Prefab Technology Expands Terrazzo’s Versatility

Speed is Money

On a terrazzo project, prefab strips are an option that streamlines the installation process on the job site, according to Russell Day, National Sales Manager with strip contractor National Metal Shapes.

“While strips and expansion joints can be hand-laid onsite, a prefab company is at the ready with the material and size specs needed,” Day said.

Prefab strips reduce time in the field and thus obstruction of other trades. They also lower the chances of miscalculation and bring a measure of control in the risks taken. It can mean one less complicated process taking place in the thick of the action, one less thing to go wrong in the field.

Shortage of Skilled Labor

With labor as a high cost in any construction budget and skilled labor now at a premium, strategic use of in-shop fabrication or machine production can be a powerful force in making the most of that precious commodity. While terrazzo installation is highly dependent on experienced technicians’ handcrafted skills, there’s a place and time for letting the component specialists do what they do best. Conserving skilled installers’ time for tasks that only they can take on may boost big-picture productivity while maintaining top-notch results.

Machine Precision

While what can be achieved with hand-bent strips is limited, waterjetting can produce incredibly intricate designs with precision, our strip contractors tell us. When there is a need to standardize identical elements of a pattern, prefab strips are a speedy and straightforward way to do so.

Day explained that intricate designs and logos could be fabricated precisely, to within .005 of an inch, a degree of accuracy impossible to achieve by hand-bending from a diagram.