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LVP v engineered hardwoods and terrazzo question

Posted on 10/30/23 at 11:16 am
Posted by CAD703X
Liberty Island
Member since Jul 2008
82072 posts
Posted on 10/30/23 at 11:16 am
We're about to rip roughly 3,700sf of carpet out of a house and replace with hardwood and I have no idea what the current consensus is as to what's best. Prices seems similar.

Also looking for a dramatic foyer/entryway and my parents had an all-terrazzo house they built in the 60s and they died a couple months ago and I would like to honor them by putting in terrazzo floors somewhere and I think the entry would be perfect.

WWtH&GBD?
Posted by cgrand
HAMMOND
Member since Oct 2009
40776 posts
Posted on 10/30/23 at 11:18 am to
terrazzo is awesome and i wish more people would use it
Posted by CAD703X
Liberty Island
Member since Jul 2008
82072 posts
Posted on 10/30/23 at 11:36 am to
I think it's beautiful and timeless. We're looking at a white oak for the hardwood in the rest of the house so the contrast would look something like this



It's so clean and I think would really wake this house up.
This post was edited on 10/30/23 at 11:37 am
Posted by Ziggy
Member since Oct 2007
21727 posts
Posted on 10/30/23 at 11:41 am to
Following...

Also, what is best as it relates to cork vs foam backing, etc. and best underlayment type?
Posted by prestigeworldwide
Member since May 2018
312 posts
Posted on 10/30/23 at 11:58 am to
Following also. Building a new house and wife wants LVP upstairs instead of carpet.
Posted by RaginCajunz
Member since Mar 2009
5913 posts
Posted on 10/30/23 at 12:29 pm to
I love terrazzo. I'm very curious how difficult it is to find an installer and how expensive it is compared to the other options.

Posted by Maillard
BTR
Member since Jul 2021
161 posts
Posted on 10/30/23 at 1:09 pm to
Venable terrazzo does excellent work and is in Baton Rouge.
Posted by ItzMe1972
Member since Dec 2013
10661 posts
Posted on 10/30/23 at 1:47 pm to
"I have no idea what the current consensus is as to what's best."

---

Plenty of opinions, but no consensus.
Posted by Obtuse1
Westside Bodymore Yo
Member since Sep 2016
27354 posts
Posted on 10/31/23 at 5:07 am to
quote:

I love terrazzo. I'm very curious how difficult it is to find an installer and how expensive it is compared to the other options.


There will be an installer in just about every decent sized city because it is still used in a lot of commercial projects. It is more expensive than just about any residential flooring option unless you are looking at something like solid Maccaser Ebony. We did a kitchen reno and did terrazzo in a the kitchen, breakfast nook and a transition area to the great room which was about 800 ft^2 and it was just over $34k. This was basic thinset single color terazzo with glass/marble aggregate. This included removing the old hardwood, grinding the slab and putting on a primer.

They make terrazzo tile which runs from very cheap to very expensive, the cheap stuff looks cheap but the expensive stuff looks great but the savings is actually pretty limited. The one we really liked was $22 per square just for the tile. If you are looking at the expensive stuff I think it is worth the extra for the monolithic pour just to have no grout lines. It is by far the easiest floor I have ever had in terms of cleaning.

Unless you have OT baller money it is a floor you have to be willing to commit to for the long haul but it can easily last longer than you will.
Posted by CAD703X
Liberty Island
Member since Jul 2008
82072 posts
Posted on 10/31/23 at 10:00 am to
Someone who's done this!

So I have a question. My parents had a terrazzo floor throughout our house growing up but it didn't seem to be a single pour. There were what appeared to be thin aluminum frames about every yard. The floors were rock stars and I didn't appreciate them growing up but my mom had the guy who installed them come out every couple years and polish them.

