The Revival of In Situ Terrazzo
Terrazzo is in trend again after decades in the shadow of natural stone and resin floors. Terrazzo tiles is often the norm as it’s fairly straightforward to install, and is a cost effective solution but is limited in terms of design. For projects wanting something a bit more special than tiles, In Situ Terrazzo is the ultimate bespoke option.
A lost art
Very few companies still master this technique. It’s a process that requires precision and dexterity, with no mistakes allowed. I’m proud to say that my business, Variostone, is a specialist in the domain and has a dedicated team working solely on in situ projects throughout the world.
In Situ Terrazzo is an ideal material for commercial and residential spaces for the creation of specific and eye catching designs. Unlike many other finishes on a project, the client has a total control over the material.
Bespoke Terrazzo Mix
The first level of customisation is the base of the terrazzo. This is the background colour and the marble chips in the mix.
The background colour is obtained by mixing the cement or resin with colour pigments. This process is very precise as the mix is quite sensitive even to small amounts of pigments. A rigorous recording is necessary during sample making to ensue a perfect match.
Keep in mind that a m2 of terrazzo always has the same quantity of marble chippings in it. Therefore we play on the percentages of different types of chips to create a bespoke design.
Creating more complex designs
With In Situ Terrazzo you can create precise patterns, borders, and other designs of your choice. It’s a labour intensive process, as every step is done by hand by expert craftsmen. Precision is key as any mistake might ruin the entire floor.
There are various types of designs that can be done with In Situ Terrazzo and here are some of the most popular we see at Variostone:
For patterns and borders, we set either temporary or permanent borders on the floor. Temporary ones are often wood and are used to avoid joint lines, and permanent ones are brass or aluminium strips. These will serve as dividers between different terrazzo mixes, each being poured one after the other. These can be very simple or very intricate depending on the wishes of the client.
By hand we can go a step further than with classic patterns and borders by drawing on floors using marble chips, mosaic pieces and marble pieces. It’s typically the technique used for creating logos on floors.
For Palladiana, we break by hand slabs of marble and put down the resulting chunks of marble down. Once all the pieces are down we then pour the terrazzo mix all around the floor. This technique can be adapted and can have a few pieces inset there and there, or a more compact look.
Gradient using chips can be created with In Situ Terrazzo. The main terrazzo mix is poured first before marble chips are sprinkled on top. These need to be pushed down into the mix as they might otherwise disappear once the floor is polished. Note that gradients in the background colour aren’t possible as each mix needs it’s own colour and won’t blend with the next one.
The last type of design is the infamous Scarpa design. It’s is essentially a similar process than Palladiana, but instead of chunks, precisely cut pieces of marble or glass are inset into the floor. We are not limited to using squares and rectangles of course, almost any shape could be used.
I hope that you’ve learnt something about In Situ Terrazzo in this short article. If you want to discuss an idea or a project, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me by email: kevin@variostone.com
