Continueing on my Orient adventure. Today I visited the Great Wall of China . 325.0 miles long.  It took 300 years to build, and tomorrow on to where a farmer, no in his eighties, found and wonder full treasure for his home land to preseve and keeps as a natural tressure.  Arriving I couldn’t wait to see what I have only see, Like many of you on the National Goo graphic pecial ro on the Discovery, or even as part of a movie that displays these terracotta soldiers as a big part of the movie

As I walked up I understand about the duribilty of thes “fired Earth” which is which Terra cotta is translated to in english. As tjat os wjat ot actially is, clay fired to a strength . These soldiers were not only built by enslved people that were taken by war, but also the life;s of the craftmen that made these life like figure to follow the First Emporier into the afterlife.  Each  with different features, Unigue in thier own right.

As I read through the finformation, knowing about the use of Terra cotta by the way of my business, I understand why Terra cotta is also used as a durable flooring.  We clean and polish many Terra cotta tiles in my business.  These are yet another natural material that has been used for thousands of years in different forms.  From Soldiers to floor tile to pots that we plant in on our patio’s.

After two days of being outside breathing in the polluted air it was time to find decent quality air and how did I do it?Go and find a Mall! And as always, I look at the floors.  This mall  also used terrazzo tiles, as they did in the Mass Rapid Transportation System. As you can see from the photos in the video,  the designer wanted to make to floor look fun and he accomplished it by installing two inch wide colorful terrazzo next to the white terrazzo floor.  When I first came across this mall the flooring put a big smile on my face.  I thought of the Nickelodeon channel.  Very colorful something you would design for a kids area.  Bringing a very modern and interesting design elements to this mall.

And no one can come to Hong Kong without going to one of its many high end malls.  That doesn’t mean one has to spend money.  So  here I am in this mall I have never been in before and I am admiring the floor.  This floor was amazng how it used a combination of different marbles.  The white part of the flooring is terrazzo tile.  Being a floor nut I had to get on my hands and knees and study the floor.  Amazing it was.  So If you are ever considering installing a new floor think about how terrazzo can enhance you vision of a beautiful floor, but if you not going to intall a new floor and you have a older florida home you might be one of the lucky ones that have terrazzo under the dated floor material.  A recent trend that I still am in amazement of, during the housing boom people where putting travertine and other soft marble on top of terrazzo thinking of beauty only not longevity.  Many people now in South Florida are removing these soft marble to get to the Terrazzo which requires virtually no maintenance.

Just like in Miami, The high  end stores also use Terrazzo.  In the Art Deco district, Historical Terrazzo abounds.  On the sidewalks, in the historical hotels, such as the Essex and Cleavlander.  Newly installed Terrazzo is also being used in the new building.  Colonial Floor and Stone Care has been serving the Miami/Dade and surrounding counties to reclaim, restore and polish the unique and durable Terrazzo that has been part of the buildings in our area.  My company, as well as I, are proud when we can reclaim Terrazzo that has lied hidden for decades in some of the most beautiful Mid Modern homes in our area.

From large estates, to small Bungalow’s, Terrazzo in the 30’s to the 70’s was the floor to have in your home.  With the cost of installing new Terrazzo costing $30 a square foot, reclaiming and restoring your Terrazzo floor is the most cost effective way of putting a “new” floor in.   Wondering fs you have Terrazzo under the floor in your home from this era?  Easy way to find out is to look at the door threshold and you will see the Terrazzo.  It may be dark, dull and far from what it should look like, but if there are speck of color in what you may thing is a foundation concrete may very well be Terrazzo.

I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I did taking them, and if you have ugly terrazzo in your house or under your current floor call Colonial Floor and Stone Care, we can talk about options like cutting out the boarder area and installing another color, or even creating a terrazzo medallion.  We have the option for you to do a free estimated by phone or email.  Our company’s expert will come out to give you a free estimate and discuss your individual needs.  Having one of these floors can transform your home into a show home.  Terrazzo is one of the most durable floors around.  Now coming back into fashion, not only for the durablity and beauty, but also for the Eco friendly component of these floors.  Being “natural” in construction, these floors leave no volatile Oganic Compounds to flood your homes air quality as other flooring choices.  Give us a call or email today.  We want to earn your buiness!

Colonial Floor and Stone Care has been serving Southern Florida’s customers for over 20 years, cleaning, repairing and restoringNatural Stone care such as Cuban Tile.  These tiles have been used in Southern Florida for decades.  They were discovered in Cuba by American’s visiting in the early 1920’s and brought back for flooring in Southern Florida.  The demand increase, as these tiles, along with other type of flooring such as Terrazzo and Mexican tile, due to the coolness they brought to the home in the tropical Miami climate.  In the 1960’s a factory was established in Miami for the high demand for these cement based and artfully colorful tile flooring.  These tiles are made from a paste of white cement, sand and pigments for the color.  This is then pressed into a mold, each is unique and individually produced by hand.

