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 East London

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 Patio Renovation Hackney E5

Renovating a Travertine Patio in Hackney

1 Comment / Hackney Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Work by Category, Work by Location, Work History /

The picture shows an Travertine patio that was installed at a property in Hackney E5 around ten years ago and it had never been sealed. Over the year’s pollution and weather etc had taken its toll on the stone leaving the travertine stained with lichen, dull and grey as opposed to their original white/cream colour. Had the patio been sealed it would have provided some protection from the elements.

Travertine Patio Before Renovation Hackney E5

I conducted an initial visit where I tested several products to see what would be the most effective and establish what was required. Using that knowledge, I followed up with a written quote which was accepted, and a date arranged to complete the work.

We have adopted new working practices since the COVID-19 epidemic so we can work safely inside or outside but given the excellent weather this year this was an ideal and much easier to maintain social distancing.

Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Patio Floor

During day 1 on site I started by sweeping away loose stones and other debris you typically find on patios. Then Tile Doctor Patio and Brick Driveway cleaner was applied neat to the stone and left for two hours. This is a very strong product designed for use by professionals which cuts through the dirt and was ideal for this situation. There are certain precautions you do need to take when using it such as wearing PPE and you must keep it away from ponds etc.

Using water to lubricate, the solution was then scrubbed into the stone using a coarse 200-grit pad fitted to a rotary machine and followed up with a lot of rinsing and extracting with water and a wet vacuum.

To refine the surface after the coarse Travertine the 200-grit pad I followed with 400, 800 and then 1500-grit burnishing pads in sequence rinsing with water and extracting after each pad was applied. This process is known as burnishing and closes the pores in the stone giving it a polished appearance. By this point the Travertine looked way better and we were starting to get the smooth finish back.

Travertine Patio During Cleaning Hackney E5

The weather held so the following morning a 3000-grit polishing pad was applied dry to the stone using only a little water. This brings up the appearance of the stone even further and has the added advantage of leaving it dry and ready for sealing.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Patio Floor

The client wanted a natural appearance so two coats of Tile Doctor Ultra Seal were applied to seal the stone. Ultra-Seal is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the stone, protecting it from within yet without changing the appearance of the stone leaving a completely natural look.

Travertine Patio During Sealing Hackney E5

The client very happy with job and now proud so show off her revamped patio. They hadn’t realised that the patio should have looked like this from the start. For aftercare I recommended they use Tile Doctor Stone Soap, many day to day cleaning products you find in supermarkets can strip off a sealer so if your using something else do check the label first.

Travertine Patio After Renovation Hackney E5

 

Professional Restoration of a Travertine Tiled Patio in East London

Renovating a Travertine Patio in Hackney Read More »

Travertine Tiled Floor Before After Refurb Mile End

Renovation of Travertine Floor in Mile End Rental Property

1 Comment / Grout Cleaning, Tower Hamlets Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Work History /

We recently renovated a Travertine tiled floor in the Kitchen of a rental property in Mile End, which is part of the Tower Hamlets borough of East London. My client was the Landlord and unfortunately the previous tenants had not maintained the Travertine floor very well. The grout was filthy, and the tiles were ingrained with dirt and had lost their shine which made for a very unattractive floor that was likely to put off a potential new tenant.

Dirty Travertine Floor Before Renovation Mile End East London

The stone floor was an expensive addition for my client who was concerned about the state of the tiles and of course worried that it would be difficult to find a new tenant with the floor in that condition. Naturally she wanted to have the Travertine tiles renovated as soon as possible so she could get it back on the market.

To keep a stone floor in good condition it’s important to maintain the sealer as once it degrades dirt becomes ingrained in the pores and it becomes difficult to keep clean. I was confident the floor could be restored and having agreed my quote I was able to complete the work the same week.

Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

I went over to the property and immediately set about deep cleaning and rebuilding the polish on the Travertine tiles using a set of diamond encrusted burnishing pads. I started with a 400-grit pad, followed by the 800-grit and then the 1500-grit. Each pad was applied to the tiles with water to lubricate the process rinsing and extracting the soil after each pad.

Next, I turned my attention to the dirty grout lines which I treated with a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left to dwell on the grout lines for a few minutes before being scrubbed in by hand. This was then rinsed off with water and again extracted with a wet vacuum.

Normally I would take two days to work on a floor like this, one day to clean and one day to seal however it wasn’t a large floor so I used a number of high powered fans to force dry the floor so I would be able to apply the sealer later that day.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

Once the floor was dry, I then spray burnished the floor with a 3000-grit pad which further brought up the polished appearance of the Travertine, the last burnishing pad is applied dry with only a little water which is sprayed onto the floor as you polish.

After testing the floor for moisture using the moisture meter, I was happy it was dry, so I proceeded to apply two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer. Tile Doctor Colour Grow is is a penetrating colour intensifying sealer that enhances the natural brown and cream colours in the Travertine whilst providing durable protection. Once the sealer had dried the floor looked great and had once again become a real asset to the property.

Dirty Travertine Floor After Renovation Mile End East London

It was dark outside by the time I had finished so apologies for the after photo, however I think you will agree the floor looks much healthier. Certainly, my customer was delighted to have the floor back to its former glory and with the floor looking like new it should achieve a good rent.

 

Professional Restoration of a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor in East London Rental

Renovation of Travertine Floor in Mile End Rental Property Read More »

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