Three Things You Didn’t Know About the History of Terrazzo Flooring
If you've decided to have a terrazzo floor installed in your home, it's probably because you are well aware of its many benefits including a long lifespan, low maintenance requirements and the ease of getting a terrazzo restoration when needed.
But do you know all that there is to know about your terrazzo ?
In reality, there's much more to your terrazzo floor than simply keeping up with terrazzo floor cleaning and terrazzo polishing. Your floor actually has a long, rich history behind it! Here is a quick look at some of the historical legacies terrazzo leaves behind:
Terrazzo's history goes back to prehistoric times
Terrazzo is older than modern human civilization. In eastern Turkey, archaeologists actually discovered the first terrazzo floors in an ancient Neolithic settlement that were dated back as far as 8,000 to 10,000 years ago! That's before humans started crafting pottery. Our ancestors even knew all the benefits of a terrazzo restoration, it seems.
Modern terrazzo comes from Venice
In modern times, terrazzo's origin can be traced to Venice, Italy, where construction workers would recycle marble chips from other upscale projects and set them in clay. These surfaces would be used to surface their patios, which is why we call this type of flooring “terrazzo” today – the word means “terrace” or “patio” in Italian !
Terrazzo was a Founding Father Favorite
In the 1700s, terrazzo made its way from Europe into the New World. As the American colonies grew more economically independent, they furnished their homes with more luxurious features, like the terrazzo floor. George Washington even opted to surface many of the floors in his home at Mount Vernon with terrazzo, where visitors can still see it today.
Have any other thoughts or comments to share with us about terrazzo? Or do you have questions on professional terrazzo cleanings and marble restorations? Contact Bay Shore Cleaning & Restoration today !