Terrazzo Flooring - A Comprehensive Guide

Floors are a defining feature of a house, so it is essential to consider the variety of options available to make the best choice for you. Terrazzo is a practical option that many overlook and still manages to have sustainable benefits built in. 

Terrazzo designs are most commonly associated with public buildings' floors. Think of the speckled, glossy floors of many schools and hospitals. However, terrazzo is low maintenance and highly durable flooring option capable of many unique and beautiful finishes to fit your specific tastes. In recent years there has been a modern resurgence of terrazzo in homes with new imaginings of contemporary designs. Architectural Digest recently named terrazzo, along with white kitchens and exposed brick walls, as one of the design trends that have stood the test of time.

What is Terrazzo?

Terrazzo is a composite material made by mixing chips of granite, marble, quartz, shell, glass, or other suitable materials into a cement or epoxy resin binder. Terrazzo has a very long history but gained traction with designers about 1,500 years ago in Italy. Venetian workers noticed many high-grade scrap marble from work projects going to waste with no function ability on their own. The workers combined the marble scraps with cement to create a scattered mosaic look. They used this new material to decorate their residences and terraces, which “terrazzo” is the Italian word for a terrace. The worker’s innovation brought about a low-cost solution to reuse high-grade material in new, exciting designs.

Today, many materials and designs are available to produce exquisite and unique colors, shapes, and terrazzo flooring patterns. The material chips can be quite large or small and speckled. The chips and the binding material can come in almost any color you could imagine. You can go with a classic, neutral look or a fun kaleidoscope of colors. Terrazzo flooring can also be poured into place to create a seamless flow throughout the room(s) or prefabricated into tiles. Essentially, let your abstract, creative mind run wild!

What Are the Benefits of Terrazzo Floors?

Terrazzo has been a flooring option since the Venetian workers were recycling scrap marble into a new product. There are certain inherently sustainable qualities about terrazzo as a flooring alternative, such as strong durability, low maintenance requirements, and zero VOC materials. There are other choices you can make, such as using recycled materials and sourcing regionally. We will further discuss all of these aspects below.

Is Terrazzo Flooring Durable?

Terrazzo is an extremely durable substance. You can expect that terrazzo floors will outlast even the life of your home.

How Do You Maintain Terrazzo Floors?

The original luster can be restored time and time to make the floors look brand new. For both cement and epoxy resin terrazzo floors, maintenance requirements are few and extremely cheap. Routine maintenance includes sweeping up sand and soil, which act as abrasives and damage the floor. It is also important to dry or damp mopping any spills immediately to prevent staining. Occasionally, you can thoroughly clean the floors with neutral liquid cleaners (meaning cleaners that are neither acidic nor alkaline).

Does Terrazzo Flooring Contain VOCs?

Rest assured that both cement and epoxy-based terrazzo flooring typically contain zero VOCs. According to the EPA, VOC stands for volatile organic compounds and are organic chemicals in certain solids and liquids that off-gas under normal atmospheric conditions, such as in your home. Many conventional household products contain VOCs such as paints, building materials, and furnishings. Exposure to VOCs may pose short-term and long-term health risks, including headache, nausea, irritation, liver, kidney, central nervous system damage, and possibly even cancer. However, Terrazzo flooring is typically a choice free of exposure to such chemicals to improve your home’s air quality. Still, it’s always a good idea to check material composition, and any claims made regarding VOCs - epoxy can be a source for VOCs.

Is Terrazzo Flooring Made From Recycled Material?

Choosing terrazzo makes it super easy to use recycled content for your flooring. The aggregate can come from post-consumer recycled glass or stone and marble salvaged from processing quarries or other construction projects. The binding material, which constitutes 25%-30% of the volume of terrazzo floors, can also have recycled content. Both cementitious terrazzo and terrazzo set in an epoxy resin binder can have varying degrees of recycled material.

Can Terrazzo Floors Be Sourced Locally?

Since terrazzo flooring is mainly comprised of recycled content, it is usually not hard to find regional and even local supply for terrazzo. The terrazzo market in the United States is broad. It is projected to grow as people will demand its strong durability and recycled content properties.

Does Terrozzo Flooring Contribute to LEED Points?

Sourcing terrazzo flooring locally can help lower your home's embodied energy. The qualities of terrazzo flooring can help you if you are pursuing LEED certification for your home. A typical terrazzo flooring project will contribute five LEED points on the following basis:

• 2 points for Recycled Content (MR Credit 4.1 and 4.2)
• 2 points for Local Regional Materials (MR Credit 5.1 and 5.2)
• 1 point for Indoor Emitting Materials (EQ Credit 4.1)

Terrazzo is ideal for seeking LEED credits or choosing flooring with a low environmental impact with added benefits of long durability and low maintenance!

How Much Does Terrazzo Floors Cost?

Terrazzo has a slightly higher per-square-foot cost than comparable flooring options such as natural stone floors. Home Advisor estimates that installing terrazzo flooring on typical projects will range from $25-$90 per square foot. This higher price is because it is relatively more complicated to create the terrazzo, particular tastes. Terrazzo requires professional installation, so labor costs increase the rate as well. Using prefabricated terrazzo tiles, however, may help to lower costs. Terrazzo tiles cost between $15 and $70 per square foot; however, including installation, you may pay anywhere between $25 and $80 per square foot. Poured floors may cost between $25 and $70 per square foot, and with installation costs, a total of $30-$90 per square foot. With the higher cost of poured floors, you also get more design power to create a unique look. You can also choose higher-end materials that may not be available in prefabricated tiles.

Although this price may seem shocking compared to other flooring options, remember that terrazzo floors require little to no maintenance and will last the lifetime of your home. The costs are all upfront, and savings accumulate over time. Also, consider that there is a limited need to mine/extract new materials from the earth by choosing terrazzo. Perhaps the premium may be justified by not contributing to the depletion of the earth’s natural resources.

Terrazzo for Your Home Building Projects

If you are interested in using terrazzo as a beautiful and utterly unique flooring in your home, suppliers have plenty of choices. Unlike natural tile and hardwood products, there are no specific brands for terrazzo. Instead, professional terrazzo manufacturers and specialized contractors provide terrazzo design and installation services. Skilled workers help to create a quality, specialized product. Typically, you will contact a local contractor, who will then reach out to a manufacturer to design. The National Terrazzo and Mosaic Association helpfully offers a contractor map to find local contractors near you to start your search.