In today's post, we are going to discuss Palladiana Terrazzo. This was actually the original terrazzo flooring. Resourceful mosaic workers reused marble fragments or repurposed river rocks. Each stone was hand laid, piece by piece.
The voids between the stones were then infilled with a binder material. Once the binder had cured the flooring was then ground and polished to a seamless finish, creating the first Palladiana Terrazzo floors. These were the original terrazzo floors.
Below is an excellent example of a historic palladiana terrazzo floor from Venice Italy.
Palladiana terrazzo not your standard terrazzo, it is a premium terrazzo that offers additional levels of customization. Let's walk through designing a palladiana terrazzo floor.
Cost
First, its important to note that this is a premium terrazzo which is nearly double the cost of standard terrazzo. Make sure you have a client that has a healthy budget that can afford a minimum of $50 per sf installed.
Developing a Sample
Assuming you have a client that can afford this material the next step is to select a color. You can browse preselected colors or customize. If you plan to customize, I suggest starting by selecting the type of natural stone you want for the fractured stone. This is the featured item of the material and everything else can be designed around it.
Selecting a Natural Stone or Precast Terrazzo
Typically we are working with marbles as they are easier to grind and polish. These fractured stones make up the majority of the finished material and will also contribute to the varying cost of the floor. Stone has different price points so select a stone that fits your budget. You may opt to use just one type of stone or create a mixture of stones. There is also a very unique twist that offers another level of customization. We have created palladiana terrazzo floors using customized fractured precast terrazzo pieces, as demonstrated from the Graduate Hotel in Nashville. These precast pieces can be customized just like designing a traditional terrazzo mix.
Stone Thickness
Next make sure that your stone supplied offers this in a tile format. Preferable ⅜” - ½” thickness. This will also help to keep the cost down. Some stones are only available in slab format which will be ¾”t-1-¼”in thickness.
The maternal is not only more expensive in slab format but now the terrazzo thickness must also be increased which will require more grout material in the joints.
Stone Spacing
Now that you have selected your stone you’ll need to determine the size, spacing and edge profile of the fractured stones. This is designer preference, some may prefer larger or smaller fractured stones or a tight or spacious laying pattern. Lastly we need to know if you want an irregular edge or a sawn edge.
Grout Color
Next you’ll want to determine the terrazzo grout color. This is just like designing a traditional terrazzo mix. Some designers want a minimal fine look and others prefer have some chunky aggregate in the mix. We’ll leave that up to you.
Mock Up
Once we have this information, we are able to create a sample mock up for your approval. Typically this takes about 2 weeks to create. When you receive your sample we can discuss any necessary revisions and tweak until we get an approved sample.
We highly recommend that the project specifications include a requirement for a larger on site mockup of at least 100 sf be poured on site to be used for final quality control and approval.
Palladio Collection
Terrazzo & Marble Supply Companies offers a great selection of palladiana terrazzo in a range of colors, style, and elegance which is easy to maintain and clean, and will definitely last for decades. It’s patterns and unique architectural designs will not only amaze others with its appearance, but it will also help create extraordinary floor finishes that are more inviting and engaging compared to traditional flooring materials. The endless design possibilities ensure Palladiana Terrazzo flooring will give your business or home an elegant, unique, and practical flooring solution.
Hope this has been helpful please let me know if you have any questions regarding this palladiana terrazzo. Below are more installation images for your reference.
