How to Polish a Terrazzo Floor
Terrazzo is a special kind of floor covering that resembles marble stone and is therefore often referred to as faux marble. Usually terrazzo is used for its good cost-quality ratio. It is a generally inexpensive floor covering that looks like real marble because it contains marble chips, among other aggregates. Terrazzo is used to cover floors, patios and even walkways. Because it is made from layers and is mostly epoxy based, terrazzo floors can be polished into looking new again. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Broom
- Neutral cleaner
- Mop or broom brush
- Floor polishing machine
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Instructions
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Prepare your terrazzo floor for polishing by thoroughly cleaning it first. The first step is to sweep up any loose dirt with a stiff broom.
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Clean the entire surface with warm water and a multipurpose cleaner. Make sure that the cleaner is pH neutral, which means its value is between 7 and 10. This is essential since you are dealing with a terrazzo floor with a sensitive top coat that requires special care. For this task, use a mop or a broom brush, and be sure to get every part and corner of the terrazzo floor.
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Rinse the floor with warm or lukewarm water to remove any trace of the cleaner. Leave the floor to dry thoroughly before going to the next step.
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Turn on the mechanical buffer machine. These buffers or polishers are specially designed to polish terrazzo, marble, and similar floors, and usually can be rented at a professional cleaner service. Be sure to start the buffing and polishing process in the corner, along the baseboard.
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Polish the surface of your terrazzo floor with the floor machine, working with continuous, straight, and long strokes across the whole surface. Be sure not to miss a spot, so overlap strokes just in case. Remember, an overlap does not mean the floor will be too buffed or over polished. The final result will be even and homogeneous.
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Sweep any debris that the machine might have created with a clean, dry broom. Notice how the surface now looks shiny, glossy and polished.
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Tips & Warnings
Before you rent the floor machine, be sure to choose a good, quality floor machine pad. You can purchase one to use with the buffing machine you rented.
Be very careful when polishing floors, especially in the phase the floor surface is wet and slippery.
References
- Photo Credit floor flower image by Adrian Hillman from Fotolia.com
