Some red wine has spilled below a sofa and badly stained some travertine tiles. have you any suggestions how the stains might be removed please?

 

Dear Simon:

You have a combination of a true stain and an etch mark. The acidity of the wine (acetic acid) corroded the surface of the stone and opened its pores, thus allowing the wine to be absorbed and create a stain.

It is a two-stage process: first you have to remove the stain. Second you will fix the etch mark with a good quality marble polishing compound like MB-11.

 

As for the first stage, when it comes to stain removal, either you buy one of those expensive “Professional kits” (that true professionals seldom use!) at a stone retailer near you, or you can spend less money and get our comprehensive guidelines on how to remove stains by using inexpensive and far more effective means that you may already have in your household! Such impressive piece of literature will also tell you how to tell stains apart from “stains”, and what to do about the latter! It does carry a small price tag, and you can order it by logging on at:  http://www.mbstone.com/literature/literature.htm.   It's available in pay-per-download format and it's much cheaper than any kit on the market! Not to mention the little and much needed support you'd be giving to the cause – your cause - since every single penny of the cost of the article will be used to support it.

Also, will you please read and e-sign our Statement of Purpose by logging on 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!

Ciao and good luck,

Maurizio Bertoli

 

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