How To Lay Polished Terrazzo Floor Finishes



Posted: Friday, October 02, 2009

by Andrew Karundu
http://www.karundu.com

Terrazzo is a cement based finish using granules or marble chippings. It is used on wet rooms or high traffic areas. It consists of colored chippings. This is laid on wood floated surfaces. Colored cements are also be used to give the desired finish or texture. The cement based finish is ground with a machine to give a smooth surface. Strip are used to divide the surfaces into bays. The bays can be patterned to the different shapes and sizes.

When laying terrazzo, the floor concrete is first prepared to receive it. The concrete is hacked and a floor screed laid. Once the floor screed is dry, upvc or aluminum strips with the desired color are laid. The floor screed is wood floated to give adequate bonding with the chippings. The strips are bedded onto the screed using cement grouting. The thickness of the chippings finish is about ten millimeters from the cement screed level.

Once the strips that are embedded into the screed are set, the laying of terrazzo finish commences. The marble chips are first mixed without the bonding cement. If it is black and white chips to be used, the mix is fifty percent back and white respectively. The pozzolana cement is then added to the mix. After this water is added to make a good consistence. It is spread into the bays using a steel trowel. This trowelled level with the strips.

The terrazzo marble chips are sufficiently steel trowelled until a perfect level surface is achieved. The mixture of cement and marble is left to harden for seven days. A grounding machine is then used with water to smoothen and grind the formed surface. This is grinded until it is even and smooth. Filling of the pores if any is done using a cement slurry then it is grinded again. The surface is cleaned with water using a soft brush and allowed to dry.

Andrew Karundu Is A Building Economist, Providing Home Based Solutions To Fixing, Repairing, Remodeling And Redesigning Homes. He Uses Simple Tried And Tested Methods To Improve Family Lifestyles.Visit His Site Here For Adequate Information On Most HOME IMPROVEMENT SOLUTIONS .

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