Before you try anything: always speak to a professional before cleaning, treating or applying any product to your stone. Every slab is different, and the wrong product can cause permanent damage. Contact us or a qualified stone restorer first.
Quick answer
Cement-based terrazzo is sensitive to acids in both its marble chips and its cement binder, so lemon, wine and vinegar can etch it, and the binder is porous enough to stain. Resin terrazzo is less reactive but scratches. Clear protection film covers every component evenly so the whole surface is protected at once.
Key points
- Cement binders and marble chips both react with acid.
- The binder is porous and can stain around the chips.
- Resin terrazzo resists acid better but can scratch and dull.
- One film protects chips and binder the same way.
A surface made of many materials
Traditional terrazzo is made by setting chips of marble, granite or glass in cement, then grinding and polishing the surface smooth. Modern terrazzo is often made with an epoxy or polyester resin binder instead, and much of the terrazzo sold for benchtops and tables today is precast. The look ranges from fine speckle to large, dramatic chips.
In cement terrazzo, the cement is alkaline and reacts with acid, and marble chips are calcite, so an acid spill can etch both at once. The binder is also porous, so stains can form as a halo around the chips.
Why one film works well
Because film covers the whole surface in a single layer, it does not matter which part of the terrazzo a spill lands on. Chips and binder sit under the same barrier and clean the same way.