We received an inquiry from a client in Southport asking if we could clean and seal their Travertine tiled floor as well as filling the deep pits/holes. This is a common problem with Travertine which is well known for this feature and is usually available in a filled format where the holes come pre-filled from the factory. This filling however can degrade, and this can be exacerbated by using strong acidic cleaning products.
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Travertine is very acid-sensitive due to its high content of calcium carbonate and acidic substances like vinegar, citrus juice, wine and harsh chemical cleaners will literally eat away at the stone’s surface. The holes or pits in travertine then become magnets for dirt which can be very difficult to shift. It’s very important therefore that you use a neutral tile cleaner to maintain travertine and ensure the sealer is maintained.
Having reviewed the floor and taken measurements I worked out a detailed quote and emailed it over to the client later that day. Happy to proceed the price was agreed and two days set aside to complete the work.
Deep Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor
To deep clean the floor and remove what was left of the sealer a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is an effective stripper, tile and grout cleaner was applied to the tile and grout and left to soak in for 10 minutes. This gives the product time to digest the dirt and breakdown the sealer.
Then the grout lines were scrubbed with a stiff brush and the Travertine honed using a set of Tile Doctors diamond encrusted burnishing pads from coarse to fine. The first two pads open the pores in the stone so the dirt can be flushed out with rinsing and a wet vacuum. Work then paused whilst large holes and pits were filled in with a specialist resin compound colour matched to the creamy browns of the travertine.
Once the filler had set, the burnishing continued with the remaining pads which close the pores, smooth down the filler and brought up the natural polished appearance of the Travertine.
Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen
The floors are then left to dry overnight, and the next morning damp readings were taken to check the stone was dry and ready to accept a sealer. The readings were fine and so the floor was sealed using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a premium hard-wearing impregnator that soaks into the pores of the stone to ensure dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away. Tile Doctor Colour Grow as its name suggests contains a colour enhancer that really lifts the colours in the stone.
Once complete the floor looked so much cleaner and lighter, the pitting had disappeared and the stone floor had an attractive reflective finish. For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap, its ph. neutral so won’t impact acid sensitive stone and contains a patina enhancer that will help maintain the polished.
Source: Travertine Tile Cleaning and Polishing in Southport Merseyside