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June/July 2008 Vol.8 No.4
Epoxy Terrazzo: Elegance and Choice
By Amy Johnson
Elegant terrazzo floors in the United States got their start from a commonplace and perhaps unexpected source — ships’ ballast. Ships crossing the Atlantic in the early 20th century carried marble chips to aid weight redistribution and maintain balance as coal was consumed during the voyage. Craftsmen in New York and other coastal American cities “recycled” this material as the aggregate in a cementitious binder or matrix to create Italian-style terrazzo floors for luxury hotels and apartment lobbies.
The late 1970s saw epoxy resins from Europe enter the U.S. market as an alternative to terrazzo’s traditional cement matrix. Epoxy terrazzo remains an attractive option for installers to this day.
However, unlike binders that contain cement and cure by hydration, epoxy resins are polymers that cure by chemical reaction. This has a significant impact on how the products are installed and how the finished projects look.
Exciting design options
There are some good reasons why contractors would favor epoxy terrazzo over the more traditional cement-based variety.
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