These travertine tiles were laid twelve years ago in the bathroom of a property in the village of Magor near Newport. They were supplied by Mandarin Stone however the tiler had not sealed or grouted them correctly during installation.
The client highlighted a significant crack running along 4 of the tiles starting at the bottom of the toilet and was unsure what to do about it. I suspect this was due to movement in the floor and wondered if a backer board had been used under the floor as this would usually prevent this.
The patterns you find in natural stone are unique so finding a replacement Travertine tile to match the cracked tiles was unlikely. I therefore suggested disguising the crack with a coloured filler as part of an overall renovation. They also asked me if I could regrout the entire floor as most grout lines were quite deep and below the surface edge of the tile, also the natural pits in the stone were collecting a large amount of dirt from foot traffic.
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Happy to oblige I worked out a quote to resolve all the problems which was accepted, and a date set to do the work.
Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Bathroom
I began by removing as much of the existing grout as possible with a grout rake, this is slow work as you must be very careful not to chip the adjacent tiles in the process. Once complete I started on cleaning the tiles using a medium dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was left to soak in for 15 minutes. This dwell time gives the product chance to breakdown the dirt and other contaminates before being scrubbed into each tile using a handheld brush making sure every nook and cranny was sufficiently clean. The floor was then rinsed with a sponge and brush ensuring there was no product residue left within the tiles or pits.
Once the tiles had fully dried the floor was grouted using flexible grout in a colour that closely matched the grout used on the wall tiles. Grout was also run along the crack to disguise it as much as possible. Once the entire floor had been regrouted properly, I left to allow it to go off overnight and allow the tiles to dry out further.
Sealing a Travertine Tiled Bathroom
Previously I had discussed the range of Tile Doctor sealing products with the client and what they would provide in terms of finish. It was clear they wanted to keep the look of the stone as light as possible whilst sealing so with this in mind I opted to seal the Travertine with Ultra-Seal which is a clear coat sealer that provides maximum protection without enhancing or darkening the stone.
Four coats of Ultra-Seal were applied making sure to cover all pits in the tiles and the new grout that had been installed. This sealer works by occupying the natural pores in the stone, ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away.
Once complete I’m happy to report my client was really pleased with the result, they were worried that whole floor would have to be ripped out and replaced so much relieved to have found a better solution. I guess we really lived up to our Tile Doctor name on this occasion.
On the subject of aftercare, I left the client with a bottle of Tile Dr PH Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a gentle yet effective tile and grout cleaner that won’t harm the new sealer.
Tile Doctor has a comprehensive range of sealers that cover all types of finish and materials; before having your tile or stone sealed its worth contacting Tile Doctor for advice and to ensure your using the right product for your requirements.