Terrazzo

If there is one detail I remember the most from my grandmother's home in Miami Shores, besides an Italian wallpaper of bottles in the kitchen, were the white-base terrazzo floors. I must have spent hours playing on these floors.  Wherever you visit an original home built in the mid-twentieth century in Florida, along with the pastel-toned bathroom tiles, you'll find terrazzo floors. That is of course if the floors have not been covered.

Terrazzo flooring is several hundred years old and its name comes from the Italian word terraces. Terrazzo flooring is a mixture of marble, glass and other decorative aggregates joined with a cementitious or epoxy binder. The materials are mixed and poured evenly to cover the surface. The surface is then ground, polished and sealed. In the mid-century marble chips and Portland cement were the aggregates and its coloring ranged.

Many terrazzo floors in Florida have been covered over the years either with rug, tile or wood paneling. These days many new homeowners who are looking for historic homes  are pulling up materials laid over original terrazzo floors to discover and bring them to their original splendor. 

Terrazzo found under a carpet removal

Terrazzo variety

Quality terrazzo can be easily restored by grouting and polishing. They can look as shiny as marble floors without the price tag. The long-lasting material is a great alternative to other contemporary flooring materials and companies such as Concrete Collective are creating tiles and custom mixes for new construction, inspired by the retro look of terrazzo. If you are in the Miami area, Miami Nice Floors concentrates on the installation of new terrazzo floors.

For more information on terrazzo visit the sites that were used for this article: 

http://arcadianflooring.com/history.html

http://www.concrete-collaborative.com

http://doyledickersonterrazzo.com/terrazzo-flooring-process/

http://terrazzorestorationblog.com/terrazzo-floors-heart-floridas-mid-century-modern-homes/

Contemporary terrazzo by Concrete Collective in California