Polished Concrete vs Terrazzo
While the sky’s the limit when it comes to good interior design, it all starts with the floor. Flooring sets the tone, determines the overall aesthetic and provides a functional surface area to each and every room of the house, office or workspace.
Whether you’re designing a modern home, looking for the right flooring for a high-traffic retail store or trying to achieve a modern sophisticated office space, choosing the right floor material is critical.
Both polished concrete and terrazzo are good options for flooring. But which one is right for you?
A Guide to Polished Concrete Floors
Polished concrete floors have proven to offer timeless versatility, aesthetic appeal and practical functionality.
Polished concrete is achieved through grinding and polishing existing concrete slabs until a smooth and reflective finish is achieved. The process of achieving this polished finish not only ensures a visual appeal by revealing the natural beauty of the aggregates of the concrete but strengthens the material as well. The stronger the concrete, the more durable and long lasting the surface itself will be.
Benefits of Polished Concrete
Should you choose a polished concrete floor for your space?
High durability
Polished concrete is incredibly tough and hard wearing. This affords it a level of resistance to scratches, chips and heavy foot traffic.
It’s one of the many reasons why it is popular in commercial spaces, warehouses and even busy family homes.
Low maintenance
Polished flooring is popular for its low maintenance needs as well. Simple and regular sweeping and mopping is often enough for the surface to maintain its shine and aesthetic quality.
Very versatile
Concrete is often associated with grey industrial aesthetics. But designers can actually achieve a wide variety of styles.
Polished concrete can be made to look more textured and intricate, more natural or even like a high-gloss mirror. There are even dyes and staining processes available to customise the colour palette and create unique patterns.
Sustainable solution
Concrete is not just readily available and easily applied, but when polished, polished concrete allows for the minimisation of waste.
The material offshoots can be recycled and incorporated into the concrete mix ensuring the environmental footprint is less significant.
A Guide to Terrazzo Flooring
Terrazzo flooring is a unique flooring option of its own. This composite material is made from chips of different stones such as marble, quartz or granite. Sometimes even recycled glass is used in terrazzo flooring.
The aggregate is then set in a cement or resin-based binder offering an elegant aesthetic thanks to the exposed aggregate.
Benefits of Terrazzo Flooring
Is terrazzo flooring right for your application?
Aesthetic appeal
Terrazzo flooring offers a stunning visual aesthetic. The exposed aggregate can be set in custom designs and even intricate patterns to make your flooring unique to your application.
Plus with the versatility comes a timeless elegance so you can make sure that your terrazzo flooring doesn’t go out of style.
Hardy material
Like polished concrete, terrazzo flooring is quite durable. Resistant to stains, scratches and general wear and tear, it’s a good option for both high-traffic areas of the home or workspace and even in heavy commercial applications.
Sustainable materials
By using recycled content in the aggregate mix, terrazzo flooring also offers a more environmentally friendly option.
Comparing Polished Concrete vs. Terrazzo
So, how can you decide which of these two flooring options is the right one for you?
Consider which factors are most important to you.
Material Composition
When it comes to polished concrete, the primary material is the concrete itself. Terrazzo, by contrast, has a much higher percentage of aggregate. The aggregate is embedded in the cement or resin binder offering a different aesthetic and composition.
Surface Style
Polished concrete flooring offers a more uniform look while terrazzo is more unique. With concrete you can achieve a more consistent style throughout the space while terrazzo flooring offers bolder and more patterned aesthetics.
Design Flexibility
Both flooring options offer design flexibility. However, polished concrete does allow for some unique dye and decorative sawcut customisation. Terrazzo flooring utilises a wider variety of colour aggregate allowing for intricate patterns, artwork and designs.
Maintenance
Both of these types of flooring are popular due to their minimal care and maintenance requirements. Polished concrete will need periodic re-polishing to maintain its shine and terrazzo will occasionally require resealing and buffing to preserve its aesthetic.
Cost
Depending on your budget, you may be leaning towards one type of flooring more or less than the other. Polished concrete is generally less expensive to install. Terrazzo flooring varies significantly due to the different types of aggregate one can choose and the different levels of complexity in the different designs.
The Perfect Choice is the Right Choice For You
The best flooring option will depend on your specific needs and preferences.
Polished concrete flooring is affordable, durable and low maintenance. It allows for a modern, minimalist and uniform aesthetic with room for design flexibility.
Terrazzo, on the other hand, provides unique and stylish elegance with limitless design potential and functional durability. It’s a strong option for those seeking a luxurious, timeless style of flooring.
Contact Designer Floors Today
Here at Designer Floors, we’re known as Perth’s polished concrete experts for a reason. We’re more than just experienced in all things concrete flooring–we’re passionate about it too!
Our team specialises in the meticulous design and installation of polished concrete flooring to suit any application. We love transforming raw slabs into stunning, high-gloss concrete surfaces.
But what do our clients say about our polished concrete?
“Extremely professional and reliable.” – Kate
“I highly recommend them if you are wanting polished concrete.” – Anushka
“The results were beyond our expectation, the polished concrete floors look incredible.” – Jason
Check out our testimonials and pictures from past jobs completed right here.
Call us for tailored advice for your flooring
For personalised advice about how to achieve the best flooring for your home, office or warehouse, give the team a call.
Or check out our range of helpful resources for yourself today.