Terrazzo Polishing and Restoration in Nairobi

Do not tile over it

The most common thing we are asked to do with an old terrazzo floor is bury it under tiles. Very often that is the wrong call, and it is worth twenty minutes of testing before committing.

A dull, stained, tired-looking terrazzo floor is frequently a perfectly sound floor that has simply lost its polish. Ground back and repolished it comes up as good as it ever was, and it is the original floor of the building, which in the older Muthaiga, Lavington and Parklands houses is worth something.

Tiling over it adds height at every doorway, and it throws away something that cannot be bought back.

What restoration involves

Grinding back through progressively finer grits until the surface is flat and the chips are open again. Grouting to fill pinholes and any small chips. Final polish, then sealing.

Where sections are cracked or a previous alteration has left a patch, we can cut in new terrazzo: matching a decades-old mix is imperfect, and we will show you a sample before committing so you can decide whether the patch bothers you.

When it is not worth it

If the floor has moved structurally, if it was laid over an unstable base, or if large areas have been chased out for services and never properly reinstated, restoration becomes patching. We will say so rather than take the job.

Similarly, terrazzo that has been coated with something (paint, or an old sealer that has bonded badly) needs stripping first, and that can cost more than the polish itself.

Cost

Quoted at survey, because it depends entirely on condition and how many grinding passes the floor needs. A floor that only needs the final grits is a different job from one that needs taking back hard, and we cannot tell which yours is from a photograph.