TERRAZZO CLEANING BLOG
Welcome to the Terrazzo Cleaning Blog from Colonial Floor and Stone Care!
My name is Bill Thornton. I am a terrazzo floor restoration and cleaning expert.
This is the first post about my favorite subject – terrazzo flooring. I hope you find it useful and informative.
When I arrive at a person’s home to conduct a consultation/estimate, homeowners often ask if I can clean their terrazzo floors. This is can be a difficult question. Let me explain.
When most terrazzo floors were originally installed some 50 years ago, they were ground down flat to make the floor even. The next step was to apply a sealer or wax to give an appearance of high shine. The problem with this method is that the sealer or wax always turns yellow. The person responsible for taking care of the floor had to periodically strip and re-wax the floor. Over time, this maintenance process was ignored, and sealer or wax was put on top of sealer or wax. The old layers of sealer or wax then turned yellow. It was fashionable during the 70’s to cover these yellow floors with carpet, rather than restore them. When new owners removed these outdated carpets, they often found discolored and damaged floors underneath. Since most of these 50+ year old floors have never had full restoration, cleaning alone will not remove the yellow tint. This is particularly true when staining has occurred.
If you have just purchased a home and found that your terrazzo floor was not stained or damaged, you could bring it to a high shine by simply stripping it and applying a couple of coats of sealer and wax. However, if there is discoloration and/or holes, this method is not possible. Not only will the holes be quite unsightly if they are not properly repaired, but you will need to strip and wax your floor periodically on an ongoing basis. Ask anyone who grew up in Florida about stripping these floors. It’s a lot of work! The room has to be emptied, the chemicals applied, and time must be allotted for drying.
With today’s technology, once the floor is fully restored and powder polished, there isn’t any more strip and wax. The shine will last for 10 or more years!
Ask around town about Colonial Floor Care. People will tell you that our shines last for many years.
See you soon on this blog!
Bill