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Regular Maintenance for Travertine Floor/Countertops

Hi - Our master bath has a travertine floor and countertops.  The look beautiful, but they're a few years old and have some discoloration (around the sinks) and some "smudges" of who-knows-what on the floor.  Neither are too noticeable yet, but I would like to maintain them as well as possible.  Can you recommend the best means of caring for this stone?  Is it necessary to seal it regularly?  Can I clean/seal it myself or should I call a professional?  If the latter, can you recommend one in/near Seattle?  Thanks!!
 

Dear Julie:

You neglected to tell me if your travertine is highly polished or hone-finished. That's important.

If it is polished I would encourage you to consider hiring a stone restoration professional.

If it's hone-finished instead, you could easily do the necessary repairs yourself. All you need is metal-grade sand paper. You may have to start with a 60/80 grit if the damages are severe (but it doesn't sound like they are by your report), or all you will need to start is 120 grit. You will then finish the job with 240 grit, optionally followed by the 400 grit to match as much as possible the rest of the factory finish. Don't expect a perfect match, but a couple of months of traffic will take care of the “perfect” blend.

Polished travertine can't be technically sealed: its surface tension is just too high to let any impregnator (a.k.a. sealer) in.

Hone-finished travertine may (and just may) be sealed, but the question is: what kind of chances are there that you will be spilling, say, coffee and cooking oil in your bathroom without realizing it?...

The appropriate daily care is vastly more important that the sealing (if when possible and/or advisable).

By logging into the Helpful Hints section of our website at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/helpful-hints.htm, you will be able to get the short version of our maintenance guidelines at no charge. The full version of it – a 7-page document considered by many as an industry benchmark – is available in pay-per-download format in our Educational Literature section at: http:// www.marblecleaning.org/literature.htm.  

And remember, every single penny of the cost of the literature will be used to support this site and its cause: your cause.

While you are in the “Helpful Hints” section, do spend some time reading all of the interesting FREE articles you'll find in there!

Finally, keep in mind that we need your support to help us helping you!

Will you please read and e-sign our Statement of Purpose at: http:// www.marblecleaning.org/purpose.htm?    

By spreading the word about this valuable site among your friend & family and the stone trades' people you've been dealing with, you will be rendering everybody a valuable service!

Thank you  

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri z io Bertoli

 

www.marblecleaning.org – The only Consumers' Portal to the Stone Industry Establishment!

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