Travertine tile is a natural stone material that has unique features and colouring that no other stone can offer. The distinctive design and natural patterns found within Travertine make it very popular as a flooring material and is often used as bathroom wall tiles and table tops. Travertine's durability makes it ideal for commercial and residential installations and it is often used externally.

Floor Tile Cleaning

If you have the use of a 150 RPM (or slightly higher) buffing machine restore the honed finish by burnishing the floor using a No.1 Red burishing pad to take off the old sealer and ground in dirt, add water to the area and then go over each tile with the pad 3 or 4 times, then remove the dirty water using a wet vax and rinse the floor. Next take off the coarse pad and apply a No2 Blue burnishing pad and repeat the process followed by the No.3 Yellow burnishing pad.  Again remove the water with a wet Vax machine and then scrub the grout joints with Pro-Clean diluted 1:5 parts water. Leave to fully dry and then complete by applying a No. 4 Green burnishing pad and polish with a squirt of water. When fully polished protect the floor by applying a sealer as per instructions below.

 Alternatively spray undiluted Tile Doctor Remove and Go onto the stone (use as directed), leave to dwell for ten to fifteen minutes (if necessary add more product to prevent it drying out) then agitate with a scrub brush or a black buffing pad fitted to a buffing machine.  Add water as you go to lubricate the process and then use a wet Vax to extract the soiled solution from the floor.  Rinse thoroughly with clean water to make sure the floor is neutralised of any chemicals. In normal circumstances allow 24 hours for the stone to dry out before sealing, a damp meter can be used to verify when the stone is dry.

Wall Tile Cleaning

The best way to clean and polish Travertine wall tiles is with a hand-held polishing machine using a set of six inch Burnishing pads, we find using chemicals less effective on vertical surfaces and can lead to staining. The process is thus, spray the No.1 Red Burnishing pad with water then apply to the wall tile until the dirt and old sealer had been removed. Then switch to a No.2 Blue Burnishing pad and repeat the process followed by a No. 3 Yellow Burnishing pad straight after. This method is also the best way to treat the build-up of Limescale as the acidic cleaners commonly available for this will actually damage the Travertine.

If the grout is in need of attention then clean the grout at this point using Tile Doctor Duo Clean which is a very effective grout cleaning product as well as treating mould. Make sure to thoroughly rinse the tiles after using Duo Clean to remove any trace of chemicals otherwise it may impact the sealer when it is applied.

Leave to dry overnight and then finish with a No. 4 Green Burnishing pad until a nice light sheen has been achieved, this will tighten up the pores of the Travertine thus making it easier to seal and maintain. See below for sealing instructions.

Sealing Travertine Tiles

  When the tiles are fully dry apply either one coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow to enhance the natural colours of darker Travertine’s. If however you area sealing a white or off-white Travertine and you not wish to darken the stone apply a single coat of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which provides a natural look finish. A second coat of sealer may be required if the stone is very porous.

Using water to test the seal on a Travertine floor tile

For architecturally specified sealers we recommend Tile Doctor Pro-Seal which is a water based impregnating sealer suitable for all types of honed stone including Travertine.

Regular Maintenance of Travertine

For regular cleaning use a sealer friendly cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Stone Soap which has been especially formulated for the regular cleaning of Sealed Stone and Tile surfaces keeping them fresh.

If you have applied a burnishing pad system it makes it much easier to keep these tiles clean by using a No. 4 Green burnishing pad on the stone every two to three months depending on wear. This process will improve surface tension (which is not to be confused with the amount of sealer residing in the stone), thereby tightening the pores in the stone to improve the overall appearance and finish of the floor.

PLEASE NOTE: Sealers break down after 2-3 years (depending on usage) and will need to be re-applied.

Further Reading: For many more examples and photographs of of Travertine cleaning and sealing activities carried out by UK Tile Doctors please visit http://Travertine.tilecleaning.co.uk

Recommend Travertine Cleaning Products

When using our products please take time to familiarise yourself with the directions on the back of the bottle first.