Restoring Cracked Travertine Conservatory Floor
Recently I worked on a house in the historic market town of Dunmow, Essex. My client had a Travertine tiled floor in dire need of some professional maintenance. Specifically, my client requested a deep clean, with special attention paid to the grouting, along with a fresh seal.
Unlike a polished stone floor – which would require a process known as ‘burnishing’ – this Travertine floor required a fairly straightforward liquid cleaning process, using some professional products to fully restore the appearance of the tiles and grouting. Here’s how I did it.
Cleaning a Travertine tiled floor
I began the cleaning process by mixing a strong cleaning solution consisting of one part Tile Doctor Pro Clean to three parts water. I applied this solution across the floor and left it to dwell for ten minutes, giving it time to seep into the stone. The solution was then more directly scrubbed into the tile using a scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary buffing machine.
Following this, I focused my attention on the grouting, cleaning it by hand using more Pro Clean, but this time worked in using stiff brushes along the grout lines.
The entire area was then rinsed with water which was then extracted using a wet vacuum, before I left it to dry overnight.
Sealing a Travertine tiled floor
Upon my return to the house the next day I checked the floor to ensure it was dry and then began to seal the tiles using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer which sinks into the pores of the stone intensifying the natural colours whilst also providing durable stain protection.
Once the sealer had dried, I used a very fine burnishing pad to buff up the appearance of the floor and add an aesthetically pleasing shine.
