I am purchasing a Kitchen table with a Travertine Top. The finish comes polished. Will I be able to seal it? Would I be better able to seal a honed travertine top?

 

Dear Anna:

A bit confused, aren't we?... J

Impregnators (a.k.a. sealers for stone) are all below-the-surface (of the stone) products. To go below the surface they must be absorbed by the stone. If the stone does not absorb any sealer, that stone will never stain, because it does not absorb anything. Hence, applying an impregnator to it will be a total waste of time and money.

That being said, polished travertine can't be technically sealed, because its unusual surface tension will not allow any staining agent (including the sealer) to go in.

In other words, not only doesn't it need to be sealed, but it can't be technically sealed, as well.

Hone-finished has better chances of staining, and, perhaps, an impregnator could be absorbed by the stone.

However, the real problem with calcareous rocks is that they are acid-sensitive. Any acidic substance that you will spill on it (lemon juice, salad dressing, soda, orange juice, vinegar, the wrong cleaning products, etc., through a very long list) will corrode the surface of the stone on contact and create a permanent etch-mark. No sealer in the entire galaxy could ever do the first thing to prevent those kinds of “stains” (surface damages, actually).

If the stone is highly polished, the etching will be very noticeable. If it is hone-finished instead, it will be less noticeable.

 

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

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri zio Bertoli

 

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