Renovating and Sealing A Travertine Floor in Rickmansworth.

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 their sheen, the grout looked grubby and there were holes from collapsed Travertine filler.

This happened because the original smooth finish of the natural stone had worn off the tiles, exposing small pits and voids that filled with soil.

This soil is very difficult to remove by mopping.

The grout was soiled because cleaning slurry from mopping had soaked into the grout lines.

They had to scrub the floor on their hands and knees to remove the spoil from the grout.

But they could not remove the ingrained soil from the Travertine tiles.

The grout would quickly go dark again.

They were looking for a clean floor, that would continue to look clean and display the natural colours in the tiles, without having to scrub the Travertine on hands and knees.

After evaluating the situation, we recommended the following solution:

• Remove any existing sealer residues.
• Deep clean the tiles and the grout
• Grout Fill holes.
• Apply a long-lasting sealer

Cleaning Travertine Floor Tile and Grout

On the day I arrived the customer had prepared the work area by removing all small items of furniture.

My first step in the Travertine cleaning process was to brush and vacuum the area to remove any loose debris.

I then applied a dilution of Travertine cleaner focusing on the heavily soiled areas and grout lines and then left to soak in for ten minutes.

I scrubbed the Travertine with a rotary scrubbing machine.

I removed the cleaning slurry with pressurised rinse and capture equipment.

I repeated the cleaning and rinsing until the soil and old sealer residues were removed.

Travertine Tiles Hole Filling

Holes are a natural feature of travertine, but they can trap dirt, so it is best if they are filled with a suitably rigid filler.

Also, if left alone the larger holes can quickly become larger as their edges crumble and break up leading to the entire tile becoming unstable.

So the next job is to fill the holes in the Travertine tiles and any areas of missing grout.

We used a high-quality Beige colour filler.

We were careful with the cleanup to leave as much grout as possible in the holes

The resulting grout was only slightly concave, so the holes will not collect soil.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

We offer a number of Travertine sealing options for this type of floor.

Giving a matt, satin or gloss finish

After discussing the options with the customer, we decided on a Hybrid, satin finish film-forming sealer

I applied a high-solids sealer that dried to a pleasant mid-sheen finish.

The sealer acts as a sacrificial wear layer, protecting the surface of the Travertine and the grout.

The sealer also gives more time to wipe spills before they damage the floor

Importantly, the sealer makes the floor much easier to clean.

My client was certainly impressed with the improvement and was over the moon when they saw the result.

Travertine Aftercare Advice

Sealers protect your tiles from staining and enhance their appearance, however, they do wear down over time.

This is when dirt can become ingrained in the pores of the tile, so if you do want to keep your stone floor looking its best to ensure there is always a good coating of sealer.

If you are impressed with our travertine cleaning Rickmansworth project and need help with your Travertine floor, please drop me a line.

I’ll be happy to help.

Travertine Cleaning