Putting Brian on the spot

[Rob Z]

Hi Brian,

I think terrazzo looks wonderful, and would like to know more about it. The only thing I've ever seen was on one of Bob Vila's shows, so I don't really consider that I know anything about it.

Can you give us a brief decription of how terrazzo is installed? Costs? Equipment?

I'm out to buy a grill....

Rob

[Sponsored Links]

[flatfloor]

Off the subject, but if you come home with a Sunbeam take it right back, don't even take it out of the box! I have one that's a year old and the burner's rotted out and they just ignore email, 800# calls and letters. I believe they are in chapter 11 and lest you think this is an isolated case do a Sunbeam search and you will find a website with pages of the same complaint.

[Rob Z]

Hi Jim

I just checked out your website for the first time. SLC's are amazing products. Is yours sold here in the NoVA area? I have had good success with Ardex K15 and Custom's SLC.

Thanks for the tip on the grill. I'm going to look for a charcoal grill. It seems like most grills now-a-days are gas. Plus, I'm going to use my gift certificate for Omaha steaks and eat a really expensive NY strip tonight. With Guinness in the 'fridge it is a Happy Father's Day!

Rob

[Bri]

So...Rob..you want to learn terrazzo do you? There are a few different types of intallation...the one I do most is set on a reinforced mortar bed with an isolation layer(usually just plastic sheeting) separating the terrazzzo and the slab below(works on a wood floor too) The screed mix is placed quite dry,so that you can get back onto the floor right away, to place the metal divider strips(zinc or brass) Chalk lines are used to draw out the grid pattern(actually we use string and white cement) A straight edge is laid along the lines, and using a point trowel, we cut down into the dry pack, to cut a slot to place the metal strip. Once the strip is set, the straight edge is removed and the cement is packed tight against the strip with the trowel.The next day the panels are given a thorough soaking and then are grouted with a cement slurry,the same colour as in the terrazzo mix. In the meantime, some lucky buggers are mixing the terrazzo and portland cement..by hand..on the floor( next to the area being worked on) A large pile of marble chips is wet down(to help the cement to stick to the individual stones) and mixed a few times. The the portland is added(the cement to stone ratio is different depending on the size of stone being used, and whether it's being used for cove base) and is mixed 3 more times. Then the water is added to the pile...how much? well..it's done by eye really...you make a opening in the top of the pile, and add water here untill it starts to leak out around the base of the pile...the you start mixing again...and add more water untill you get the consistancy you need. the mix is then taken by wheelbarrow to the panels, and is troweled onto the floor...enough material is placed into the panels to fill them, but not so much as to hide the divider strips. As the panels are filled, someone else goes behind with "Sprinkle" which is the marble chips that are in the mix, but without the cement, and is sprinkled on top of the panels(this is to help give a consistant colour on the surface,and also to fill any holes missed during trowling. Once the sprinkle has been applied, the terrazzo is rolled with large steel rollers, which squeezes the stones together and removes excess cement to the surface. when the terrazzo is rolled tight, it is troweled again to seal up the top..a day or two later, large ginders are brought in, and the floors are ground, first with a coarse stone, to remove excess material and to expose the divider strips. The floor is then cleaned and grouted to fill any small holes that may have surfaced. It is then(days later)ground again with fine stones, cleaned again, and then sealed. So as you can see, it's labour intensive...a large job would cost $15-$30 sq ft....smaller jobs?..even more....patches?.usually anything you ask...and though the prices for equipment has gone down in the last few years...a grinder can easily be $10,000.....a lot more than a Grill.

[flatfloor]

Bri, that sounds real easy:)

Rob, our nearest distributor to you is in Philly, however if you run across a job we could ship direct if the freight charges didn't drive up the price. Thanks for asking. BTW I'm not familiar with Custom, do they have a website?

[chip]

You had to ask Jim!!

Go ahead Rob, I'm sure you are on the payroll by now.

You just do this to tick me off, don't you?

Well it's working!!!

Art

[flatfloor]

Huh?

[Sonnie Layne]

Art, bad thing about Sunbeams is they burn out quickly, good thing is you can buy the burners at any hardware store. Upgrade to Stainless if you have the option.

Some Colemans come stock with SS, but they never get got enough for me and they are slow to adjust temps. Really flashy lookin' guys, tho'. I'm too serious for flashy...

Buy a Weber. Best one they ever made is charcoal, painted porcelain kettle-type coal burner. They also make the best propane burner and I'm the resident grill chef.

Coal burners I've had with natural charcoal could consistently and rapidly come to 650F+. The propanes, a bit slower, but could get 550F easily enough. It's in the design of the thing, you end up with a convection cooker, really great. Temps can be adjusted dramatically within a minute, maybe two. Not cheap, but considering I've had a kettle coal burner in service for 10 years and still going strong, it ain't bad.

I've replaced the lower vents twice, the grid once, wooden handles once (I make my own now from teak) but never burned out the cabinet. Only damage was when I was doin my extreme heat thing for blackened fish in the middle of winter and it started sleeting. Ice falling hit the hot porcelain finish and blew off a few small chips. No rust ever ensued. All parts available from them via mail, sometimes via local dealer.

Important, read the instructions, for they truly are serious about how their cookers gain and maintain heat. But the side coal-holders for indirect heat. Buy a chimney to light the coals, use newspaper instead of mineral spirits/naptha (and it's real damned quick {I'm into quick}). Buy natural coal if you have it available, burns real quick, but extremely hot and fast (important for those strips you mentioned).

Darn, got off the subject didn't I? No, WAIT! I did mention porcelain, eh? and I didn't get to the scrap broken granite slabs that make such great outdoor food preparation areas.

sonnie limps away doggedly with his tail between his legs remorsing over the fact he is so easily entertained

[chip]

Gee, I was getting all warm and fussy inside, talking about sunbeams and all.

