Terrazzo Floor

This element of construction had the largest learning curve for me. I've never seen anything quite like the process of installing terrazzo. It basically shut down about 1/3 of the construction while we installed it. The whole installation took about two weeks, working on Saturday and Sunday. It's also a slow process due to the drying time. Each layer took a day to dry, before adding the next layer. If you're not familiar with terrazzo flooring, you'll typically find it in schools and malls. It's strong as hell, and almost impossible to crack, and the finished product is beautiful to see.

It all begins with a sticky layer, almost like tree sap. It took a day to dry, and would destroy your shoes if you stepped on it, so the whole area was taped off. 

Sticky floor in the bar area. 

The next step was not actually part of the terrazzo, but it needed to go in underneath it, so we took a day installing our sound loop. More on the sound loop on another thread, but it's pretty amazing. It's basically a way to tap our sound in to a hearing device. There's an underground copper channel that will be installed under all of our seating. 

First section of the Sound Loop. 

Next came the membrane layer. A shiny, gooey layer that was slopped on over the sticky stuff. Again, I had no idea how this was going to become terrazzo. 

Alien membrane. 

More shiny, gooey membrane. 

This shut down the bar and cabaret for another day waiting for this to dry. While this was going on, we were working in the back half on walls, ceilings, taping, etc. After it dried, they  laid out the framework of the terrazzo. You begin to see what this membrane is all about. It's to keep the tracks, and stone where it is, so it isn't just laid down on concrete. It keeps it where it needs to be without shifting around. Watching the track layout was incredible. The math behind it was staggering. 

Cabaret framing.

Bar framing

Exit hallway framing. 

After everything was framed, it was a long process of laying each of the colors in. There are three stone types going in. A dark, a white, and a gray stone. This was one of the most confusing parts of the installation. Looking at the goop that would become the stone, I would never guess that it would turn out like it did. The mixture is made up of rocks, aggregates, and a thick type of mortar. Each color took a full day to pour.  

Two colors in. 

Not quite beautiful, but wait for it. 

Once this all went in, it was impossible to image what would happen after the next step. The next step was to grind it. Once all this was dry, giant grinders were passed over this, and the stone and aggregates really began to shine. It was an unreal transformation. From this dry, clay-like substance, to this... 

First look after the grinding. 

It looked great, but ....still not there. Next step was to grout any of the gaps created by the grinding. Grouting was a very tedious process. This was a weekend's worth of work. It's the grouting that makes you appreciate this type of flooring. So preciese. 

Grout applied and a polish powder was applied to the top. 

Once the grout was added, it was ready for polish. It took another day to dry, just like every layer added, but the result was stunning. We finally reached the end of the terrazzo installation, and it's absolutely incredible. Have a look now, because immediately after we were done with it, we covered it up, and we won't see it again until the end of December. 

Last look at the bar. 

It took forever, but the floor is going to be one of the most talked about elements in the theater. It adds such an elegant touch to the room. I can't wait to see it with the other colors of the theater, and the wood working, but it's covered up, and forgotten about for now. On to the next big step of construction. The cabaret ceiling!