Terrazzo Floor Cleaning Archives - Leicestershire Tile Doctor

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 Leicestershire

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.

Cracked Edwardian Terrazzo Hallway Floor Renovated in Knighton Leicester

The pictures below are of an Edwardian era Terrazzo hallway floor in the Knighton near Leicester which we recently renovated for a client.

Edwardian Era Terrazzo Floor Before Renovation Knighton Leicestershire

Knighton is a small residential suburb of Leicester that dates to the Doomsday book. It was once a separate village but over the years the area has built up and it is now linked up with two other villages. During the Victorian period there was a greater demand for housing due to the expanding industrial and agriculture sectors which led to its growth.

The Terrazzo floor looked to be in good condition but as with many of these old floors it had suffered from movement at some point in its long life. This resulted in cracks and it had also sustained damage from when a carpet had once been tacked down on the floor.

Cracked Edwardian Era Terrazzo Floor Before Renovation Knighton Leicestershire

I visited the site to see the extent of the work required; I was confident I could fill the cracks and get a much better surface to the floor. I gave them a price which they were happy to accept.

Cleaning and Repairing an Edwardian Terrazzo Floor

Work started by filling up the cracks where possible, for this we used closely matching marble chips & resin adhesive. This is a successful method and helps to maintain the original style and colour of the traditional Terrazzo floor. The floor was then left to dry before we started the cleaning process.

Deep cleaning involved wetting the floor with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and allowing it to soak in for ten minutes so it can make a start on breaking down the dirt that had build-up in the floor. The cleaning solution is then worked in using a rotary machine fitted with a Black scrubbing pad and release the dirt. The floor is then rinsed with water and the soil is extracted using a wet vacuum. Once done the floor is inspected and the process repeated on stubborn areas.

We followed this with the burnishing process to remove light wear, scratches, and acid etching. To do this a four step Diamond burnishing pad system from Tile Doctor is applied that gradually refines the surface with application of different grades of diamond encrusted pads. Only water is used during the process and the floor is rinsed and extracted after each pad.

Edwardian Era Terrazzo Floor During Renovation Knighton Leicestershire

Sealing an Edwardian Terrazzo Floor

The client wanted a high polish finish which we achieved by burnishing using the last of the set of burnishing pads which is a 3000 grit. This last pad is applied using only a little water sprayed onto the floor and it leaves the floor dry and ready for sealing.

The Terrazzo floor was then sealed using several coats of Tile Doctors Colour Grow, this is a colour enhancing impregnating sealer that’s fully breathable and therefore idea for older floors like this one that won’t have had the benefit of a damp proof membrane installed.

Edwardian Era Terrazzo Floor After Restoration Knighton Leicestershire

Finally, we left instructions on maintenance along with a bottle of Tile Doctors Stone Soap to clean the floor without damaging the sealer. This would ensure the floor maintained its new finish. The client was very happy with the newly renovated floor and was very pleased they had called on Tile Doctor to carry out the work, they were confident they could maintain it moving forward.