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Assessment & deep cleaning
We identify the binder — cement-based terrazzo behaves differently from epoxy or polyacrylate — then lift embedded soil, mop residue, old sealer and topical coatings before any abrasive touches the floor.
The composite floor that never went out of style — ground, honed and polished back to its original surface.
Since 1997, MarbleBLU™ of Manhattan has ground, honed, polished, repaired and sealed terrazzo in lobbies, pre-war apartments, co-ops, condos, office towers and hotels. Dull floors, traffic wear, cracked tiles, chipped edges, failed joints and etch marks — corrected in place.
Yes. Terrazzo is a composite — chips of marble, granite, quartz or glass set in a cement or resin binder — and it is poured thick. The damage almost always sits in the top fraction of an inch, so grinding that layer away and refinishing the surface underneath restores the floor itself rather than covering it. The aggregate and the binder are both original material, which is why terrazzo responds so well to mechanical restoration.
Restoration means deep cleaning, diamond grinding to level the surface, honing to the finish you want, crack and joint repair, then sealing. It is done in place — no demolition, no new pour, no weeks of closure. A terrazzo floor in a Manhattan apartment, lobby or stair hall is usually the original floor of the building, and it is almost never worn out.
Terrazzo is not marble and it is not tile. It is ground flat as one continuous surface, so the finish has to be built back mechanically — in the right order, with the right grit sequence. Skip a step and the floor looks patchy under light.
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We identify the binder — cement-based terrazzo behaves differently from epoxy or polyacrylate — then lift embedded soil, mop residue, old sealer and topical coatings before any abrasive touches the floor.
02
Coarse diamond abrasives cut the worn top layer back to sound material, exposing fresh aggregate and removing scratches, traffic lanes, etch marks and old finish in one continuous pass.
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Progressively finer grits bring the surface to a matte, satin or high-gloss finish. Original lobbies usually want a polished surface; bathrooms and back-of-house floors often read better honed.
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Cracks are stabilized and injected, chips rebuilt with color-matched compound, and divots and brass or zinc divider strips reset so the repair disappears into the field of aggregate.
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A penetrating sealer goes on last so the floor resists water, oils and the salt and grit that Manhattan winters drag through every entrance. Sealing does not change the look — only how long it lasts.
For high-traffic lobbies we set a recurring program — scheduled burnishing, periodic re-polishing and annual re-sealing — so the floor never drifts back to where it started.
Commercial lobby programsTerrazzo damage tends to fall into a handful of categories, and each one needs a different approach. We assess the floor before recommending work — no polishing over a problem that needs repairing first.
Diamond grinding flattens lippage, high spots and old coatings and cuts back to sound material. This is the step that removes a decade of wear rather than hiding it.
Fine grits build the finish — a soft satin, a matte honed surface, or the deep reflective gloss that classic terrazzo lobbies were designed around.
Cracks stabilized and injected, chips rebuilt, divots filled and blended, and divider strips reset so repairs read as part of the floor, not a patch.
Oil, rust, coffee and cleaning-product damage drawn out with professional poultices; dull chemical etch marks ground away and the area re-honed to match.
Penetrating sealers that block water and oil without a film, plus measured anti-slip treatment for wet entrances, ramps and transitions.
Anti-slip treatmentScheduled burnishing and re-polishing for building lobbies, corridors and retail floors, worked overnight and sectioned so the space stays open.
Bringing terrazzo back, not replacing it. MarbleBLU™ has restored marble and natural stone in Manhattan since 1997 — in-house crews, dustless wet work, fully insured, certificates of insurance for co-op and condo managing agents.
Book a free estimateApartments, Co-ops, Towers & Hotels
A pre-war apartment foyer and a 40-story tower lobby are the same material and the same process — but the scheduling, protection and traffic control are entirely different.
Residential
Entry foyers, vestibules, powder rooms, bathroom floors, galley kitchens and terrace tiles — including the speckled terrazzo so common in pre-war buildings on the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side and along Central Park West.
Commercial
Terrazzo was poured into Manhattan building lobbies for a reason — it lasts generations. We restore it and then keep it that way, on a schedule that fits how the building actually operates.
Terrazzo Surfaces
Aggregate in a binder, poured in place. Every tone and chip pattern is restored the same way: by cutting back the surface and building the finish forward.
Two things: the binder, and how much of it is left. Cement-based terrazzo grinds beautifully and holds a polish for years. Epoxy terrazzo is harder and denser and takes a different grit sequence.
Where a floor has been patched with incompatible material, walked through to the substrate, or damaged under a layer of vinyl or adhesive, the surface has to be assessed physically — not from a photograph. We look at it before we quote it.
In nearly every case the answer is restoration. Replacement means demolition, a new pour, curing time and weeks of a closed lobby or apartment — for a floor that has decades of service left in it.
Tell us what the terrazzo is doing — dull patches, a crack running out from a column, a chipped border at the door — and Robert's team will call with a straight answer and a price.
Manhattan-Wide Coverage
Our office is at 845 Third Avenue in Midtown East, but our crews work the whole borough every day — river to river. There is no travel surcharge anywhere in Manhattan.
Terrazzo shows up in the same buildings all over the borough: pre-war apartment entryways, converted lofts, stair halls in walk-ups, mid-century office towers and hotel lobbies. If your floor is original to the building, it is very likely restorable.
Upper East Side
10021 · 10022 · 10028 · 10065 · 10075
Upper West Side
10023 · 10024 · 10025 · 10069
Midtown East
10016 · 10017 · 10022 · Murray Hill
Midtown West & Hell's Kitchen
10018 · 10019 · 10036 · Hudson Yards
Chelsea
10001 · 10011 · 10018 · High Line
SoHo, Tribeca & the Village
10012 · 10013 · 10014 · Cast-iron lofts
Lower Manhattan
Battery Park City · Civic Center · LES
Financial District
10004 · 10005 · 10006 · 10007 · 10038
Also serving Carnegie Hill, Yorkville, Sutton Place, Turtle Bay, Kips Bay, Gramercy, Union Square, NoMad, NoHo, East Village, Two Bridges, Lincoln Square, Columbus Circle, Morningside Heights, Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood.
FAQ
Get Started
Where it is, what it is doing, and whether the building has contractor hours or service-elevator rules. That is usually enough for a straight answer on the phone and a free on-site estimate the next day.
Office
845 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022
Serving every neighborhood in Manhattan
Next-day on-site estimates anywhere in Manhattan.