Good Thread Great Information.!
Generally we never start cutting a cementitious terrazzo floor above 50 resin diamonds. Many times we will have to start with metals to remove damage from years of waxing and stripping. Make sure to bring a razor blade and test the floor for coatings and or waxes before you schedule a demo. Test the center and the edges with the blade so you don't get surprised if you do the demo or so you can write an accurate proposal.
Also take a good look around for pock marks,cracks and holes that will need to be filled if any.
Also plan on using some hogs hair pads and or rubber spacers to mount your diamonds so you can follow the contour of the floor which is naturally wavy. This will give you a better finish when you are at the polishing stage.
In our area most floors can be pretty worn under the coatings but for floors that have had some maintenance or been refinished before like John says starting with a higher grit can make sense and make pricing more attractive to the client.
While there are many ways to refinish this material if you haven't worked on it before it could be a good idea to follow a baseline system that will get you thru the first series of terrazzo jobs delivering a quality consistent job to the client Using quality diamonds and wet polishing compounds you are comfortable with are the way to go. A slight kiss of crystalizer or a coating you know may help as well.
 
Once you understand the material and the variations you may encounter on your first jobs then(provided you have the time) if you want to experiment using different techniques and finishing methods you can do so knowing that you can always come back to the baseline if you need to.
.It will make you a better mechanic and/ or proprietor if you can expand your horizons and work with different methods and finishing techniques.
Dont ever be afraid to test new products and keep an open mind.
Your knowledge base will always increase and in time you may find your own techniques and variations which will set you apart from your competition.It may also make you a better at speaking to customers and tradespeople as well.
By then you may have run into some epoxy terrazzo and you get to start the learning process all over again!
 
 


 
On Sat, Apr 21, 2012 at 2:34 PM, John Freitag <jfreitag@thestoneandtileschool.com> wrote:
CJ,

When doing terrazzo floors first determine the damage you need to remove. If
the floor has already been polished before you can probably start with a 220
then 400 and polish unless it is a dark color terrazzo then go to 800. This
will remove the light scratches and traffic patterns.

If the stone has never been polished and always waxed or coated then I would
recommend starting at 50 or 120 resin based upon the floor. it the floor
feel rough the marble chips bring higher than the cement base then you will
probably need to start with a 50 grit. If the damage from stripping and
waxing has not damage the cement base then you could probably start with a
120. My recommendation is always first TEST.

You are new to the business and testing is always best when your new. If the
customer ask why you want to demo and based upon the work needed to be
completed and you want the customer to see the results they can expect.
There is nothing wrong with asking to do a demo. This does 2 things , first
you can test the areas second it give the customer a look at what the
results will be and makes selling the job easier.


John E Freitag
Director
The Stone & Tile School
Office 407-567-7652
Cell 407-615-0134
jfreitag@thestoneandtileschool.com



www.thestoneandtileschool.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Randy Frye [mailto:rfrye@comcast.net]
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2012 5:14 AM
To: Restoration and Maintenance
Subject: RE: [sccpartners] Terrazzo restoration

I treat the terrazzo you described like natural stone, I use the same
process. I know some contract use a densifier at a certain point.
On Apr 20, 2012, at 2:39 AM, CJ Crow wrote:

> I have been working on marble and travertine a lot, but I'm running into
my first few terrazzo jobs. I was hoping someone would have time to remind
me of the best process for honing and polishing terrazzo that has been honed
before. I know at least one of these jobs was installed prior to1992 so prob
concrete based, but I would appreciate both methods if they differ.
>
> Sorry for the obvious fairly new guy question. Thanks and I hope business
is going well for everyone!
>
> C.J. Crow
> Stone Maintenance Inc.
> In HIS grip
> Sent form my iPhone
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>


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Regards,
Stu Rosen
201-446-1200
www.mbstonecare.com 
www.mbstone.com
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