Terrazzo Flooring Care: Sealing, Cleaning and Maintenance

Commercial uses for Terazzo - Which industry uses this stone mix for flooring? While hospitals rely on terrazzo for hygiene and durability, airports and commercial buildings tend to use terrazzo in much larger volumes due to the vast square footage covered.

Why Seal Terrazzo Floors? Protect the newly polished terrazzo surface and enhance its durability

According to the National Terrazzo and Mosaic Association, sealing terrazzo is imperative. In fact, installers typically seal the terrazzo based on a recommendation from the manufacturer. NTMA terrazzo flooring specifications highly recommend a sealer applied to this surface immediately following the final polishing.
Commercial Terazzo Stone Sealing Flooring Cleaning Care Maintenance Full InformationSealers help protect the surface and inhibit the penetration of spilled materials upon initial contact with the terrazzo floor. To clean sealed terrazzo, use a pH-neutral cleaner to avoid affecting the sealant.
Water-based sealers are recommended for terrazzo floors. They are widely adopted by terrazzo contractors for epoxy terrazzo floors that offer high performance and have zero levels of VOC (volatile organic compounds), making them easy to work with and less harmful to the environment.We recommend using Faber Protex WB to seal terrazzo floors. It is a water-based sealer that is VOC-free. As such, it is easy to apply and doesn't harm the environment.

How to Seal Terrazzo Floors

Apply Faber Protex WB ensuring an even coat covering the whole surface.

In 5-10 minutes, without allowing the sealant to dry, even out the residues with a roller, paintbrush or lambswool applicator. Levelling out the residues is important because when they dry out , they are particularly hard to remove. Remove any residues with a damp microfibre cloth. For larger areas, use a single-disc polishing machine equipped with a white pad. We suggest applying a second coat of the impregnating sealer to particularly absorbent surfaces. In these cases, you'll notice the sealer being easily absorbed with no residues. Spills must be cleaned immediately in order to prevent stains caused by repeated or long term exposure. Even standing water can cause eventual, spotty stains.

Common Sealing Issues

Streaking Streaking or uneven coverage after sealing your terrazzo floors is a frequent issue. If this affects you, lightly buff the terrazzo with a clean microfibre cloth to create an even finish. Peeling or Flaking Peeling and flaking is a result of moisture left trapped beneath the surface due to poor preparation. To fix this, you need to strip the sealer and allow the terrazzo to properly dry. Then, re-apply the sealer evenly to the surface.

How often should you reseal terrazzo? Commercial vs Domestic Flooring

Terrazzo sealer typically lasts 1 to 3 years before requiring reapplication, depending on foot traffic and maintenance. Regularly check for water repellency and gloss retention to determine when it's time for a new coat. "How often must we sweep or scrub this floor?" is answered by the amount of traffic that moves across the floor daily. Daily dust mopping is a requirement in most public and hospital buildings, each room will have it's own cleaning routine. For bathrooms and food courts, daily damp mopping removes both the dust, dirt and dropped food tracked around the building.

Why Faber Protex WB?

Faber Protex is a water-based, protective impregnator that offers greater stain-proofing when used with a high penetrant water-repellent impregnating sealer, providing long-lasting defense against staining and water damage for terrazzo and other surfaces, while ensuring they do not turn yellow over time or affect the breathability of the material. Click here for the Faber Protex WB Technical Data Sheet (TDS).

Questions? How Can We Help? We give you the solutions over the phone on 0121 773 9129 or you can ask a question via our online contact form.

Caring for Your Sealed Terrazzo Floors: A Homeowner's Guide

terrazzo flooring bathrooms easy cleaning stone surface care sealing and maintenance As a homeowner in the UK, you may be lucky enough to have terrazzo flooring in your home, terrazzo does require a bit more attention than some other flooring types, so it's important to understand the various stages of care and maintenance. Remember to always follow the manufacturer's recommendations, and don't hesitate to contact us if you're unsure about any aspect of caring for your terrazzo. For crack repair, hairline cracks or small chips in the terrazzo can be repaired fairly easily. The SRP Limestone and Travertine Repair Kit is ideal for even surface imperfections to ensure a smooth and level application. To ensure the area is clean and ready for terrazzo installation, a commercial cleaning product is essential. 

Floor Polishing Machinery for Polishing and Refinishing

High traffic areas benefit from periodic polishing. This involves using increasingly fine abrasives to grind down the surface and restore the shine, often with a planetary grinder, and for industrial scale commercial floors, a ride on cleaner and polisher is the fastest way of treating maximum areas quickly. This is typically done by a professional terrazzo contractor, as it requires specialised equipment and expertise. Refinishing is a more extensive process that involves grinding down the top layer of the terrazzo to remove any damage or discolouration, and then resealing and polishing the surface. This may be necessary if your floors have suffered significant wear and tear. Grinding and polishing terrazzo surfaces is an important process to achieve a smooth and reflective finish. For this, we recommend the Suprashine HP High-Performance Polishing Pad System. It is an excellent choice for achieving a professional polish on terrazzo flooring.

Where is Terrazzo Used?

For British homeowners, terrazzo may not be as common as carpet or wood, but as design trends shift towards durable and stylish materials, it could soon find its way into more homes - particularly in bathrooms and kitchens, where smooth stone floors and surfaces are always a dream when cleaning. Terrazzo floors have ease of commercial high-traffic maintenance, but this does not mean that zero care is required. Let's go large and think of the global uses for terrazzo!

Who is the largest user of terrazzo in the world? The industry is airports. They deliberately install terrazzo floors spanning thousands of square metres, making them one of the largest sectors.

  1. Commercial Buildings & Public Spaces including Airports
  2. Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities
  3. Education Sector (Schools & Universities)
  4. Corporate & Office Spaces
  5. Hospitality (Hotels & Resorts)

From Goats to The GOAT of Sealers

Venetian construction workers invented terrazzo for use as a low cost flooring material using leftover marble chips from upscale jobs. The workers would usually set them in clay to surface the patios around their living quarters. Consisting originally of marble chips, clay, and goat milk (as the sealer), production of terrazzo became much easier after the 1920s and the introduction of electric industrial grinders and other power equipment.
Newly-set terrazzo will not look like marble unless it is wet. So, they used the goat's milk to act as a sealer and preserving the wet and marble-like look.
  To ask any other questions, don't hesitate to call one of our experts on 0121 773 9129 or send us a message online.