Can't parise Abbey Floor Care highly enough. We can't believe how they transformed our auful (inherited) stone floors into something so lovely. First rate professionalism and a genuinely lovely man. Highly recommend them. Thank you David (& Christopher)
Karen Holmes
As with many types of natural stone, travertine flooring has different finishes, needing a different approach to restoration.
Here are some examples of the different finishes of Travertine flooring
Click on the name of the picture resembling your floor to find out more information on how we can restore your travertine.
Travertine tile is like a sponge manufactured out from stone, having a whole lot of different size holes. Wear on floor reveals fresh cavities and all these holes will fill up with dirt. Home-owners can not clean this impacted dirt from the cavities and pits. In the house, the impacted dirt combines with grease and oil.
How do industry professionals clear away this ingrained dirt?
Put on a powerful cleaning chemical onto the tiles. Then we leave the cleaner for around twenty minutes to break up the greasy soil.
Rotary scrubbing machinery gets the soil out from the tiles.
Rinse with water and vacuum up the slurry. Continue scrubbing and also rinsing until the floor is clean.
Smooth Travertine is generally clean after one or two scrubbing and rinsing steps.
Multiple cleaning passes may possibly be needed with tumbled Travertine.
Rotary scrubbing can't clear away impacted dirt from deep cavities.
A pressure rinse cleaning step is usually necessary. The unique mix of high pressure and spinning nozzles frees difficult ingrained soil that is immediatelly vacuumed off.
The Travertine floor has become nice and clean.
Travertine sealing will start with evaluating the kind of Travertine in addition to condition of this sub-floor.
In old homes and cottages, Travertine might be laid on floors without a damp proof membrane. With well over 4 million residential properties in the United Kingdom from the Victorian and Edwardian periods alone, it is a fairly common issue. These types of floors need to have be sealed using a breathable sealer.
In this situation, we apply a silane penetrating impregnating sealer.
Travertine will require 3 or more layers of impregnating sealer.
If less sealer is used, the sealer will not shield the Travertine.
These Travertine tile floors have a variety of sealing alternatives.
Polished Travertine should really be sealed with an impregnating sealer, to protect and retain the natural appearance of a stone. A polished Travertine needs less sealer than other finishes, so one or two costs of sealer usually is enough. There isn't much sealer a polished Travertine, so the sealer must be topped up each year.
Impregnating sealers on Travertine will not stop acid etching and chemical damage. Which means that acid spills will penetrate the impregnating sealer in your Travertine floor, leaving a dull etch mark. Coloured acid spills may also stain your Travertine floor.
Smooth surface honed Travertine no-sheen matt or mid to high sheen surface finish Honed travertine is more porous compared to the polished variation, but much less permeable than Tumbled Travertine. An impregnating sealer are not going to alter a matt or sheen finish. Acid spills will etch, honed or polished tiles.
Surface or film-forming sealers are also applied to honed Travertine. Surface sealers produce a protective Film on the Travertine. Acids cause less immediate wear to a surface sealer, but if left, they will eventually penetrate the sealer and wear the Travertine. They leave a clear, protecting film on the floor. Pre-sealing with an impregnating sealer is advised to improve the protection. When the surface sealer wears, the impregnating sealer still offers protection until such time as the floor is re-sealed.
You should be expecting a surface sealer to work for two to four years. A six month check-up on high wear areas is encouraged. Areas showing traffic should be deep cleaned. Top the location up with a couple of coats of sealer. This advice will likely make your sealer continue working considerably longer. By topping up where it is required, you certainly will maintain a stylish coat of sealer.
Travertine restoration covers every aspect of professional travertine tile cleaning and repair.
Travertine tiles usually have difficulties with cracks and holes. Travertine is much less robust as Porcelain, Granite and Marble.
When there's a lot of movement in a floor base, it usually leads to the tiles cracking. That is why cracks come in doorways and in between different subfloors. If there is a weakness in a tile, a crack can appear. Crack repaircosts not as much as replacing the tile.
