We finally picked a floor for the kitchen after a long search. I was determined to do a material that would work well with radiant floor heat, be something similar to what you may have found in a 1950's house and be a green as possible. Terrazzo was what we first had in mind. We used the Bisazza terrazzo that Pratt and Larson carries in our last kitchen on the counters but I wanted something continuous and the largest tiles they have come in 24x24. They are also really thin and we both worried about them holding up to major traffic, and pots falling on the floor. I am a clumsy cook. Searching for a terrazzo layer here in Portland Oregon was much more challenging that I had expected. I must have called a dozen different tile stores and no one knew of anyone doing poured terrazzo floors. I worked on a major Art commission 6 or 7 years ago that Marybeth Llorens of Eugene Oregon did with poured terrazzo benches like Gaudi's in Spain. She gave me the name the guy here in town that made the benches but he was elusive. I called another guy with the same name and he asked me if I was looking for the Terrazzo guy and went on to tell me he wasn't sure where he was now and that he had gotten a few calls like mine over the past looking for this "lost artist". I made a last desperate attempt to find a terrazzo person before having to start looking into Washington or California contractors and called my friend and all time favorite tile person Alyssa at Pratt and Larson. Alyssa knows everyone in town and she also has an awesome eye. She is also witty and dry which I love. She put me in touch with Stephen Sedler of Counter Endeavors at 503.438.0766. Stephen's work is on display at Pratt and Larson, he does gorgeous custom concrete counters unlike any one's I have seen before. He gave me a short education on terrazzo. There are epoxy based terrazzo's that have a chemical base and have toxic off gas. (oh yummy!) There is also cement based but according to Stephen the cement base has to be thicker. 1.25 inches is what he figured my kitchen floor would need to be. That puts a load of 20-21 pounds per square foot of dispersed weight on the floor boards. The epoxy based bisazza tiles are hardly 1/3 inch high. The epoxy tiles I ruled out because of the chemical base. The worst off gassing is the 10 hours following the pour, however I didn't want a tile made off site that was a chemical mess someone else had to deal with either. The cement based terrazzo was appealing but the load on the floor as well as the cost and mess sent me back to the drawing board. The product I finally settled with is a cement base terrazzo tile actually made right here in Portland that I found at the Environmental building supply. The cost was expensive and it turns out to be one of the few products they don't give a contractors discount on so there were no breaks. The total expense for 120 square feet was just under $3000. Cheaper than the poured floors but double the Bisazza terrazzo or a natural stone tile. It is a white cement with agates ground down in it giving it a subtle color variance and hides stains and dirt beautifully. I didn't get my continuous surface but I feel really great about the decision and the fact that its made locally was a huge selling point. The best part is that it reminds me of Zoltan's favorite beach, Smelt Sands near Yachats where he will lay on his belly for hours combing the small agate beach for the prettiest nuggets and gems. Once my friend Leslie and her husband Aaron, Zoltan and I spent an entire day just laying on the smelt sands combing for treasure. Now that its installed it looks like it has always been there and that was the design goal in the beggining.