Poured Terrazzo vs Terrazzo Tile

In today's post we are going to discuss poured terrazzo vs terrazzo tile.

In this post I'll offer a comprehensive comparison between poured-in-place terrazzo and terrazzo tiles, highlighting various aspects such as grout joints, tile types, durability, maintenance, design flexibility, thickness, slip resistance, sustainability, cost, and installation timeline. I'll also categorize terrazzo tiles into thin sheet, cement, and epoxy types each with its own pros and cons regarding thickness, staining susceptibility, and cost.

There are several different types of terrazzo installations. For now, we'll focus on Thin-set Epoxy Terrazzo which is a Poured-in-Place terrazzo system in comparison to the variety of terrazzo tiles. Both have pros and cons. We’ll compare them both and see what’s the best option for you. We hope this blog entry will help you decide on what to choose for your terrazzo flooring.

Manufacturing Process and Grout Joints

Terrazzo tile is a bit of an oxymoron, terrazzo is actually a poured in place

Worn Cementitious Terrazzo Tiles

seamless floor with no grout joints. So the first differentiator is the presense of grout joints. The manufacturing processes are similar. Poured terrazzo is literally manufactured on site, whereas terrazzo in a tile format is manufactured in a factory, pre-finished in a modular format for faster installation. Terrazzo tile can install approximately 3x faster than a poured in place system, but will have grout joints.

The spaces between tiles will vary in size from a butt joint to 1/4". The wider the joint the more visually obtrusive. Further, these wider joints produce noise that can actually be heard when wheeled traffic is rolled over the floor. Example, at the airport when you pull your luggage across. Aside from the noise, there’s also dirt. Dirt will accumulates in low spots. Unfortunately, grout joints are typically recessed and will collect dirt which cause the terrazzo tiles to look worn.

Terrazzo Tile Butt Joint

A Poured terrazzo floor is seamless and eliminates the above-mentioned issues.

Cement Terrazzo Tile 1/8" Grout Joint

Some terrazzo tile manufacturers claim a joint free system using a tight joint. In this case, the installer must grout to excess, then grind and polish the floor, which just slows the installation down and become more expensive, negating the main benefits of using terrazzo in a tile format. The next best option is to do a butt join, however in my experience I’ve found these still can accumulate dirt.

Types of Terrazzo Tile

Not all terrazzo tile is the same. The market today consists of a wide range of product offerings. We’ve grouped them into three categories:

1. Thin Resinous Terrazzo Tiles: this would include tiles such as Nurrazzo, Floorazzo, and Trend. These are resin based thin terrazzo tiles ranging from 1/8"-¼" in thickness. The resin based binder offers the best physical properties, is impervious and provides the best stain resistance. Most are available in a Greenguard Gold or Delcare format. Thinner terrazzo tiles such as 3/16" and 1/8" will often show substrate imperfections, similar to VCT. Of these my preference is Trend terrazzo tiles. They produce the largest format panels 118"x48" at 1/4" thickness and weigh just 2.87 lbs per sf. Of these I've found Trend to have the best performance.

Thin Terrazzo Tile Reflecting Substrate Imperfections

2. Cement Terrazzo Tiles: this includes tiles such as Wausau Tectura Designs, Coverings, and Concrete Collaborative. These tiles utilize a cementitious binder. Cement is porous which makes the tiles susceptible to staining.

The physical properties for a cement binder are weaker which leaves tiles susceptible to chipping and cracking.

Cement terrazzo tiles are typically 1/2" to 3/4" plus setting material, so a slab recession may be required to keep consistent elevations. These companies make beautiful products just be aware of the potential downsides.

3. Epoxy Terrazzo Tiles: These would be produced by a precast manufacturer. This uses the exact same material for a poured epoxy terrazzo system. Typically 1/2"-5/8" thickness, but can be thicker to accommodate larger size aggregate. These tiles also utilize a resin based binder which is impervious and provides excellent stain resistance. The resinous binder also yields a very strong and durable product that is less prone to chipping or cracking and will also offer larger formats up to 2’x4’ The down side is these tiles are the most expensive and often a poured in place system is more affordable, unless you have a small space.

Durability

The average lifespan of tile is 10 to 20 years, while poured terrazzo lasts more than 40 years. So why does tile have a much shorter lifespan? It’s because of the exposed edges and corners of the tiles caused by the grout joints. These cause your tiles to start chipping and cracking. With poured-in-place terrazzo, you’ll never have to worry about chipped edges because it has an “A” rating for impact resistance. Epoxy terrazzo also has excellent physical properties, average compressive strength of 14,000psi, tensile strength of 4,800 psi and flexural strength of 4500 psi, which gives it the best durability and crack resistance of any system. Epoxy thin set terrazzo also offers flexible crack membranes to detail and treat substrate cracks and has virtually eliminated the cracking issues commonly experienced with former cement terrazzo systems.

