Terrazzo was first used as a flooring material in  16th Century in Italy and has been used extensively since because of its high wear abilities.

Terrazzo – a type of coloured matrix of sand cement  resin in which chips or pieces of agregate, usually marble, are mixed  and are ground to a flat surface and finely polished  exposing the chips, which take a high polish.

Terrazzo comes in many colours and no floor is exactly the same. It is extremely hard wearing and will last a lifetime which is why it is traditionally seen in commercial environments more than domestic homes, and is expensive to install and finish.