Terrazzo! From goat's milk to resin...

This week we embarked on the rebranding of our BrecciaSphere range – refining our colour choices and adding them to our Sphere8 flooring colour guide. Fortunately we have long used our range of terrazzo-effect resin floors, but with demand steadily increasing we thought it was time to give this collection a little extra attention!

Technical expertise...

For those unfamiliar with BrecciaSphere, this particular flooring range is our answer to terrazzo flooring. You can find out more on our technical page – where we explain all of the specific details of this system. We have combined our soft and elastic natural resin with a range of aggregate options, to create a floor that is as both comfortable and extremely durable – with the properties of resin and the aesthetic of concrete terrazzo.

Venetian terraces...

Terrazzo floors are simply described as any flooring that consists of marble, granite or quartz chips set in concrete – but with the innovation of new materials in recent years, we can expand this to resin floors as well. The original terrazzo floors can date back to early Neolithic civilisations around 8000BC, and they were particularly popular during the 16th Century in Venetian construction. In many ways they are an evolution of Classical mosaic floors, except with terrazzo the aggregate is ground down to create a smooth and uniform finish. Construction workers in Venice would use the leftover pieces from mosaic works and marble fragments to build into their terraces (hence the term terrazzo) and they would commonly use goat’s milk as a sealant to protect and enhance the finish.

Over the years the terrazzo effect has been refined and improved, not least with the development of grinding machines in the 1920s. This revolutionised the terrazzo industry and made it an even more popular flooring choice. We think the development of poured resin as an elastic, comfortable and eco-friendly base will prove to be a similar leap forward in the evolution of terrazzo flooring!

© Sphere8, 2022

Tradition meets innovation

At Sphere8 we emulate the traditional terrazzo finish, but with a few key changes. Most importantly (and obviously!) we use a seamless poured resin base instead of traditional concrete. The benefits of this are huge…

• resin is more elastic than concrete so much less likely to crack or damage;
• it is also available in literally any colour;
• it is a far more environmentally sustainable material, produced from self-renewing castor beans;
• because it is a natural product it is softer, warmer and more comfortable underfoot.

We have also developed the BrecciaSphere R range – which allows you to choose rubber granules as your aggregate, over traditional quartz or marble. This improves the floor’s sound-damping qualities and elasticity – ideal for very large spaces or those with poor acoustics.

Our colour range!

The part we most enjoy is the flexibility we are able to give our clients with regards to colour! The options are really limitless, as we have the possibility of combining any RAL colour base with a huge variety of aggregate – and the size of aggregate can vary as well! We haven’t worked out the exact number of options this creates, but if the maths is too complicated we assume there are a lot of options!

To make the range a little more accessible we have created a collection of 8 BrecciaSphere ‘colours’ – although ‘combinations’ would be a more accurate description. Ranging from palest Porcelain to inky Onyx, we have combined specific resin base colours with types of aggregate to create a varied collection suitable for any residential or commercial space. With a nod to the Venetian artisans that created the modern terrazzo finish in our Italian Grey shade, and a reference to our own origins in London Stone, there is something for everyone.

Come down to our Ladbroke Grove showroom and discover the full range for yourself!

© Sphere8, 2022

© Sphere8, 2022