Travertine Tile Cleaning

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find detailed examples of the cleaning and renovation of Travertine tiles carried out in North Lincolnshire

Cleaning and Polishing Travertine tiles

Travertine is a natural material that has unique features and colouring that no other stone can offer. The distinctive look of Travertine creates some of the most distinguished floor tiles and has proved very popular with commercial and residential use. It can be used for floor tile, kitchen flooring, bathroom walls and floors, and it is often used externally. There are many varieties such as Tumbled and Polished and like all natural stone it needs to be sealed to prevent dirt becoming trapped in the pores. Unlike other stones however Travertine does suffer from pitting however these holes can be filled.

One of the main issues with polished Travertine is the polish starts to wear down with use and eventually becomes dull. Another issue we see is acid etching where strong unsuitable cleaning products used on the stone etch the surface and ruin its appearance. To resolve both these problems the stone needs to be re-polished with diamond encrusted burnishing pads of different grits to hone the stone and bring back that deep shine. If this sounds familiar you should talk to us about our annual maintenance program where we visit you once a year to clean, polish and seal your floor thus keeping it in top condition.

Below you will find detailed examples of work we have carried out in the past, it should give you some idea of what’s involved and what can be achieved with the right techniques and products.


Travertine Shower Tile Cleaning Market Rasen

Travertine Shower Tile Cleaning in Market Rasen

These Travertine wall tiles were laid in a brick pattern in a large shower cubicle in a house in Market Rasen. As you can see from the photographs, the tiles hadn’t been cleaned for a couple of years and had become discoloured with mould, especially along the grout line and silicone sealant.

Travertine Wall Tiles Before Cleaning Market Rasen Travertine Wall Tiles Before Cleaning Market Rasen

There was also staining from the dyes you get in shampoos and shower gels. Mould is a common problem in wet areas and it usually down to insufficient ventilation. The owner wanted to sell her house and was keen to get the shower looking like new again.

Cleaning Travertine Shower Tiles in Market Rasen

I cleaned the Travertine wall tiles using Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel which is a strong alkaline tile and grout cleaning product. Being in a gel form it works well on vertical surfaces where a long dwell time is required to break down dirt, grime.

I left the Oxy-Gel to dwell and soak into the grout and tile for around ten minutes before scrubbing with a stiff handheld brush applying water as I went to help lubricate and rinse the area. Scrubbing works the gel into the tile and grout loosening the dirt along the way and allowing it be washed away.

Sealing the Travertine Shower Tile and Grout

The wall was wiped down and allowed to dry for before applying the sealer. There are several products you can use for sealing Travertine and in this case, I used Tile Doctor Ultra Seal which provides stain protection without changing the appearance of the tile.

Travertine Wall Tiles After Cleaning Market Rasen Travertine Wall Tiles After Cleaning Market Rasen

The last step was to remove and replace the silicone seal between the Travertine tile and the shower tray, there was some mould build up on the original silicone which once it gets a hold into the silicone it cannot be removed and so it’s always best to replace. At the end I had one happy customer and I think you will agree I achieved the aim of making it look like new again.

Travertine Wall Tiles After Cleaning Market Rasen

Once done I advised my client that the new sealer should make the future cleaning much easier going forward and protect the tile and grout from further issues. For best results however I recommend rinsing down the shower tile with cold water after having a shower and cleaning with a gentle but effective cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Aqua-Pro. Strong bleach based cleaning products will strip the sealer away so best avoided.

 

Market Rasen Travertine Shower Tile Refresh

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North Lincolnshire Tile Doctor

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