With Christmas right around the corner, many of us are gearing up to track Santa’s whereabouts on Christmas Eve. With so many places to visit, we imagine he relies heavily on the help of his elves – much like we do here at All Things Flooring, where the team have been working hard travelling the world on the hunt for something extra special.
To round off 2018, we’ve taken a trip of our own, tracking terrazzo around the world, seeing where it has been used and to what effect.
Although we have seen a huge increase in it’s popularity in recent years, the history of terrazzo dates back over five hundred years. Whilst some sources suggest it can be traced back to the ancient mosaics of Egypt, its predecessors are said to be resourceful Venetian mosaic workers, who found a useful way to reuse marble remnants by incorporating them into other flooring systems.

Aggregates are used in terrazzo flooring in a variety of colours and materials
Epoxy terrazzo is ideal for commercial, industrial and institutional facilities, especially where durability, longevity and minimal maintenance are crucial. This flooring solution is often used in areas with high traffic levels combined with the requirement for a decorative finish that is easy to clean and maintain.
With its high durability, decorative finish and ease of cleaning, this system is most often found in retail and leisure environments, where appearance is just as important as functionality. In fact, we’d be very surprised if you haven’t come across this flooring during your Christmas shopping trips!
One of the first stops on our festive flooring sleigh ride is to South Africa where this Johannesburg retail and office complex utilised seamless resin terrazzo to give a decorative and modern aesthetic.

The MARC Shopping Centre uses seamless terrazzo in three shades
This system was applied in bands, using blocks of contemporary colours to create a very effective surface that would also withstand daily exposure to high footfall, as well as the scuffs and scrapes inherent in public spaces of this nature.
The next stop for our sleigh is Australia, where we see the low odour, seamless terrazzo system utilised in the foyer of the UniLodge Lonsdale building. This system was chosen thanks to its incorporated slip resistance, which needed to exceed a P4 rating to ensure visitor safety on the entrance ramp.

UniLodge in Australia used terrazzo in the entrance way
To achieve this, non-slip aggregates were mixed into the seal coat of the system, using a special technique so as to not diminish the overall finish of the floor.
We jingle all the way from Australia to Asia now, where the use of warm tones and shimmering aggregates in this high-end store is enough to welcome anyone in from the cold. Here, whilst aggregates were incorporated into the floor as per traditional terrazzo, these were no ordinary glass or mirror chippings! Special European marble in seven different colours was used within this system to provide a completely unique design and match the colours within the store’s interior design scheme.

Terrazzo with a golden shimmer was used in the high-end store
A jump, hop and a skip later, we find ourselves in India, where the terrazzo trend has grown considerably in recent months. This is thanks to local manufacturers of terrazzo being able to provide the decorative system at competitive prices, and having the ability to educate people that whilst installation costs may be high, maintenance and repair costs are minimal.
Is a terrazzo floor top of your Christmas list? Whilst the reindeer have their well earned rest at All Things Flooring HQ, feel free to get in touch with us with any queries or for more information, we’d be happy to help!