Hi Maurizio, My wife and I recently purchased a home with Travertine bathroom floors. Our dog got sick and etched several tiles. Already read the article "Travertine and orange juice". Our builder is of no use gaining information about the flooring. All I can tell you is that they are "sealed" -and I know what you think of that- but the builder can't or won't provide anything further. He has indicated a willingness to replace them for a fee. Is there a way that I can get rid of the etch? I'd just like it to blend with the rest of the floor. I suppose that will require polishing. Can this be accomplished by a somewhat handy homeowner?

 

Dear Brian:

You're right: not onoy they could never actually seal your polished travertine floor p- no matter how many applications of an impregnator they performed, but, as you can see, sealers for stone do not offer one iota of protection to the surface of the stone.

If the etching is not too severe, a specific product like MB-11 will do the trick for you.

This, of course, assuming that your travertine is polished.

If not, get back to me and will help you in a different way.

And remember: once your tiles will be back to “good health”, it's never too early to think about their proper maintenance. 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.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!

Finally, keep in mind that we need your support to help us helping you!

Will you please read and e-sign our Statement of Purpose 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!

Thank you  

Ciao and good luck,

Maurizio Bertoli

 

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