Travertine Floor Cleaned, Grout Filled and Sealed in Edinburgh

Last Updated on March 3, 2026 by David

This project was to clean, grout fill and seal 80 square metres of travertine. The tiles were laid in the lounge, kitchen, dining room and washroom areas of a home near Edinburgh.

The travertine had been down for 10 years. On installation, the floor was sealed with an impregnating sealer. However, it had not been professionally cleaned or re-sealed since being laid.

The home had three dogs and cats, so the floors had to stand up to a lot of wear and tear.

The pets brought plenty of outdoor soil onto the floors. The soil mixed with oils from the dogs, creating a sticky residue that became ingrained into the surface of the tiles.

The travertine had suffered heavy wear and abrasion from the pets. A lot of the original grout filler had collapsed and new holes were exposed by the wear.

The sticky soil had also filled the myriad of holes in the tiles.

The homeowner wanted a clean floor with a hard-wearing, natural-looking surface that would stand up to continued pet traffic.

Cleaning the Travertine Tiles and Grout

On the first day, the floor received a thorough clean with a strong solution of travertine cleaner and sealer remover. A rotary scrubbing machine was used to work the cleaner into the grout and holes, then a cleaning pad worked the solution into the surface of the tiles.

The floor was then pressure rinsed with clean water. Pressure rinsing helps remove more ingrained soil from the grout joints and natural voids than mopping alone.

Filling Holes and Collapsed Voids in the Travertine

On the second day, the holes in the travertine were filled with grout. There were many voids from the collapsed filler, as well as some screw holes from an old kitchen storage unit that also needed filling.

Jasmine-coloured grout was used to fill the holes tile by tile. As the grout dried, surface grout and grout haze were removed with dry pads and the dry dust was vacuumed away.

The finishing sealer can be very colour-enhancing, particularly on older grout. At the end of the second day, a pre-sealer was applied to minimise this colour-enhancing effect before the final coat was applied.

Sealing the Restored Travertine Floor

On day four, the floor was finish-sealed using a combination of impregnating and film-forming sealer.

Sealing took around five hours across the floor area. The sealer provides long-term protection and makes the travertine easier to maintain — but it is the final stage of a full restoration, not a shortcut applied in isolation.

How This Floor Behaves After Restoration

Once cleaned, filled and sealed, this floor was in a significantly better position to cope with ongoing pet traffic. The sealed surface resists soil adhesion, and the filled voids no longer act as collection points for ingrained dirt. As with any travertine floor, the sealer will wear in high-traffic areas over time and periodic professional attention may be needed to maintain the result.

This project is one of many examples referenced in our Travertine flooring care and restoration guide, which explains how travertine behaves in real homes and why these issues develop over time. If you have a travertine floor near Edinburgh that needs attention, use our contact form to get in touch.