Having terrazzo floors in your home can make a great feature. The antique and unique styling properties can not only make a wonderful addition, but they can also increase your home’s curb appeal.
Nevertheless, unlike wooden floors, terrazzo floors can become brittle with age. Due to this, you must restore your terrazzo floors to their original glory. In this article, you will discover all you need to know about the costs of restoring terrazzo floors.
What Is Terrazzo?
Terrazzo is one of the oldest flooring materials used in the world. The technique was created by ancient Venetian masons – used by all types of clients. It is made by sitting marble chips on top of concrete. Generally, the chips are laid out in a mosaic pattern, creating unique looks.
Since the marble chips are typically collected from different places, they tend to vary. This, in turn, ensures that each terrazzo floor is unique.
While terrazzo floors are generally durable, they still have to be restored at a point. One way to save money is to restore them yourself; however, the most effective way is to hire a professional to carry out the process. Nevertheless, it is important you know the signs of wear and tear.
What Are the Signs of Wear and Tear?
Before asking how much it costs to restore terrazzo floors, you must first know how to recognize signs that show they require restoration.
For the most part, terrazzo floors are durable, rarely requiring significant restoration. Nevertheless, if you see any chips, cracks, or any other signs of imperfection, you need to move at once to fix the floor.
If you overlook any signs of wear and tear, then more damage could happen to your flooring. You should also look for stains, holes, discoloration, and scratches.
How Much Does it Cost to Restore Terrazzo Floors: Breakdown
Generally, terrazzo floors are relatively inexpensive to place in a home. This also means that replacing or restoring them is also relatively inexpensive.
On average, restoring a terrazzo floor can cost anything from $2 to $5 per square foot. This is the price a terrazzo flooring professional will charge for the work. If you choose to restore your terrazzo floors yourself, you could spend less.
One thing to note is that terrazzo floors can be quite inconsistent. This means that it might be necessary to replace pieces of glass or marble. Hiring a professional to take care of the restoration job makes more sense if your flooring is significantly damaged.
Tools Required to Restore Terrazzo Floors
The following are a few of the tools required to restore your terrazzo flooring:
- Power grinder or polisher
- Polishing wheel
- Sealant
- Polishing powder or compound
If you choose to restore your terrazzo floors yourself, you can purchase restoration kits –costing around $90 with the required materials—sans the power tools. Buying a power polisher can cost as much as $200.
Factors That Can Affect Costs
When it comes to the cost of restoring terrazzo floors, there are a few factors that come into play. They are:
Tile or Slab Replacement
If one or more of your tiles are badly chipped or cracked to require more than a restoration, you might have to replace them with new terrazzo tiles. This can raise the overall costs of your restoration. The contractor will assess the project’s scope—to let you know if the tiles require replacement and any additional charges to purchase more materials.
Lippage
Lippage is the term given to a joint where two tiles meet – it is considered lippage when one tile is marginally or significantly higher than the other. If the restoration contractor has to correct a lippage, the higher tile will need to be ground to match the lower tile’s height. This additional process can cost around $3 per square foot, adding to the restoration expenses.
Level of Wear
This is an important factor to consider, especially if your terrazzo floors are laid in a high-traffic area. High traffic means that the floors will have more daily wear and tear. This increase in use will require more polishing, raising restoration costs.
Level of Grime
The amount of grime can significantly affect how much it costs to restore your terrazzo floors. You can expect higher cleaning expenses if your floors have heavy grime build-up.
For example, if your terrazzo floors have not been restored in decades, it will naturally cost a lot more to restore them than you would pay to restore a relatively new terrazzo floor.