Travertine

Travertine is a soft limestone rock. It looks wonderful when used for floor tiles and providing good care is taken it will stand the test of time. It can however be vulnerable to damage if not cared for properly. If you need some help maintaining your travertine tiles why not call Tile & Stone Medic Warwickshire today to see how we can help?

Common issues

Travertine flooring can be affected by a range of common issues, most are quite simple to handle for an experienced professional.

Etching is one of the most commonly seen forms of damage to travertine flooring. Travertine is easily marked by spillages of common household items like vinegar, fruit juice, wine and similar liquids. Etching refers to light or pale marks on the surface of the tile which are formed after such a spillage. Etching can be a small patch of discolouration, or can cover several tiles depending on how serious the spill was.

Travertine tiling should always be sealed and is usually polished too, whether that’s to a visible shine or a matt finish. Whatever the case, regular footfall, moisture and general wear and tear will wear down the finish of the tile over time. If you’ve noticed your flooring becoming generally dull it may need re-polishing to bring it back to life.

Resealing is another common job needed to keep travertine tiles in good repair. Sealant creates a barrier against day to day wear and tear, but will gradually wear down. Ageing of the sealant may leave the travertine tiles looking dull, but it will also leave it far more susceptible to staining, so it’s important to ensure the sealer is topped up.

If the foundation underneath your travertine tiles has not been laid properly, or was laid a long time ago, it can become distorted. Movement in the subfloor will, over time, result in loosening of the floor tiles. If unchecked the tiles may go on to chip, crack, or create a tripping hazard. Wear and degradation of the grouting between the tiles will also happen over time and can lead to similar issues. If light coloured grouting has been used it will also show dirt more easily, this dirt can be trodden into the tiles too and leave marks.

How we maintain travertine tile flooring

We employ a range of professional techniques to repair worn travertine floors. In the case of etching we first need to assess the seriousness of the damage. Generally our technique involves using a specialist polish solution to buff out visible damage, before applying a final polish and a reseal.

For travertine tile floors which have become dull, a simple finishing polish might be all that is needed to bring life back to the tiling. This polishing can be tailored to your specification depending on the finish you’d like, for example tiles could be left matt or taken to a higher level of sheen. We’d strongly recommend finishing with a sealer to help guard against future staining from minor spillages and general abrasive damage. The sealer should be topped up once a year to maintain its protection.

In the case of seriously damaged tiles with chips or cracks we we would need to make a thorough assessment of the damage to the travertine before we can identify a solution. It may be the case that a tile needs to be entirely replaced, in which case we can help with sourcing replacement stone.

Will repairing my travertine tiles cause disruption?

We always try to fit our repairs around your schedule and will cause an absolute minimum of inconvenience to you. Repair of travertine tile flooring which has suffered staining or damage from wear and tear can generally be completed in hours rather than days. Repairs don’t involve large or noisy pieces of machinery and the strongest chemicals used would be mild alkalis which shouldn’t present any significant hazard. You can rest assured the job will be completed as safely and efficiently as possible so you can get back to enjoying your space with its refreshed tiling.

If your travertine floor tiles need some care and attention then don’t hesitate to get in touch with Tile & Stone Medic Warwickshire today for all your maintenance and repair needs!

FAQs

The process we carry out will depend on your specific floor and the use that it gets. There will be variations for different materials and the finish that you wish to achieve. The process will also be impacted by the full scale of work that we carry out, for example which types of cleaning and restoration are being performed. It is not unusual to apply several layers of sealant if this is necessary and appropriate.

Firstly, a floor should always be sealed when it is first laid. Get in touch with us straight away if this hasn’t been carried out already. It will also need periodic sealing in order to protect the floor on an ongoing basis. How often sealing is required depends on a number of factors such as the specific material used for your flooring and the kind of use it has to survive. For example, a bathroom with natural tiles that is frequently exposed to water may require sealing more often than porcelain tiles in a kitchen. Frequent maintenance, such as sweeping and hoovering up the dust and grit that erodes floors when trodden on can help. Once the sealant is worn away, not only will scratches be more likely, the risk of staining or permanent damage from liquids is drastically increased as there is no protective layer to prevent absorption. If in doubt get in touch with our team of friendly technicians who can discuss your needs.