Bacteria and Maintenance

Tile floor sanitation and hygiene is a priority when it comes to tile flooring. For tile terrazzo, dust and dirt accumulate in “micro-joints”. So how do we clean it? Well, here are a few to get started: vacuuming or grout cleaning. In order to kill bacteria, we must also use commercial products.

A poured-in-place terrazzo system or epoxy based terrazzo tile, will have outstanding chemical resistance do to its epoxy binder. Further the epoxy binder is impervious and will not support the growth of mold, mildew, bacteria or fungus so you can be sure to keep your facility in the best sanitary condition while eliminating unnecessary cleaning practices. Your terrazzo’s beauty and value will never fade, plus it’s the most environmentally friendly floor available.

Design Flexibility

Terrazzo tiles put you in a modular box so curvilinear designs are difficult and costly to achieve. Most terrazzo tile suppliers offer a fixed line of colors with a more limited color range. With poured in place terrazzo, your design options are endless.

You won’t be stuck with the usual square edges or exposed grout lines design. Furthermore, epoxy resin can be matched to any paint color offering an unlimited color range. Then there are hundreds of different aggregates you can mix together as well as vary aggregate scale so you can develop your perfect color. If you have that dream floor in mind, then poured-in-place terrazzo is the best choice. Let your creativity decide!

Thickness

Thin Sheet Terrazzo Tile are thin systems typically installing at an overall installed height of 1/4” -⅜”.

Cement Terrazzo Tiles are much thicker than poured in place terrazzo. These tiles come in at an overall installed height of a minimum of ⅝” thickness up to over 1”.

Epoxy thin-set terrazzo has a standard overall installed thickness ⅜” and we even offer a ¼” system if needed. Keep in mind that aggregate size will affect the terrazzo thickness. Typically as the terrazzo aggregate size increases so does the system thickness.

Slip Resistance

Most terrazzo tiles are highly polished at the factory and can be a more slippery surface particularly when wet.

Check with the terrazzo suppliers to ensure their coefficient of friction is compliant with your project needs. Epoxy terrazzo offers a slip resistant surface both wet and dry and is also certified high traction ANSI/NFSI B101.1 Dynamic Coefficient of Frictions DCOF .42.

Sustainability

Both poured in place and terrazzo tiles offer a variety of recycled content (Pre or Post Consumer up to 70%) and offer no VOC products,

such as Terroxy Resin Systems by Terrazzo and Marble Supply Companies which was recently GreenGuard Gold Certified and also offer Health Product Declarations, HPDs.

Cost

Lastly, terrazzo tiles very in cost depending on the type and suppliers. Material cost of the thin-sheet terrazzo products can range from $15-25 per sf. Cement terrazzo tiles can range from as low as $7-8 per sf but can easily get as high as $50 per sf. Epoxy terrazzo typically installs for around $25 - 30 per sf. It can be installed for as low as $15 per sf for larger simple project but can easily range to $35 per sf or more depending on size and pattern complexity. Cost for all systems will vary based on the overall size of the job. We are happy to help with budgeting your terrazzo project.

The larger the job the better the pricing. A small job would be 3000 sf and less and will have higher costs. Complexity of installation also affect the cost. Are you designing a blow and go job one color no pattern or is it a multi color intricate pattern. The aggregate material type can also greatly affect the material costs so be sure to check with your supplier about the premium material content such as glass, mother of pearl or large aggregate terrazzo. We’ve found In most cases with project having greater than 3000sf, poured terrazzo can be installed for the same price as terrazzo tile.

Installation Timeline

The main advantage of terrazzo tile is that they installed quicker than a poured in place system and also are much easier to install so a specialty contractor is not needed. Poured in place terrazzo does take longer than most finishes to install.

However, with the advent of epoxy thin-set terrazzo the quick curing time has decreased the installation duration. Further, it permits for more flexibility allowing other trades to have access to the installation areas after pouring or the grout stage. The number of colors and intricacy of the patten also play into the installation duration. Minimizing colors and patterning will help shorten the installation duration.

Verdict

I believe epoxy poured in place terrazzo is the best system. That said terrazzo tile has its place for smaller projects or where a crunched installation schedule is a necessity.

I'd love to discuss your project specific needs and see what the best terrazzo solution is for your project.