What does this terrazzo flooring rough-in checklist cover?

15 items across 5 sections, covering submittals and materials, substrate, strip layout, underbed depth, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

The terrazzo mechanic setting strips ahead of placement, with the GC's superintendent releasing the slab.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

After the slab is placed and cured and before the underbed goes down, early enough that a high spot or a live crack can still be dealt with under the system rather than through it.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

9 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 13 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails a terrazzo flooring rough-in inspection?

Divider strips laid to a convenient line instead of the control and construction joints, so slab movement cracks the field. Crack-suppression membrane skipped or stopped short over an active joint the terrazzo then telegraphs. Underbed depth pinched thin at a high spot in the slab, leaving too little matrix to grind flat.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Terrazzo flooring

Terrazzo flooring rough-in inspection checklist

Terrazzo flooring rough-in is the last time the work is fully visible. Once the cover inspection passes and the walls, ceilings and slabs close, every defect left behind becomes a demolition bill. This checklist walks the rough-in in the order the work goes in, with the photo each item needs before it gets buried. Work is commonly verified against NTMA guidance, manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Submittals and materials

Approved color and aggregate samples on site for each mix
The approved samples, and the mockup where one was built, kept at the work so each mix is compared before it's placed rather than after it's ground.
No photo
Material labels match the approved terrazzo submittal
Aggregate bags, binder and primer containers and the divider strip bundles match the approved submittal's product, color and lot.

Substrate

Slab flatness and soundness checked
Slab straightedged for high and low spots, surface sound and free of curing compounds or bond breakers, moisture within the system's limit.
Isolation or crack-suppression membrane over joints
Membrane continuous over control and construction joints where specified, lapped and turned up at edges, no gaps left over an active crack.
Slab mechanically prepared to the specified surface profile
Slab shot-blasted, ground or scarified to the profile the terrazzo manufacturer lists for the system, laitance removed and dust vacuumed off.
Slab cracks treated before the system goes down
Non-moving cracks filled with the manufacturer's crack treatment; moving cracks and joints left for the membrane or a strip on the layout.
No photo

Strip layout

Divider and control strips set to the layout
Strip pattern matches the approved shop layout, dividers placed over slab joints, lines straight and heights consistent.
Strips anchored true to line and grade
Strips solidly bedded, not leaning or floating, top edge set to the finished grind height so aggregate exposes evenly.
Strips set at doorways and every change of flooring
Strips aligned to door centerlines or frame faces as the layout shows, and a termination strip set at each transition to another floor finish.
Drains, cleanouts and floor boxes set to finished height
Where items fall in the terrazzo, their frames set to the finish grade before placement, with strips patterned around them as the layout shows.
No photo

Underbed depth

Underbed and matrix depth confirmed before placement
Depth from strip top to substrate measured at several points, enough matrix over the underbed to grind and expose aggregate without hitting the bed.
Underbed reinforcing and cure checked where the system has one
For sand-cushion or bonded systems, reinforcing lapped and positioned as detailed and the underbed cured as the manufacturer lists before the matrix goes on.
No photo

Placement conditions

Air and slab temperature within the placement range
Air and slab temperature read and within the manufacturer's range for the matrix, with permanent or temporary heat running; reading recorded.
Primer or bond coat applied as the manufacturer instructs
Primer, slurry bond coat or isolation sheet placed for the system type, with the matrix following inside the window the manufacturer allows.
No photo
Zone held closed to other trades from placement through cure
The super has the area blocked in the schedule, with no carts, lifts or overhead work above the fresh matrix until it cures.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Divider strips laid to a convenient line instead of the control and construction joints, so slab movement cracks the field.
Crack-suppression membrane skipped or stopped short over an active joint the terrazzo then telegraphs.
Underbed depth pinched thin at a high spot in the slab, leaving too little matrix to grind flat.

Verified against

NTMA terrazzo standards

Common questions

6 answers

What does this terrazzo flooring rough-in checklist cover?: 15 items across 5 sections, covering submittals and materials, substrate, strip layout, underbed depth, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The terrazzo mechanic setting strips ahead of placement, with the GC's superintendent releasing the slab.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: After the slab is placed and cured and before the underbed goes down, early enough that a high spot or a live crack can still be dealt with under the system rather than through it.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 9 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 13 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails a terrazzo flooring rough-in inspection?: Divider strips laid to a convenient line instead of the control and construction joints, so slab movement cracks the field. Crack-suppression membrane skipped or stopped short over an active joint the terrazzo then telegraphs. Underbed depth pinched thin at a high spot in the slab, leaving too little matrix to grind flat.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Related checklists

Terrazzo flooring FinalTerrazzo flooring final inspection checklistGround and polished surface checked for aggregate exposure, pinholes and dull spots, with strips clean and the floor sealed13 items13 photos Terrazzo flooring PunchTerrazzo flooring punch checklistCloseout walk for cracks telegraphing at joints, dull or loose spots and strip damage from other trades9 items5 photos

Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 13 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.