Achieving a Deep Polish on Travertine with Tile Doctor Shine Powder in Belbroughton Worcestershire

I received this enquiry regarding a dull Travertine tiled floor at a property in the small village of Belbroughton near Stourbridge. My client had been considering replacing the stone floor as they were unhappy with how dull it had become, also some holes had formed.

I paid the property a visit to survey the floor and work out a quote for renovating the stone. I talked through with the client how I could restore the appearance of the Travertine using a set of diamond pads. They were delighted to hear that the floor could be restored, and it would not be necessary for them to replace it. The quote was accepted, and the work scheduled, the work would take three days to complete.

Cleaning and Repairing a Travertine Honed Tiled Kitchen Floor

The first step was to ensure the kitchen kick boards were removed and silicone applied to base of the kitchen units to stop water penetrating the wood. I also sealed the skirting boards with silicone where needed. Preparation is essential to ensure the best experience for our clients and avoid damage.

The cleaning process could then begin. Using a 200-grit pad attached to a rotary machine I scrubbed the floor and grout lines using a dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. The floor was then rinsed with water and the soil was removed using the wet vacuum. I repeated this again to clean up the more stubborn areas.

Once I was happy the floor was clean I then filled the holes using epoxy resin, colour matched to the travertine. Filling the holes would prevent any dirt build up in the future, coupled with applying the sealer.

The following day was the start of the resurfacing and polishing of the stone. Starting with a 400-grit diamond pad I made several passes of the floor, I then moved onto the 800-grit all, then worked through the sequence of pads right the way through to 3000-grit. After each pad the floor was rinsed with water and the soiling generated extracted with a wet vacuum.

Sealing a Travertine Honed Tiled Kitchen Floor

The floor was left to dry overnight and then we returned the following day to start the sealing process. My client wanted the Travertine to have a natural look, so I applied several coats of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal. This is a no sheen, natural looking sealer, it gives great stain protection to the stone and the grout and is really useful in areas such as kitchens where there is high traffic and spillages.

To bring up the polished appearance of the stone further Tile Doctor Shine Powder were ground into the floor using a white pad. This last step gives the Travertine a high shine and very durable finish.

Once complete the Travertine looked stunning and the kitchen looked fantastic. Although happy my client was concerned the shine may dull again over time, so before leaving I spent time discussing ways to maintain it.

First, we talked about aftercare cleaning for which I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is an effective yet gentle cleaning agent that helps maintain the patina on the stone. I suspect the reason small holes were forming in the Travertine previously was due to use of strong cleaning products which are acidic and simply too harsh for use on Travertine. Second, I recommended we work out an annual maintenance plan for the floor where I would return once a year to further polish the stone and top up the sealer. With the combination of the two I was confident the stone would keep looking it’s best.

Source: Travertine Tile Cleaning, Polishing and Sealing Products and Services in Belbroughton Worcestershire