I want that for my house which I'm hoping is the last house I buy to live in. Getting tired of moving this is the fourth house in 10 years for me.
Posted by cgrand
HAMMOND
Member since Oct 2009
40776 posts
Posted on 10/31/23 at 11:07 am to
those are control joints

Posted by CAD703X
Liberty Island
Member since Jul 2008
82072 posts
Posted on 10/31/23 at 11:34 am to
well there you have it. it looks badass even being a multiple decades' old tech.

now i just want this even more.
Posted by Geauxld Finger
Baton Rouge
Member since Jan 2005
32020 posts
Posted on 10/31/23 at 11:47 am to
Put LVP with a foam backing in a renovation last year. It’s held up
Pretty well. It does scratch, so it’s not totally indestructible but the waterproof Aspect is great if you have kids.


Overall it’s been a good choice
But I find that it does shift in some spots so planks tend to have to be “kicked” back into place. That could be from a shitty install job.
Posted by Ziggy
Member since Oct 2007
21727 posts
Posted on 10/31/23 at 12:23 pm to
quote:

Put LVP with a foam backing in a renovation last year. It’s held up

Is there a reason you went with foam versus cork?
Posted by Geauxld Finger
Baton Rouge
Member since Jan 2005
32020 posts
Posted on 10/31/23 at 12:34 pm to
I should have specified. Backer on. The plank was cork, underlayment was a foam pad
This post was edited on 10/31/23 at 12:35 pm
Posted by Obtuse1
Westside Bodymore Yo
Member since Sep 2016
27354 posts
Posted on 11/1/23 at 9:47 pm to
quote:


So I have a question. My parents had a terrazzo floor throughout our house growing up but it didn't seem to be a single pour. There were what appeared to be thin aluminum frames about every yard. The floors were rock stars and I didn't appreciate them growing up but my mom had the guy who installed them come out every couple years and polish them.



First, I did not research this like I would have if I had hired the contractor because our architect and designer doing the reno dealt with all of the nuts and bolts. Your childhood home almost certainly had cement-based terrazzo which required the aluminum expansion joints. They would also have been used for any color changes. Almost all terrazzo now is epoxy-based so expansion joints are not required at near the frequency they are in cement-based terrazzo. Ours was poured over stable concrete that had been in place for over 20 years with no cracking this long with the flexibility of the epoxy allowed the single pour. As I understood it when you need them in epoxy-based terrazzo they use a color-matched sealer so while you can see the joint it doesn't have any cracks for dirt and is not as visible as the aluminum joints.

You can do some really interesting designs and borders if you want. We decided it would be too busy for our kitchen but borders would look great in rectangular rooms that are large enough to visually handle it. Obviously, that costs more and I have no idea about the upcharges.



Posted by ChenierauTigre
Dreamland
Member since Dec 2007
34590 posts
Posted on 11/2/23 at 5:46 am to
We had terazzo in our entire house too. I miss it.
Posted by WITNESS23
Member since Feb 2010
13742 posts
Posted on 11/2/23 at 7:06 am to
I've never considered terrazzo for residential floors.

Does it not look like a hospital or school hallway? Lol
Posted by CAD703X
Liberty Island
Member since Jul 2008
82072 posts
Posted on 11/2/23 at 7:58 am to
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I think it's an awesome alternative to tile and there are endless varieties

Posted by Obtuse1
Westside Bodymore Yo
Member since Sep 2016
27354 posts
Posted on 11/2/23 at 9:00 pm to
quote:

I've never considered terrazzo for residential floors.

Does it not look like a hospital or school hallway? Lol


It was trendy in high-end residential construction in the late 60s and 70s. It is seeing a resurgence again mainly in high-end residential construction due to the cost. In the 70s it was often seen in an entire downstairs today it is usually seen in places that it would be normal to see tile: bathrooms, kitchens, foyers and mudrooms. With the almost limitless types and colors of epoxy and aggregates you can choose from today it is easy to exactly color match the terrazzo to your decor. You simply look at it as tile without many of the cons tile has, the main issue is the cost and it has to be poured on slab. It is also trading for use as a backsplash and countertops, normally this is precast but can be poured in place. One advantage is the countertop to backsplash transition can be a cove moulding which leaves no grout lines or areas to clean, just a smooth transition from horizontal to vertical.

It is an excellent flexible material that I would bet would be in far greater residential use if it weren't for the cost.



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