Travertine Cleaning
We specialize in the proper treatment of travertine stone. Providing the highest quality travertine cleaning in Fresno and Clovis for 25 years
What is travertine
If you have ever been to Yellowstone National Park and marveled at all of the hot springs, you have seen travertine in its natural state. Many times this stone is formed in these types of hot springs. It is formed when the calcium carbonate from these springs rapidly hardens, and as the process continues it will turn into solid stone that can be quarried to make tiles or slabs of travertine stone.
Travertine is unique in that as the stone forms it will have natural voids in the stone itself. Many times these voids are filled with epoxy when the tiles or slabs are made. However, these filled areas over time can lose their bond and need to be repaired. If this is the case with your travertine ask your technician about filling these holes. Travertine is also a very soft stone so it can be easily scratched. In addition to its softness, it can be quickly damaged by acids such as fruit juice or sports drinks so special care needs to be taken with this surface.
So how is travertine cleaning done?
Many inexperienced companies mistake travertine for tile floors. This can end with disastrous results. Cleaning travertine floors should never be done in the same manner as man-made tile floors. First of all, travertine is a very soft stone and can be easily scratched using the wrong equipment. Secondly, this stone can also be damaged by harsh chemicals such as those used to clean man-made tile floors. So how do we do it? We take it one step at a time.
- First, we evaluate the condition of your floor. To see if there is any damage that will need to be addressed.
- Then we will vacuum the floor to remove any sand or grit that could damage the floor during the cleaning process.
- We will then use a brush to further break down these oils and soil getting the travertine ready for extraction.
- As well as the travertine surface we will use a special brush to loosen these contaminates from the gout lines in between the stone tiles as well so we can get them looking brand new again.
- Finally, we will extract the floor using a specialized tool designed to safely and completely remove these contaminants from your stone.
When you have your travertine cleaning done by Gold Standard Floor Care you can expect nothing less than superb results.
What about sealing travertine?
Most people don’t understand what sealing is supposed to do. Some think that a sealer should make the stone shiny. This is not the case. A stone that has a shine will have that shine from the factory. Travertine can range from dull to having a high shine. This shine is achieved by polishing with diamond abrasives, not by coating with a sealer. If your stone does not have a natural shine you should NOT put an artificial shine on it. This type of shine will not last and will cost you more in maintenance and frustration.
After your floor is clean we recommend having us apply a high-quality impregnating sealer. This type of sealer will be drawn into the surface of your stone. once they cure they will block liquids from penetrating the surface of the stone and causing staining.
We use only the highest quality sealers which are designed to last 25 years or more when properly maintained. Just ask your technician about proper maintenance procedures.