks of this flooring. I also assumed it would cost a fortune so never gave it much thought for my own home.

The only drawback I see to it besides finding small items when dropped like mentioned above is that it does get dirty between the tiny rocks. Ive noticed this many times while sitting in the waiting areas.

The dealership is planet toyota in matteson illinois. Not sure if they have photos on their website.

Their floor is a mixture of grey stones (very sharp)

Annnnnd, if this isnt what Terrazzo floor is, well I just wasted a bunch of people time, including my own. :)
 

AlphaGarage

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Sounds like the dealership does have a terrazzo floor.

Properly installed there should be very few, if any, voids for dirt to gather. They often show up when the surface is being ground smooth, but are usually filled with applying a bit more epoxy. Surprised they're noticeable on that showroom floor.

A lot of public buildings use terrazzo in lobbies etc. Architects love it because of the design possibilities (the aggregate can be anything from stone to metal and plastics and since the binder is an epoxy resin it can be any color also) and facility managers love it because it's relatively low maintenance.
 
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thegarageguy

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Terrazzo flooring is a thin-set epoxy terrazzo flooring system, which incorporates marble chip or other aggregates. It is usually installed in a finished thickness from 1/4” or 3/8” to accommodate for the marble particle size. Divider strips are used to separate architectural designs and for terminations at joints, bases, penetrations and transitions.

Terrazzo is conventionally used in commercial and institutional facilities that require a decorative flooring system with a design life of 40 to 50 years, such as airport terminals, shopping malls, schools, universities, churches, correctional facilities, corridors, convention centers or pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Typically these systems range in cost from $15 to $30 per sqft.

These flooring systems have been practically phased out of residential and small business, retail type areas because of the cost and maintanance. Poured epoxy systems have been used to replace or cover older Terrazzo floors.

An example of this are the many firehouses around the country with old Terrazzo that are being resurfaced with poured quartz epoxy systems.
 
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