When deciding on floor material, the choices can become overwhelming. There are just so many to choose from! Marble, terrazzo, travertine, limestone, granite, vinyl, ceramic, linoleum, hardwood, carpet, wool, bamboo — just a handful of the variety of flooring materials available to consumers. Though everyone has their tastes and preferences, it seems as though hard surface materials win out. A recent survey shows for example that a whopping 95% of consumers prefer hardwood for common living areas. In the bedroom, 56% of consumers prefer hardwood over carpet. Surveys aside, the purchasing information speaks for itself. In 2010, 39% of flooring material sold for commercial purposes was hard surface, compared to the 25% of soft surface. The following year, more than two out of three floor replacement jobs in residential homes used hard materials such as wood or stone. If anything else, these figures show us that the American public need to feel something firm, rather than fuzzy, under their feet.
Of the several hard materials available, terrazzo is one of the finer ones. Terrazzo is a composite material made out of granite, quartz, glass, marble, and other materials that is mixed in like a cement. It is known for its durability and resistance to dirt and damage. Terrazzo has been used by humans for construction material for thousands of years. Some archaeologists, in fact, have discovered a crude version of terrazzo in buildings more than 10,000 years old! Though much has changed since the Bronze Age, terrazzo remains a popular building material, though today it is much more refined. Many terrazzo restoration companies, for example, use a thin version of the material up to 1/4 inch thick composed of epoxy resin and colored chips. Terrazzo is relatively affordable, being as low as $7 per square foot.
For more information about terrazzo, including terrazzo cleaning and terrazzo polishing, or other services, such as marble cleaning and restoration, feel free to leave a comment or question at the bottom. Terrazzo and marble cleaning services are more than happy to help.