In the world of floors, there are a lot of options – it’s actually nearly dizzying how many different kinds of floors you can choose for your home. There are materials like bamboo, hardwood, tiles, natural stone, concrete, vinyl, rubber, laminate, and now terrazzo.
Often, it’s a matter of logistics – hardwood for a warm look, tiles for water resistance and oil spills in the kitchen, and concrete in the garage – but sometimes, it doesn’t hurt to go for something a little prettier. That’s where a proper flooring solution company comes in handy – reputable providers like Dex-o-Tex can get you a terrazzo floor and other exotic options to give your home a makeover.
What is Terrazzo?
As discussed in Houzz.com, terrazzo is a style of floor originally developed by 15th century Italian marble workers. It was in-vogue a few decades ago, and then disappeared off the map like disco and vinyl records. Like all things in fashion, however, terrazzo is making a comeback – and the reason is simple.
It looks great, has the same luxurious effect as pure marble does, but is much cheaper. Made traditionally from uneven leftover pieces of marble, quartz and glass set in clay, then rubbed smooth to make for an inviting floor, terrazzo was named for its primary usage: terrace flooring.
Today, however, terrazzo floors are crafted a little differently. It all begins with a base floor, followed by an epoxy layer. The epoxy is mixed with colored chips and poured over the floor, smoothed out and left to harden. This “thinset” terrazzo option looks great, is extremely durable, and offers a much broader form of versatility in terms of colors, as the colored chips and epoxy can be virtually any color.
Outside of floors, terrazzo is also making a comeback as precast terrazzo. But for the most part, thinset terrazzo floors are most popular because they look great and last forever.