Unfilled, Tumbled Travertine Floors
Are you tired of your travertine looking dingy and dirty all the time? Isn't it impossible to keep all the holes looking clean no matter how much you vacuum or mop? Read on to learn more about how to resolve these issues with cleaning and sealing, stone restoration and filling travertine holes.
What is Travertine?
Travertine is a sedimentary rock found all over the world. Travertine is formed in and around natural hot springs as a result of massive, compacted deposits of calcium carbonate.
Because travertine is sedimentary, it is characterized by lots of layers of calcite streaks or spots, pit holes, iron spots, and grain formation changes. In other words, travertine is a lot like Swiss cheese. It has both large and small holes where dirt and debris can get easily trapped.
Travertine can come with the holes either filled or unfilled, resulting in two completely different aesthetics and maintenance requirements.
Etched and Unfilled Travertine Countertops
What about Etching and Scratches?
Travertine etches and scratches easily due to a high composition of calcium carbonate. When the calcium carbonate comes in contact with any sort of acidic products such as lemon juice, vinegar, wine, coffee, etc., the acid eats away at the surface leaving behind a dull spot. There is no way to remove these dull spots other than buffing them out during the stone restoration process.
CATA Stone Care & Restoration specializes in this type of stone maintenance. Our technicians are extremely experienced in working with travertine, along with all kinds of other stones such as marble, limestone, granite, etc.
We can create any type of finish such as honed (no shine), satin (low/medium shine), and polished (high shine). We can also change the finish of any stone, for example from a honed finish to a polished finish or from a polished finish to a honed finish.
Our stone restoration process removes all etches and scratches from the surface of the stone by buffing them out completely. In other words, restoring the travertine in your project will not only deep clean the pores, but also make it look like new again.
Filled vs. Unfilled Travertine
In filled travertine, the holes are filled in at the factory prior to arriving at the project. The tiles or slabs are either filled with a cement-based product or a resin-based product. It is very important to know what type of fill your travertine has if you ever plan on changing the finish of it.
Travertine that has been filled with a cement-based product is usually found to be in a honed finish. This travertine should remain honed because only the travertine itself can be polished. The cement-based fill cannot be polished. If you try to polish the surface, only the travertine will polish and the cement-based fills will remain matte. Not a good look!
Travertine that has been filled with a resin-based product is usually found in satin or polished finish tile or slab. This is because resin can be polished to the same sheen as the travertine during the restoration process. The resin typically used at the factories are unfortunately not high quality nor are they UV stable. If you choose to buy this product, we do not advise that any tile or slab filled with resin is used anywhere that receives direct sunlight, as the resin fills will yellow over time.
Maintaining Travertine
It is important to take good care of your floors, countertops and showers throughout their lifespan to avoid costly work over the course of time. To maintain travertine, we recommend regularly vacuuming your floor surfaces and countertops. Mopping and wiping surfaces with the appropriate cleansers daily or as required is recommended too.
In terms of professional maintenance, travertine needs a professional cleaning every 2 to 5 years, or more often as the client prefers. We highly recommend stone restoration every 2 to 5 years as well to ensure that any buildup of mineral deposits, soap scum, or soiling that has penetrated deep into the pores is lifted. You can alternate services between cleaning and sealing and stone restoration depending on what your surfaces need at the time.
Over time any pre-filled holes in travertine can open up and require filling again. At CATA, we use high quality resin specifically designed for stone application to fill these holes.
Filling Unfilled Travertine After Installation
What if you find that you hate maintaining your unfilled travertine floors? They seem to get gross and dirty overnight no matter how often you clean them. Is there a better way?
Yes! At CATA Stone Care & Restoration, we specialize in a unique process to fill unfilled travertine surfaces after they have been installed. We can do this for floors, countertops, and vertical surfaces such as showers or walls.
Depending on if the surfaces are honed, satin or polished, we will fill the travertine with either a cement based product (not able to be polished) or a resin-based product (able to be polished). We specifically overfill the surface with the filler to ensure that all the holes have been captured completely. We then grind the surface flat to ensure that everything is smoothed out perfectly. Lastly we refinish the floor according to whichever finish the client prefers. We do a final deep clean of the surfaces and seal them with the appropriate sealer to provide for long term protection.
Once this process is complete, the travertine looks completely smooth and transformed. Clients are in awe of the change that it makes in their spaces. Daily, weekly, and monthly maintenance for the client then becomes extremely easy, and the surfaces can go longer between professional services saving the client time and money.