Repairing cracking travertine

I live in Florida with ground settling. As a result my travertine has cracks that I have repaired with non-sanded grout and then sealed. However, the cracks keep opening up. How can I permanently fix the existing cracks (some run several feet across several stones)? I am a DYI person but will hire a professional if needed. I don't want to use my installer as I don't believe she properly covered cracks in the concrete before she put the thinset on and the installation is part of the problem. Any thoughts? Thanks

 

Dear Lorene:

 

“ How can I permanently fix the existing cracks (some run several feet across several stones)? ”

 

You can't. Not you, not a stone restoration contractor.

Only an installation contractor could do something about it:

1. You remove all the cracked tiles;
2. You remove all the tiles on both sides of the cracked tiles;
3. You fix the possibly broken up sub floor to make if nice and even;
4. You custom cut a sheet of tar-paper (yes, the one you use on roofs) to cover the open sub floor;
5. You thin-set the new tiles on top of the tar-paper and then you grout – Done!

And never a crack again – at least on those tiles.

Now remember, it's never too early to think about the proper maintenance of your stone. The issue of what you'll be doing day in and day out to your stone is – as it should be intuitive – vastly more important than its sealing (if and when possible and/or advisable) and it's all too often neglected. As you can tell by reading many of this site's postings, you're not likely to get good information about routine care from your dealer or installer. Don't become another statistic! 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!

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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

 

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