If you are reading this, you have undoubtedly wondered how to make terrazzo floors shine. Fortunately, you are in the right place to learn all you can on how to make terrazzo floors shine.
How to Make Terrazzo Floors Shine – What Are They Made From?
Terrazzo flooring is made from stone bits and marble chips mixed into cement. The floors become glossy due to the stone and marble chips in them. Making your terrazzo floors shine again requires you to first clear the floors. Once done, you can reapply the floor sealer to restore the flooring’s luster and shine.
Terrazzo experts recommend crystalizing the surface of the flooring using an acid-base solution. This process makes the entire shining process easier. A tip to remember when polishing your terrazzo floors is to use a planetary grinder and a polishing powder to buff out the acid-base solution.
How to Make Terrazzo Floors Shine
With that in mind, there are three major ways to shine your terrazzo floors. They are:
- Diamond polishing
- Polishing powder
- Recrystallization
Diamond Polishing Method
This method is one of the most popular ways to shine terrazzo flooring. It is highly preferred by most people who require terrazzo flooring renovation, thanks to its lower maintenance costs.
When you use the diamond polishing method to shine your terrazzo floors, you can be sure that they will remain shiny for a minimum of eight years, so long as you conduct maintenance. The process begins with a planetary stone grinder.
Experts recommend using coarse-grit diamond abrasives to grind your terrazzo floors. This can help you eradicate any unwanted scuff marks and scratches. Before starting the grinding process, ensure you have medium and finely-grit diamond bits.
The coarse bit is first used, followed by the medium bit and then the fine diamond bit, once each bit has been able to shine the terrazzo flooring. This process ensures you get a visually appealing result that will last a long time.
Using Polishing Powder
You can also use polishing powder to burnish your terrazzo floors. The powder is known for improving the glossy appearance of the terrazzo tiles. If you choose to use this method to make terrazzo floor shine, then the following tips can help:
- Select only a pH-neutral polishing power on your terrazzo floors. You can find this polishing powder at offline and online stores selling flooring renovation tools and equipment. Alternatively, you could also rent a buffing machine from your local flooring equipment merchants.
- Only use soft polishing pads on your buffing machine. To buttress this point, only use pads with a light shade, or you could end up staining your terrazzo flooring.
- Use just a tiny amount of polishing powder at a time. Buff an area at a time till the powder is completely absorbed before moving on. Repeat this process on the entire floor.
- Clean the residual polishing powder using a wet mop. Once you complete the buffing process, any leftover polishing powder should be wiped using a wet mop. Let the floor dry up completely before buffing it once more. The waiting period and the second buffing can help you achieve a shiny finish that is visually striking.
Recrystallization Method
This process is a widely used method to make terrazzo floors shine. This process involves using the following:
- Grinding machine
- Steel wool pad
- Acid solution
After applying a little amount of the acid solution over the terrazzo flooring, you use the polishing machine with the steel wool pad attached to it to evenly spread the solution over the surface.
When spread over the terrazzo floor, the acid solution provides a glossy appearance. The glossy appearance appears after crystallization due to the floors’ new layer of fluorosilicate calcium.