Sealing Travertine
Sealing travertine has been debated among us in the stone and tile
industry for many years.
The reason for the discussion has to do with
the porosity of the travertine stone.
Travertine is very dense and
polished travertine may not be as porous as honed travertine.
With that being said, what if a staining agent was to absorb into your
travertine tile.
Now you would have a problem, and not just any
problem, but possibly an expensive problem.
Our recommendation would be sealing travertine when it's first
installed and depending what sealer you use, sealing regularly every
year or every other year.
One thing about travertine you should be aware of. Travertine
is a calcium based stone like marble and is susceptible to etching by
any acidic liquid.
Sealing travertine will not protect it from etching,
so caution should be used with any acidic liquid (orange juice).
How to Seal Travertine
Sealing travertine is not very complicated and if you take your time
and clean it properly before you seal it, you shouldn't have any
problems.
First, you need to know if there are any topical coatings
such as wax or polyurethanes on the travertine, and if there is, it
requires a stripping process, that's different than what it is
described below.
Clean your travertine thoroughly with a neutral cleaner or if
it's badly soiled, you can use an akaline stone cleaner to break down
dirt and grease build-up.
Once the travertine surface is clean, dry it with a cotton or
microfiber cloth. It's very important the travertine is dry before any
sealer is applied. In some cases, if the travertine is more porous, it
may need 24 to 72 hours to dry before applying a sealer.
If you're sure the travertine is completely dry, you can
apply the sealer evenly using a lamb's wool applicator or any soft
cloth. Honed or textured travertine will require more sealer due to it
being more porous than a polished travertine.
Not all sealers behave the same and if you're using a water
based sealer, it will take longer to dry compared to a solvent based
sealer. It's important not to let the sealer puddle up as any unwanted
residue can dry up and even stain some stones.
After applying a second coat of sealer, dry buff with either a microfiber
or cotton cloth, making sure to remove all excess sealer.
You don't want to see any streaks left by the sealer
If you do see streaks left by the sealer, re-activate the sealer with
some more sealer, and then buff off.
Maintaining Travertine
Maintaining travertine can be easy, as
long as you know what cleaners are best and how to use them.
When cleaning travertine we recommend using a neutral floor cleaner. Neutral meaning neautral pH
or pH of 7 on the pH scale.
For daily cleaning, use a microfiber mop, with warm water and your neutral cleaner. Mop your floor and
dry with dry mop.
When it comes to cleaning and sealing travertine or cleaning
ceramic tile and grout, we strive to help educate our customers on the
best protection
they can have, helping them save time and money in costly restoration
costs down the road.
MB-24 Barrier VOC Free Water Based Impregnating Sealer
$48.45