Cleaning terrazzo floors

Renita Ryan <ryan.renita [at] saugov__sa__gov__au> writes

>I have been researching possible products for the sealing and
>regular cleaning of a Portland cement terrazzo floor. ...

For the cleaning of terrazzo floors we use special grinding or
polishing machines for floors. Instead of abrasives we use nylon
pads in combination with water. The nylon pads are available in
different degrees of hardness. The use of a small amount of scouring
agent can be helpful. Because of the soft pads the scouring agent
doesn't scratch the surface. After the cleaning we treat the
terrazzo with a mixture of turpentine and linseed oil. It's very
important to remove the remains of the oil after the treatment
before it starts drying.

Annika Bachem
Conservator for stone objects
Hannover


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 15:82
                  Distributed: Thursday, June 6, 2002
                       Message Id: cdl-15-82-004
                                  ***