Terrazzo, or artificial stone on white cement

Terrazzo, or artificial stone on white cement Terrazzo (sometimes written as terrazzo or terazo) is an attempt to render the parts of the stone will be back entirety. They formed by mixing hard rock (basalt, marble, etc.) in a suitable amount of cement. This mixture creates a surface, which on the one hand, it is hard and strong, on the other hand there is a possibility of grinding and adapt to the conditions and needs that are required in the circumstances. This means that you can treat it as an attempt to eliminate the defects, which has a stone slab (ie, eg. The difficulty in treatment and its cost) using the maximum of what they give us calizny stone - that is, high hardness and resistance to external conditions or the hardness of the resulting with the same characteristics of the rock that creates a stone slab.

Terrazzo should not be confused with concrete - the latter in fact is composed of cement, gravel and sand, or more broadly, a filler with a grain size typically up to 2 mm. The most common filler role fully river sand or dug, and the gravel is of various origin stones from similar sources as the sand.

To terrazzo was done properly and to fulfill its role, it is necessary to meet several conditions:

• use of appropriate quality and quantity of stone, called revolves due to granulation grit.
  
• use of appropriate quality and quantity of cement.
  

The cost estimates have long used so-called catalogs of physical inputs, describing some basic principles, conditions and parameters of the consumption of certain materials to produce a unit of a component or product. To terrazzo was sufficiently firm and strong, the assumption must be met three basic things:

• terrazzo minimum thickness is 25 mm
  
• grit consumption per 1 m2 terrazzo minimum thickness should be 40 kg.
  
• consumption of cement per 1 m2 terrazzo minimum thickness should be 20 kg
  

From the above calculations show that 1 m3 (cube) terrazzo should consist of grit 1600 kg and 800 kg of cement.

How should we understand these three terms?

Terrazzo with a thickness of 25 mm and can not fulfill its tasks, for various reasons. Its strength is then not enough, the "chafe" as a result of external factors such as precipitation, temperature and change it. It will just execute inconsistent with the construction.

By "grit" is meant hard stone (such as, for example. Said basalt or marble) fraction normally up to 10 mm. Basically, in practice a two fractions - from 2 mm to 4-5 mm or 4-5 mm for 8-10 mm. The thickness of the grain (stone etc.) is always expressed in mm, which means that hearing "eight" is meant grit fraction of up to 8 mm - typically 4-8 mm grit. The thickness of the grains is conditioned by the fact that we have terrazzo and what is to serve the surface. Usually thicker fraction is used in the case when the terrazzo to be done "spicy", finer - when the surface to be polished "smooth".

"In the field" means that the surface is made of terrazzo is not smooth, and protruding above the surface of the pebbles are only lightly sanded to retain its porosity.

In the version of "smooth" we seek to ensure that the entire surface was smooth and leveled in the desired manner. After this process are usually subtle defects, the place where the machine is not only leveled pebbles, but somehow pulled "from the inside". Such places should be supplemented or the cement used to pour terrazzo, or a mixture of cement and fine grain by grain size up to 2 mm (so-called "meals") stone, which was used in the production process.

The time at which you should start grinding determines the quality and brand of cement used, as grinding too fresh terrazzo cause its destruction, and too hard - only greatly lengthen and complicate the process of leveling the surface.

Color terrazzo, or better impression of color, or "light-dark", depends on the amount used light and dark grit. Using gray cement, because of its color for more or less typical of gray, the matte white to gray is typically 3: 1 or 4: 1.

Catalogues of physical inputs speak only about the amount of cement. In ancient times they tried to use cement without additives - from the very simple reasons. The first was a rapid initial increase in strength, allowing fast "rise" to the process of grinding. The second - due to the lack of extras - no-shows on the surface of terrazzo various additives such as dust and other "surprises" that can be found in the cement. At present such pure Portland cements are marked CEM I.

Due to the fact that the terrazzo is called artificial stone, it is necessary that under adverse conditions (weather conditions, aggressive environment) do not use cement brand 32.5, but stronger - 42.5 or 52.5. To see how durable is neatly made terrazzo, just go to the part of high-rise buildings of concrete slabs, the old buildings, where in many cases the floors and stairs inside the passageways are made precisely with terrazzo, which last time was in some way preserved many years ago, and most often at all.

The number, type and quality of cement plays a huge role. This happens for several reasons:

• the amount of cement, which is used for terrazzo depends directly on the quality and the thickness of the used grits.
  
• type of cement, which is white or gray, allows us to stained or poured surface, and get (or not) as a uniform white (natural) color terrazzo. Gray cement dominate in basically every pigment, which can be added as cement, apart from the case when you want to get rich black or very dark "smoky" tones. Otherwise it is the use of white cement. In combination with the natural colors used stone allows it to get really interesting shades of color, including staining or other such zones aimed to meet their specific tasks (eg. the ban on entry), without the need for cumbersome painting respective lines.
  
• the better the quality of cement, that is, the stronger it is (its brand is higher than 42.5), the less it can be used to obtain the necessary strength terrazzo. It is, if you can use less of it is related to the so-called. Blaine surface, which is a parameter which is speaking area exploded all of the cement grains are in some unit of weight. It must be large enough to easily joined pebbles all contained in a unit weight of the mixture. The bigger it is, the finer the ground is cement. If, for example. We use cement by 52.5, the actual results fluctuate around 70.0, this amount may be significant.
  
• the last parameter is the thickness (size) grains of grit, which is used to make terrazzo. The finer the grain, the more cement need for an element or a surface with a desired strength. If the grain size of typical grits the ratio is 2: 1 (i.e., grit 66.6: 33.3 cement) is for the grit to grit 2 mm (i.e., either 0-2, or 1-2) for this relationship will be ok . 1.5: 1 (i.e., 60 grit : cement 40, wherein the finer the grain, the more cement), a grain having a thickness of 1 mm to fluctuate substantially 1: 1. In the latter case, the grain used in the filler becomes substantially invisible, and the mass has a uniform consistency
  

With these few rules can make made terrazzo will look really great. Also keep in mind that a well-made and properly terrazzo after a sanding should be characterized by the fact that the stone is wrong to stone, and cement serves as fugue and at first glance it as little as possible.