We mend cracks in Travertine by opening up the crack to prepare it for filling. Diamond burrs can open the crack to accept a filler. The crack can then be filled with a colour matched resin filler or grout. Resin fillers have to be sanded smooth by using a polishing tool. Grout could be dry sanded but is normally left after sponging. However a dirty crack is ugly when compared by using a correct.
Holes will always come in Travertine. Holes come about because Travertine is made like a hard sponge.
As Travertine has a honeycomb framework, the size of holes may differ from a tiny hole to 3 cm diameter.
Filled Travertine has the surface cavities filled at the factory with a filler labeled as Travertine Spackle.
A weak spot could be created if holes are not fully filled.
During the restoration, cavities may be filled up with a grout or resin filler.
Once a resin filler hardens, they are sanded smooth.
Filling holes with resin could be uneconomic if there are several holes in the tiles.
Caustic cleaners and spills can permanently damage the colour of a grout.
Deep grout can be cleaned and then regrouted with new grout.
You can clean out old grout with diamond cutting tools, before laying new grout.
Regrouting and the removal of old grout is pricey work.
Working on Travertine shower walls and floors is a specialised job. Travertine in shower cubicles suffer from specific issues.
Hot water is somewhat acidic. In time this hot water will dissolve and erode the Travertine in a shower. leading to a dull, white finish.
Almost all liquid soaps and cleaning products contain acid chemicals. Calcium stones like Travertine and Marble are etched by these cleaning soaps. Soap scum and the body fat is splashed on the shower walls during showering Body oils leave a yellow deposit Although in addition, liquid soaps etch the Travertine.
It is difficult to prevent mould growth in showers. Mould can develop into the surface in natural stone. Impregnating sealers can slow the development of mould, but because they keep the surface open, mould can certainly still develop into the stone.
You will find acidic ingredients in several bathroom and shower cleaners. Therefore you should look at the ingredients of any cleaning product you will use in a Travertine shower to make sure it will not contain any acidic ingredients. If you do not check out your shower cleaner for acidic ingredients, the Travertine could be damaged.
Begin with a Travertine cleaning product that will dissolve oils, but will not have acidic components. Scrubbing will clear away the old body fat and soap residues. Then rinse off and wipe dry.
Professional firms use diamond imprgnated pads to hone the Travertine and remove etch damage. professional surface sealers can coat damaged tiles, restoring the surface finish.
Replace any mould marked grout. Once mould gets to a stone, it is usually permanent.
In showers, the silicone can be impacted by mould, we can remove the old sealant and put down a new bead of silicone.
After cleaning and restoration, seal the Travertine with specialist acid-resistant sealers. Sealers come in a matt, sheen and gloss finish. Though, these sealers are not going to change the finish of the stone. Acid-resistant sealers will stop acid etching while making the tiles a lot easier to clean.
Showes with Travertine can now last much longer, before they want restoring.
A Travertine Cleaning Rickmansworth Project This travertine cleaning Rickmansworth project concerned Honed and filled Travertine tiles installed in a heavy use kitchen, hallway and w/c in Rickmansworth. The client was not happy with the appearance of the Travertine. After 10 years, the tiles had lost…
This Travertine cleaning Southampton project concerns Travertine floor tiles, a popular tile that can look stunning. However, without the correct maintenance regime, poor cleaning and foot traffic can soon turn the floor dull and flat as my customer in Southampton discovered. In this case, they…
This Travertine floor in Dorset had worn well. However, the finish had dulled through etch marks and soil build-up in the grout. I deep cleaned the floor with a rotary scrubbing machine and Travertine cleaners. After cleaning, I noticed a few collapsed holes. I filled…
The cost can range from £25.00 to £35.00 per square metre.
Dirty Travertine Before Cleaning
Travertine After Cleaning And Sealing
Honed travertine tiles have a smooth finish that can have a dull to a high sheen depending on the grade of finish you prefer.
