Travertine Countertop Care And Restoration

Travertine is stylish, subdued, durable, and long lasting.  But travertine also comes with some complicated maintenance issues as well.  Cleaning calcite stone with a light solution of soapy water will, over time, dull the gloss due to chemical etching from the acids in the detergent.  That moisturizing hand soap that is so good for your hands is damaging to your travertine when spilled.  The list of household products that will damage your travertine countertop is longer than the list of products that wont do any damage.

"I have tried everything but my stone countertop still looks dirty and dull!"

First, let me tell you that just because a product you get from the big box store says "Safe for natural stone" on it doesn't mean it really is.  For instance, there are acrylic sealers marketed as safe for natural stone, I suppose because they do no immediate damage like an acid will.  They do however prevent the stone from 'breathing' and that is more damaging in the long run than an acid etch from your hand soap. And much more expensive to repair.  You can not always trust the fabricators either.  I have clients that were told by the installer or sales rep to use a weak dish soap solution to clean their newly installed marble countertop or Windex® to clean their granite countertop.  A lot of people know that an acid will etch marble, travertine, or limestone but don't realize just how many cleaning products contain acid.  Most people think granite is bullet proof,  it is porous and can stain just like travertine and needs to be maintained and sealed properly too.

For those with travertine countertops, you need to understand that travertine is the Swiss cheese of the stone world.  It has holes of varying sizes that were filled with an epoxy at the quarry.  as the stone wears and is neglected the areas of travertine that are holding those epoxy fillers in place degrade and the filler pops out.  We call those holes "Pop-Outs", quite the imaginative name.  The tiny pores also trap dirt and cannot be cleaned out because the soil is now almost solid down in there.

Third,  the surface of the travertine may be etched mechanically and/or chemically and need to be polished smooth to get back the gloss.

 

"What Needs To Happen Now?"

First we need to take a look at the countertop and determine which direction we need to go. It could be that we need to professionally clean the surface, or it could be that we need to diamond polish the stone.

If you just need a solid professional cleaning and sealing and that is it then we bring in our cleaning equipment and make it happen.  If cleaning just wont do the trick then we will need to polish the countertop in order to bring it back to life.

After determining that the countertop does indeed need to be polished, we will hone the stone with diamond pads to remove the abraded, stained surface and get to smooth, healthy stone.  We then proceed to refine the surface to the gloss you are wanting to see.

 

"After you are finished cleaning or polishing my floor how do I keep it clean?"

We will leave you with a couple web sites that we trust so you can get the proper cleaning products for your countertop.  We will also set you up on a customized maintenance program that fits your needs.