Then I realized you were talking to that other Art (he calls himself Rob!) and shucks, I was a little disapointed. I just kind of thought we had a special, sunbeam, kinda thing going. I'm kinda partial to you great big Texas cowboy types and all.

Y'all come back now, ya' hear?

There's a new sherriff in town.

Marshall Art (Dillon)

[Edited by flatile on 06-18-2001 at 11:47 PM]

[Rob Z]

Hi Jim

Don't mind Art, he's just a little effervescant at the keyboard sometimes.

Custom's website is http://www.custombuildingproducts.com.

I never use enough SLC to pay freight. The most I ever used was 7 bags on one job. It failed immediately. Laticrete SL 86. (Art, are you happy now that I said something bad about my preferred brand of setting materials?)

I usually use 2-3 bags at a time.

I ended up with a big rectangular grill made by some company in Texas. My old Weber bit the dust, and I thought I'd get another one, but this other brand looked pretty cool. It's got a shelf on the side to hold my beer.

Rob

[Rob Z]

Hey Brian

Thanks for the great explanation. Sounds like a lot of work.

Rob

[Rob Z]

Hey Brian

I meant to ask earlier... How thick does the terrazzo end up after all the floating and grinding?

Rob

[Bri]

Rob
Thickness could be from 5/8 to 3/8. depending on the job, and if you fell asleep while pushing the grinder around(it's boring)...I'm off to do some right now(don't malls ever close..geez)

Brian

[Rob Z]

That's thinner than I thought it would be.

Can you help yourself to the Cinnabons while the mall is closed?

Rob

[Bri]

Rob
The section I cut out tonight was just over 1/2 inch, but had about 3 inches of mortar bed under it...had to saw cut a trench for an electrical conduit....maybe a cinnabon is going in!

Bri

[Rob Z]

Three inches of mud! Was john Bridge ever up in Canada?

Rob

[John Bridge]

Don't know what a cinnabon is, but I think there is confusion about it on at least one side of the northern border.

Yes, I've been to Canada but not to Ontario -- only the western provinces. One of my favorite cities in the world is Vancouver, B.C.

[Rob Z]

A cinnabon is a disgusting concoction, like a donut and cinnamon roll on steroids. About a million calories and a zillion grams of fat. I'm not much a desert person, but they sure are yummy.

[Bud Cline]

John,

Do you have Grandy's Restaurants in your area, if so are you familiar with their "Sin-amon Rolls" (or whatever they call them) same thing, huge, disgusting, heartstopping, sweet rolls. "They're great".

[Rob Z]

Oh, Yea, I forgot...the instant you eat one of these things you get an urge for about a gallon of coffee to dissolve the thing.

[Sonnie Layne]

Don't get me started on cinammon rolls, this board won't accept enough ascii characters.

Is a funny story, tho'. Started back in '59 when I was on kitchen duty and first learned to make 'em........it was a dark and stormy night....

'http://www.imreallytired-dotcom'

[John Bridge]

They closed the Grandy's that was in my part of town, but they still have a couple. Yeah, I remember the rolls, but I also remember their fried chicken.

Anyway, Bri was talking about tucking a cinnabon into a trench in a terrazzo floor. How's he gonna do that? It'll never hold up.

[Bri]

Now you're making me hungry!....Just finished the mall terrazzo job..in the dark(almost)...it seems at 2am the lights go off automatically in the mall..thank goodness for the Radio Shack...they had a well lit display in the window...Hope it looks O.K in the daylight.
It's a long weekend here in Canada...Canada will be 134 years old on Sunday, so Monday is a holiday. Hoist a cool one everybody!

BRIan

[John Bridge]

134? What happened to all the other years. The U.S. is 212, and Canada was there when this country ran the British off. In fact, I seem to recall we invited you to help us and you declined. So how can you be only 134?

In any case, happy birthday! I'll tip one in your honor. I might even see if I can turn up a Canadian brew someplace.

[Bri]

Yeah..that was quite an invitation back in 1812...when you invaded us! Good thing the Native North American's we're on our side...or I'd be drinking American beer right now!

[John Bridge]

Hell, we invaded you during our Revolutionary War, too. There were several times we tried to "rescue" you, only to be driven back across the border.

Seriously, what happened 134 years ago?

[Bri]

And don't forget the War of Independance....what is it you guys want so badly over here?...actually my father was born in Detroit...so what does that make me? Canada became it's own self governing country back in 1867...we didn't actually give the British the boot like you guys in 1776...the Queen is still our head of state...she's still on our money..but other than that, doesn't really have any power....sure like that British beer though! Same situataion in Australia...though last I heard they're trying to get rid of her.

[Harry]

When are they ever gonna get the queen for tax evasion?

134 years ago?? ..... hmmm ..... I guess before that we were just hanging around trying to figure out what to do with Manitoba.

Bri ... next time you're installing terrazzo in a mall, stop by and pick me up and I'll work for "cinnabons" with extra topping of course.

Harry

[John Bridge]

We probably would have taken Manitoba off your hands, but we couldn't figure out what to do with it either. Actually, my mom went to school in Winnapeg. They later moved over to Edmonton Alberta before finally emmigrating to the States. So Bri, what does that make me?

Again, Happy Birthday. Guess we won't try another invasion for a while.

[Bri]

Hey Harry

I was in Barrie this weekend....nice of you to invite all of Canada to the festivities! You need to put up a sign on the 400 that says "we're full..please turn around"!

Bri

[Harry]

*grin* ... isn't that Highway a bugger. It's bad enough on a regular weekend let alone when the festivities are on. I stayed in my little corner of Baxter through the holiday.