Travertine floors have natural holes and these holes are filled before finishing to give a smooth finish.
Over time you will notice:
We can treat all of these issues by:
The photos above show how dirty travertine floors can be deep cleaned and sealed with a water-based travertine sealer to give a beautiful finish.
Our finishing and protection systems will extend the life of your travertine floors so you can enjoy them for years to come.
The cost can range from £25.00 to £55.00 per square metre.
Dirty Travertine Before Cleaning
Travertine After Cleaning And Sealing
Tumbled travertine tiles have the natural holes exposed. Tiles can be dull or honed to give the surface a light sheen.
Tumbled travertine tiles and the grout lines can be really difficult to keep clean, especially if they are not sealed properly, or if the original seal has worn away.
The holes and crevices that make this kind of travertine so beautiful are the major source of disappointment. They trap dust, grease, soil and dirty water from daily mopping. Over time they turn from beautiful features to embarrasing black ugly marks
Aggressive floor cleaning, even using a scrubbing brush, particularly on the grout lines, will not remove all the soil. All it will do is push more dirt and soil into the holes.
Holes can also get bigger as the edges break away or the filler comes out.
But all is not lost, using the right sealer can make a tumbled travertine floor look beautiful again and much easier to keep clean.
The only way to clean travertine and remove ingrained soil from travertine stone is with a heavy-duty cleaning product and specialist floor cleaning equipment.
First a suitable deep cleaner is applied and this is scrubbed into the stone to release the soil particles into a slurry.
Now the issue is removing the dirty slurry.
A wet vacuum will remove the slurry from most of the holes, but it can’t remove slurry that is trapped in deep holes and small pits.
The only way to get at this soil is to use pressurised hot water.
Our “clean and capture” equipment sprays water onto the stone.
This gets into the holes and pits, rinsing out the slurry and soil.
Once the floor is dry it is sealed with a sealer best suited to your situation
The cost can range from £30.00 to £45.00 per square metre.
Dull And Soiled Polished Travertine
Travertine Honed And Polished
Sometimes, honed Travertine tiles are polished to a high gloss.
Polished Travertine has the same problems as dull honed Travertine; wear, scratches, soiled grout and loss of sealer.
Wear and spills can quickly degrade these floors, so they need regular maintenance and polishing. to give a beautiful finish.
Our finishing and protection systems will extend the life of your travertine floors so you can enjoy them for years to come.
The cost can range from £75.00 to £125.00 per square metre.
Uneven Travertine floor being Ground Smooth
Polished Travertine After Grinding And Polishing
Grinding honed filled travertine flooring will remove most of the fillers as well as the travertine.
So after a travertine floor has been ground, the tiles need to be filled with hard epoxy or cement grout.
If the tiles are filled with epoxy, the epoxy will polish to a high shine.
If the tiles are filled with cement grout, the grout will not polish and remain dull.
So if you are considering grinding your travertine floors, we recommend filling with resin filler as you will get a smoother finish and a harder filling material.
However, this process is generally costly and time-consuming. In many cases, the costs of restoration will be more than the cost of laying new tiles.
The work shown in the photos shows the results of grinding a travertine floor and the end results.
In these cases, the clients wanted a smooth polished floor and did not want the upheaval of removing the existing tiles and replacing them with new tiles.
The cost can range from £25.00 to £75.00 per square metre.
Vein Cut Travertine Cleaned To A Matt Finsih
Vein Cut Travertine Ground And Polished>
Vein cut travertine stone tiles are cut from the end-grain of the stone to give a distinctive finish to your flooring options.
In most cases the holes in this kind of travertine stone flooring are left to be a feature of the polished stone, however, the holes can be filled with hard epoxy or grout if you prefer.
Just like face cut tile, vein cut travertine tile can be cleaned and sealed to a dull, mid-sheen or finish. Or they can be honed and polished to a high gloss finish
In general, travertine stone floors with lippage above 2mm will need to be ground smooth before the floor can be honed and polished.
travertine natural stone floor will also need to be ground if it has deep scratches and damage that can not be removed by honing.