Like Terrazzo, these tiles need low maintenance, how ever, over waxing for an increase shine can cause the tiles to loose their beauty, becoming dull and dirty over years of wax build up.  This was the  what happened to the cuban tile feature in our video.  After a complete cleaning, this floor was brought back to its original beauty.

Colonial Floor and Stone Care technicians, brought in the cleaning  machines, which did their magic and then was polished to a brilliant shine.  We take pride in all of our natural stone care, and will be happy to discuss how our company can help your needs with your Cuban tile.  Call Colonial Floor and Stone Care for your free estimate, our representative will be more than happy to assist you with your specific needs.

Cuban tiles are not only unique, but a piece of Miami’s history.  Let our company help you keep them beautiful for years to come.  Call 305-731-2242 for a free estimate.  You will be glad you did!

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Mexican Tile is  used widely here in South Florida.  There are many styles of Mexican tile.  And while doing some research on these beautiful tile that the Colonial Floor and Stone Care has cleaned and polished, I found that they have a long and varied history.

Mexican tile, would lead you to believethat all the tile were made in Mexico, how ever Talavera Tile dates back to 15^th century Spain. When the Italians introduced the artisan work of the Arabic, Italian, and Asian designed tile during the 15^thcentury to Spain. Using all the knowledge from those styles of clay tiles, Talavera ceramic was born.  Designs and patterns are traced back to Chinese and Philippine origins while even older variations of this art form date back to 8^th century Arabic culture. Craftsmen in Italy began experimenting with glazes during the Middle Ages,  and as a result many new colors were developed.   And after the Spanish colonization of Mexico, the Spaniards introduced ceramic tile production and Mexican artisans adopted it and again adding their own flare,color and design.

Handcrafted ceramic tile is a  cultural heritage in Mexico, the  practice of making clay tile began in the late sixteen century, around 1570 and 1573. The decorative ceramic tiles have actively played a distinguished role as an important utilitarian and decorative element in Mexican architecture.  The tiles are made from clay dug out of the ground, mixed with water to form tile or pottery and fired in a Kiln  to temperatures that clay undergoes chemical changes and becomes permanently hard. Then the tile is glazed and decorated by hand, and fired once again to give it its final and lively finish.

Its physical characteristics make Mexican tiles particularly attractive and distinctive. Mexican tiles are concave (not perfectly flat). The tiles are unique, hand painted, original and a part of a functional decor.  There are many types of  Mexican tiles, Terra Cotta  which means Burnt Earth, are the most known, and once again, are made by digging for the clay earth that can be mixed with water and hand pressed into forms to make each individual tile different.  NYC  even recognizes the importance of this type of material and is preserving  historic Terra Cotta and using it in new design architecture.

Whether you have decorative, brightly hand painted Mexican tile on your back splash in your kitchen or decorating your patio, or beautiful Glazed Mexican Terra Cotta floor tiles,  the professionals at Colonial Floor and Stone Care, will bring back the shine to your Mexican tile.  Call for a free estimate or go to Colonial Floor and Stone Care to request your free estimate.

We can be reached at 305-731-2242 for Miami/Dade county, 965-566-4555 for Ft. Lauderdale/Broward county and 561-337-1408 for West Palm Beach/Palm Beach county.

We are Colonial Floor Care!

I’d like to tell you a bit about where the terrazzo floor came from and how we do the installing today.

According to wikipedia, terrazzo was invented in Venice by construction workers as an inexpensive flooring material using marble and granite chips to cover patios near and around living spaces. It was inexpensive because because it was constructed using marble chips, which were the remains of larger marble pieces that were cut and installed in the homes of the wealthy. These “leftovers” were then recycled and used to make what were considered to be less extravagant floors. They were originally made from marble and granite chips, clay and goat milk as a sealer.

In the 1920’s the introduction of electric grinders and other power equipment made installing terrazzo much easier. This is most likely why there was a resurgence of terrazzo in domestic construction at this time, replacing tiles,travertine, slate and ceramic tile in homes, kitchens and in the bathroom. Later, linoleum was commonly used.

Laying Terrazo Floors

Terrazzo is made by exposing marble chips and other fine aggregates on the surface of finished concrete or epoxy resin. First, cement is layered to build a solid, level foundation. second a layer of sandy concrete is added. Third , a fine marble chip mixture is added that may be color pigmented. While the mixture is still wet, workers add more marble chips and roll a lightweight roller over the entire surface.

Finally, after the terrazzo is thoroughly dry, it is ground with a terrazzo grinder. The surface is then cleaned, polished and sealed.