Hello,Just completed a bathroom with shower that has sealed travertine & marble with grout. Was told by contracter, in order not to break seal, I should use 1/2 water & 1/2 vinegar to clean. Is this correct or can you tell me an over the counter product to use. It cost a fortune & I don't want it damadged. Thank you

 

Dear Maida:

Water and vinegar, huh… WOW!

Let me put it down nicely for you: If jack-asses could fly, your contractor would never need to buy another pair of shoes!

On the other hand, what do you expect from someone who was so concerned to religiously seal marble and travertine in a shower stall? (It is never advisable to seal stone in a wet environment, not to mention that, most of the time, it is not even technically possible to seal marble; it is just too dense a stone to take any impregnator in.)

Why don't you try to use that acidic concoction on a spare tile of marble and travertine and see what happens!

The water and vinegar thing was “fashionable” in the late 80s, early 90s when people didn't know any better; but I'm totally flabbergasted at seeing “professionals” still going with that garbage.

As for out of the counter cleaning products that are safe on natural stone, they just don't exist. At least not those that you specifically need for a shower stall. Specialty products rated for stone are definitely in order.

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 that's not actual sealing anyway) 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.mbstone.com/HH_promo/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.mbstone.com/literature/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!

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Thank you  

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri zio Bertoli

 

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