Etched Travertine Vanity Unit
Travertine Vanity Restored And Sealed
As well as restoring travertine tile floors, we also restore countertops, worktops and vanity units. In most cases the travertine suffers from etch marking, causing dull rough spots on the nice shiny surface.
Etching is damage caused by acidic liquids spilling onto the stone. It is surprising how many standard household liquids are acidic for example; tea, coffee, fizzy drinks like colas, fruit juices, vinegar, milk, water rings, hand soaps. Many of these liquids are common in kitchens and bathrooms, exactly where homeowners love to use travertine!
This travertine vanity unit had a large etch mark from watermarking and attempts to remove it.
We restored the finish by honing the travertine with honing pads and honing powders.
Finally, we used polishing powders to restore the beautiful shine.
Travertine is a natural stone flooring material, quarried from the earth and machined into tiles for architectural use.
Travertine is a form of limestone, but its formation gives it a honeycomb structure. This structure gives it characteristics that need to be taken into account when cleaning and caring for the stone.
To keep your travertine tile floors in tip-top condition, you should dry sweep or vacuum the floor at least once per week, or if the stone looks soiled.
Sweeping and vacuuming your traveretine tile will remove grit that will scratch the tiles. In time, grit will wear away the sheen and finish and remove any protective sealant, leaving the travertine tile vulnerable to soiling and staining.
As well as regular cleaning, there are three maintenance tasks you will need to perform on your travertine floors.
Every few months check the grout lines for ingrained soil. If there is a build-up of soil, give them a good clean.
Keep the sealer topped-up.
Surface-seal worn areas of travertine every one to two years, according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Impregnating seal wear areas every 12 months according to the manufacturer's instructions.
However, bear in mind that harsh chemicals will wear sealer more quickly, requiring more frequent resealing.
What You Will Need.
Dry-sweep or vacuum the floor to remove dry soil and grit
Apply a small amount of cleaning solution to the floor. Don't overwet the travertine as excessive water can soften some surface sealers and promote the growth of mould and mildew
Take care when using a coarse grout brush to clean grout lines. The rough bristles can remove the shine from the edges of the travertine tiles.
If the grout is heavily soiled, you may need to use a light abrasive. Mix equal parts of baking soda and water to create a fine paste. Carefully scrub the Baking Soda paste into the grout with the grout brush, taking care not to scratch the tile edges.
Travertine has a honeycomb structure, which means the surface has tiny pores that trap soil. Gradually the soil will build up, discolouring the tile.
You can combat excessive soiling by sealing the tiles well before and during installation and periodically throughout its life.
There are two kinds of sealants used on travertine floors. Which type to use is dependant on if the base has a damp proof barrier and the final appearance you prefer.
The first is a penetrating impregnating sealer that seeps deep into the tile, bonding to the stone. The sealer makes it difficult for water and oil to penetrate the stone while allowing moisture vapour to pass through the sealer.
An impregnating sealer does not change the appearance of the stone, preserving the natural rustic appearance.
A surface sealer creates a high sheen or glossy resin layer on the stone. The sealer acts as a sacrificial wear layer.
The golden rule is to clean travertine with the correct cleaners and keeping an eye on the grout lines.
Don't use abrasive cleaners, harsh cleaners or acidic cleaners. Travertine is a calcium stone, and acid chemicals dissolve it.
Be careful when cleaning the grout lines. Don't be tempted to use commercial cleaning chemicals or chemicals designed for ceramic tiles, because they often contain chemicals that will damage the travertine and the grout.
If your grout is badly stained or damaged, you can consider removing the damaged grout and replacing it with new grout.
Regrouting is a tricky job, but more straightforward and less costly than replacing the whole floor.
"David came along and sorted
our stone floor problem out
straight away. Very particular
to make sure every area was cleaned."– Mrs. Simkins
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