Deep Cleaning and Sealing a Travertine Floor in Hull

Last Updated on March 3, 2026 by David

Why This Travertine Floor Was Hard to Keep Clean

The homeowner was searching for a contractor to clean and seal their soiled travertine floor in Kingston upon Hull.

They really liked the travertine, but after a few years found it hard to keep clean.

Why Coarse Grout Filler Makes Tumbled Travertine Harder to Maintain

The floor tiles were grout-filled tumbled travertine. This type of travertine can be difficult to clean, especially if a standard coarse grade of grout has been used to fill the tiles.

If an impregnating sealer has been used to protect the travertine, the sealer does not prevent the coarse grout from retaining soil from cleaning slurry. Over time, this leads to grout lines and filled voids that darken quickly after each clean, making the floor look permanently soiled even when the stone itself is in reasonable condition.

Deep Cleaning the Travertine Floor

The recommended solution was to deep clean the floor, fill any exposed holes with a smooth grout and seal with a film-forming sealer.

The client had a tight budget, so they decided on cleaning and sealing only, without void filling on this occasion.

The floor was deep cleaned with a rotary scrubbing machine and travertine cleaners. The floor was then pressure rinsed to remove even more ingrained soil from the grout and the travertine surface.

Sealing the Travertine with a Film-Forming Sealer

Several coats of film-forming sealer were applied to the cleaned floor. The film-forming sealer creates a sacrificial surface layer that resists soil adhesion and makes routine cleaning significantly more effective than the impregnating sealer that had been in place previously.

The client was delighted with the results.

How This Floor Behaves After Restoration

The film-forming sealer applied to this floor will protect the travertine and the grout filler by providing a wearing surface that dirt cannot penetrate as easily. On a floor with coarse grout filler, a topical sealer is often the more practical long-term choice because it reduces the surface texture that traps soil. As with any sealed travertine floor, the protection will gradually wear in high-traffic areas and periodic resealing keeps the floor performing well.

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 particular issues develop over time.