Mold in brushed travertine tile

We recently renovated our master bath using Brushed Travertine in the shower stall and we have a steam unit too. Several of the tiles have very small pin holes that do not seem to be holding the expoxy grout (supposed to be stain resistant)we used and had regrouted once before, now they have mold in them and no grout again. What to do?? I have used a Travertine cleaner and have even used a nylon pad and toothbrush to get in there, but it is not coming off. What can I use to kill the mold so I can attempt to grout with another product that may stay better than the epoxy did in the tiny holes, grout lines are fine. Would you recommend my tile guy coming back and using a dremel to file away at the mold and make the holes bigger and then grout over so it stays??? Help!! Spent too much money for 6 tiles in shower to be ruined. Is the steam affecting it?? Tiles looked great until we started using the steam unit. It was very dry when installed and we waited a full week before we used it.

 

Dear Lynn:

 

“ I have used a Travertine cleaner ”

 

Travertine cleaner, huh... Could you please define travertine cleaner for me?... For all I know a cleaner – any cleaner – is designed to remove certain types of soils, from wherever they're sitting on. I never heard of a cleaner that's designed to work on a particular material, no matter what the soil to be removed is, did you?... J

That duly said, why you don't try using a mildew stain remover rated safe on natural stone, like MB-9, instead of a “travertine cleaner” (whatever that means)? It makes a tad more sense, don't you think?... 

As for the filling of the holes, once they are clean, they have be totally dry (are you sure that there's no water behind those tiles?...). I'd consider using a hair-drier. Once everything is as dry as a bone (and hoping that you don't have any water behind those tiles) you will fill the holes with color-matching caulk. However, keep in mind that if you do have water behind those tiles, nothing will ever work to fill those holes.

May I ask you now to please read and e-sign our Statement of Purpose at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/purpose.htm? J

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri z io Bertoli

 

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