Flooring – What do you call a floor made with about 4–6 mm marble chips? Identify the correct term for a floor finish where marble chips of approximately 4–6 mm size are mixed with a binder, laid in situ or as tiles, and then ground and polished to expose the chips uniformly.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Terrazzo floor

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Decorative hard floors are categorized by composition and installation method. When small marble chips are dispersed in a cementitious or resin matrix, laid, and subsequently ground and polished, the product is known as terrazzo. This finish has long service life and a characteristic speckled appearance determined by chip size and distribution.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Chip size about 4–6 mm with uniform distribution.
  • Matrix is cement-based (traditional) or resin-based (modern).
  • Finish is ground and polished after curing.


Concept / Approach:

Terrazzo is distinct from “marble slab floor”, which uses whole slabs, and from generic “mosaic floor”, which usually implies assembly of small tiles or tesserae into patterns rather than in-situ chip-and-binder composite. The term “reinforced marble floor” is not standard for this finish.


Step-by-Step Solution:

Identify material system: marble chips + binder → composite layer.Installation: laid, then machine-ground and polished → terrazzo process.Therefore, the correct term is “Terrazzo floor”.


Verification / Alternative check:

Specifications for terrazzo define chip grading (for example, fine, standard, Venetian) and binder ratios; BOQs call out chip size and thickness accordingly.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Marble slab floor refers to stone slabs; “chip floor” is informal; “mosaic” refers to patterned small tiles; “reinforced marble floor” is non-standard nomenclature.


Common Pitfalls:

Insufficient curing before grinding; poor chip dispersion leading to patchiness; not specifying divider strips for crack control.


Final Answer:

Terrazzo floor

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