Farmacy | Terrazzo floor for retail space

Stone design ( www.sdconcrete.com ) has recently completed a spectacular terrazzo concrete floor for Farmacy at 1402 Douglas Street, Victoria BC . The interior design was done by Meade Design, who put together one of the nicest retail stores we have seen in a while. The flooring design consisted of a large "F" logo, which was defined by inlayed brass and two types of terrazzo. The dark F was tinted with Charcoal pigments and mostly utilized darker limestone aggregates. The field colour was concrete grey and included pea gravel aggregate and white and black #2 crushed limestone. The installation was extremely technical as it was installed over a old plywood floor that had about 5 layers of materials, and was really uneven. Considering the challenges, the floor turned out really well and too date there are no cracks, quite impressive considering the starting point. 

When installing concrete terrazzo overlays, the most important detail that is usually overlooked is floor prep. In the case of this project, the sub floor was a combination of many layers of plywood, shiplap and concrete patch. All rotten wood was removed, thousands of screws re-inforced the layers, and any suspect concrete patching taken out. Base levelling was done to ensure the crew started with a reasonably flat surface. A two part epoxy water proofed the plywood and stopped the substrate from drawing moisture from the concrete overlay. Course sand was added to the epoxy to provide "tooth", which helped with the bonding. Once the epoxy was dry, diamond lathe was attached to the floor with wood and concrete screws. The lathe helps with flexural strength, crack control and the adhesion of the overlay.

Once floor preparation was completed, the brass strips defining the stores logo was installed. 1" terrazzo brass strips were adhered to the floor to define the logo and provide separation of colour. The "F" was poured with a self levelling concrete designed specifically for terrazzo floors. Charcoal pigment and specially limestone aggregate were added into concrete which was poured into its brass defined enclosure. Additional limestone was broadcast into the wet concrete.

After the logo was poured, it was time to pour the rest of the terrazzo. Stone Design chose to break the floor up into panels, in order to control variables during placement of the concrete. This panel process allowed for the limestone aggregate to be broadcast from both sides, which helped ensure consistency. The field colour was a mid grey tone broadcast with white and black limestone terrazzo chips. 

Once the terrazzo was cured overnight, the heavy grinding and flattening took place. Careful attention was given to the panel joints and details around the logo. The wood floor was extremely humped dead centre, exactly where the logo was to be installed. The Stone Design team had to be extremely careful to not grind too far into the diamond lathe, precision machining was needed. After the heavy initial grind, the floor was given a slurry coat and the polishing commenced. 

This projects showcases the creative potential of terrazzo as an overlay material for residential or commercial projects. Any colour, stone or glass chip, or pattern can be included into the matrix of the concrete terrazzo. With proper substrate preparation, terrazzo can be installed on pretty much any substrate. If you would like to inquire about a specialty concrete floor finish, give us a call at 250.888.7447 or email [email protected]

Project: Farmacy 1402 Douglas Street, Victoria BC

Designer: Meade Design Group