We have a range of high quality Faber products which will help protect your floors from damage. As every type of floor is different and has myriad uses, we will consult with you to work out the best way to protect your investment. We can apply topical sealants which form a protective layer on top of the floor, or if needed an impregnating sealant, which will be partially absorbed into the stone or tiles. There are many variations of these sealants and as each floor type has unique characteristics and vulnerabilities we can work with you to find and apply the the best kind of protection.

Absolutely. If this was not carried out by those who fitted the floor get in touch immediately to ensure that the appropriate protection can be applied as promptly as possible. We would recommend that this is carried out once the flooring is in place as this means the grout, which is generally more porous, will also be protected.

We apply a sealer to a floor in order to protect it. Different types of floor, both manmade and natural stone, are vulnerable to different sorts of damage. They can all be harmed by chemicals to a certain degree, even by the acid in food and drink spillages, as they will be very slightly porous. As well as this, they can be worn away by physical damage. Even foot traffic can have a big impact if dust or grit has built up on the floor, since it increases abrasions. A sealant will reduce the chance of a spill becoming a stain by reducing the floor’s ability to absorb liquids. It can also help protect the appearance of the floor by forming a protective barrier. A sealant won’t prevent all damage and it will still wear away over time, but it will help your floors last longer, helping protect your investment. Sealants will even help protect your floor from UV radiation which can lead to fading over the lifespan of a high value stone or tiled floor. We can consult with you to find the best sealant for your floor and the type of use it gets to make sure it receives the best form of protection.

We are happy offer advice on best practice to look after your flooring, but it depends on the type of floor you have. Once we’ve had a look at it we’ll be able to help.

Yes, we have a range of fillers we can use to repair chipped or dented stone. Please note we can only carry out floor repairs as part of a full deep clean or restoration for your stone floor. Unfortunately, we are not able to attend to carry out repairs in isolation.

Usually we are able to stabilise stone flooring where it has become loose. We can repair grouting and make spot repairs to the subfloor where necessary. Please note we can only carry out floor repairs as part of a full deep clean or restoration for your stone floor. Unfortunately, we are not able to attend to carry out repairs in isolation.

Almost certainly. Send us a picture or a description and we’ll identify your stone. We always assess a surface before work starts in order to pick the most appropriate solution.

Whilst we may use specialist chemicals in the course of our work, we can assure you that by the time we leave all residues will be gone and your tile or stone flooring will be perfectly safe for everyone to use. We work to extremely high standards of health and safety, conducting proper risk assessments where appropriate and never putting you or anyone else in danger.

We always work in the most considerate way possible. Work will be tailored to your needs and will fit around your schedule where possible. We avoid bringing loud or bulky machinery into your home and when a job is complete we thoroughly clean up after ourselves to leave your space looking as tidy as it did when we arrived.

Yes, ideally if you want the job done to the best of our ability, then all furniture, kick plates in kitchens etc should be removed. However, don’t worry we will help you manage this.
Absolutely! we are always happy to show you our insurance certificates or down load them to you if so required.
Once we have spoken to you in more detail we will be able to give you an idea of the time allocation required to restore your floors to a high level.
Because all floors require their own individual needs, perhaps different cleaning solutions, strippers and sealers it is impossible to give an average cost. Some areas of floor are very large and again this will have an impact on the costings as they may take longer to restore. Tile & Stone Medic will either arrrange an onsite visit to assess the floor in question, or, if we do not have local cover in that area, we will talk to you in more detail over the phone and perhaps request that you down load some pictures of the floor to us.