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 Glasgow

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 Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovation Cumbernauld

Travertine Tiled Floor Restoration in Cumbernauld Kitchen and Utility

1 Comment / Cumbernauld Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning /

We were contacted by a homeowner from the town of Cumbernauld in Glasgow about cleaning their Travertine tiled floor. The travertine tiles had been laid throughout the kitchen and utility room some years prior and since that time had become dull and unappealing. Kitchens are a high traffic area and more prone to staining than most rooms, in this case the grout had become very discoloured.

Travertine Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Polishing Cumbernauld

I visited the property to survey the floor and check the extent of the problems. I could see that the original sealer and polish had basically been worn down with use over the years and to resolve it would need deep cleaning including the grout, stone polishing, and re-sealing. Having worked out a solution I explained the plan to my client and reassured him that the floor could be renovated, and we would soon have it looking good again. I gave them a price which was accepted and a date agreed for our return to do the work.

Travertine Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Polishing Cumbernauld

Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Kitchen and Utility Floor

This work was carried out over 2 days, on the first day we deep cleaned the stone and grout using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a versatile tile and grout cleaning product. This product was left to dwell for a short while allowing it to soak in and get to work on the ingrained dirt. It was then agitated using the rotary floor cleaner fitted with a black scrubbing pad. Afterwards the dirt is then rinsed away with water and the soiling extracted using a wet vacuum.

Travertine Tiled Floor During Cleaning Polishing Cumbernauld

Next, a 400-grit diamond burnishing pad was applied to start the honing and polishing and is the first step in restoring the polished appearance of the Travertine. We worked our way through the 400, 800, 1500 then 3000 grit burnishing pads that day, slowly cleaning and re-building the polish. In between each pad the soiling was extracted, and grout scrubbed reapplying Tile Doctor Pro-Clean as required to remove any residues left by the pads. The floor was then left overnight to dry ready for applying the seal the following day.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen and Utility Floor

Returning the next day work began by checking the moisture readings of the floor using a damp meter. The readings were good and it confirmed the floor was dry and ready for sealing. If the floor proved to be damp then the seal would fail to cure properly.

To seal the floor, we had agreed on the use of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that contains a colour enhancer that will provide the stone floor with a lovely semi matt finish. The first coat of sealer was still visible after 10-15 minutes so the excess was buffed off with a White pad and then left to cure for an hour. We then went over the floor with the White buffing pad again just to bring up the shine on the Travertine. Sometimes it is necessary to apply several coats of the sealer, but this floor had taken it well, so this was not needed.

Travertine Tiled Floor Ater Cleaning Polishing Cumbernauld

One done the floor looked fantastic, it has a lovely light sheen and the natural brown tones of the floor looked fabulous. The client was over the moon with the work we had carried out.

Travertine Tiled Floor Ater Cleaning Polishing Cumbernauld

Before leaving I took time to discuss aftercare cleaning which for a polished stone floor like this, I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is a gentle cleaning product that won’t impact the sealer and will maintain the patina.

 

Professional Restoration of a Travertine Tiled Kitchen and Utility in Glasgow

Travertine Tiled Floor Restoration in Cumbernauld Kitchen and Utility Read More »

Filled Travertine Tiled Shower After Cleaning

Mouldy Travertine tiled bathroom cleaned in Glasgow

1 Comment / Glasgow Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Work History /

This mouldy filled Travertine tiled bathroom was located in a house in Glasgow and as you can see from the photograph below was completely covered in mould right round the whole bathroom, there was also some staining from the dyes in soap etc.

Mouldy Filled Travertine Tiled Shower Before Cleaning

Cleaning a mouldy Travertine tiled bathroom

Firstly we cut out all the mouldy silicone with a sharp knife and once this was done we mixed a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean in a spray bottle and sprayed the cleaning product onto the walls, we used a spray as the air makes the solution lighter and stick onto the tile. Once this was done the Pro-Clean was scrubbed into the stone with stiff brushes and a lot of elbow grease using small nail brushes to allow us to get into all the tiny dimples in the filled travertine. Travertine is a natural product so Pro-Clean being a strong alkaline product is ideal for cleaning natural stone as even mildly acidic cleaners can eat away at the stone.

Sealing Travertine Tiles

Once the tiles were cleaned they were then sealed with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing sealer which is designed to protect the stone whilst lifting the colours out.

Grout Colouring

The grout was still discoloured following the cleaning process so to get it looking fresh again and after the stone was sealed we applied white grout colourant which brought the grout back to perfect white. This was done after sealing to stop the colourant absorbing into the tiles when they were un-protected making it easier to wipe off. The grout colourant we use looks natural and also forms a barrier over the grout making it easy to clean.

Once everything else was complete we finished the job off by renewing the white silicone up the corners of the walls and around the bath; the end result was a huge transformation that both us and the customer were more than happy with.

Filled Travertine Tiled Shower After Cleaning
 

Mouldy Travertine tiles rejuvenated in Glasgow

Mouldy Travertine tiled bathroom cleaned in Glasgow Read More »

Travertine Wetroom Glasgow After Cleaning

Travertine Tiled Wet Room Refresh in Glasgow

1 Comment / Glasgow Tile Cleaning, Travertine Tile Cleaning, Work History /

This Travertine wet room in Glasgow was in a sorry looking state, the tiles had become very dull and there was evidence of mould especially around the silicone.

Travertine Wetroom Glasgow Before Cleaning

Cleaning a Travertine Wet Room

The first job was to cut out all the mouldy silicone around the bottom of the shower cubicle; which had the added advantage of allowing us to clean the adjacent tiles right to the edges. Once the silicone was removed we decanted a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean into a spray bottle and began to spray it onto the wall tiles. Pro-Clean in an effective alkaline tile cleaner designed for use on stone tiles such as Travertine, spraying the product onto the wall allows it to mix with air making it lighter and easier to stick and soak into a vertical surface. The wall tiles and grout were then scrubbed using a stiff brush until the dirt and mould had been cleaned away.

Polishing Travertine Wall and Floor tiles

Once there tiles were free of dirt and mould we then used a set of six inch diamond encrusted burnishing pads with a hand held rotary machine to polish the travertine. The burnishing pads come in a set of four and you start with a coarse pad with a little water and work your way through the set moving from a the coarse pads through to the less abrasive pads; this process polishes the stone more and more until you get a smooth finish.

Sealing Travertine Tiles

Once the burnishing process was completed we then sealed the stone with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing sealer designed to protect the stone whilst lifting the colours out of the stone. Finally to finish off the job we renewed the silicone seal with Jasmine silicone around the floor and up the corners.

Travertine Wetroom Glasgow After Cleaning
The job took the best part of a day and I think you will agree the results speak for themselves.

Travertine Tiled wet room Cleaned, Polished and Sealed in Glasgow

Travertine Tiled Wet Room Refresh in Glasgow Read More »

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