Travertine Tile Cleaning

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find detailed examples of the cleaning and renovation of Travertine tiles carried out in South Middlesex

Cleaning and Polishing Travertine tiles

Travertine is a natural material that has unique features and colouring that no other stone can offer. The distinctive look of Travertine creates some of the most distinguished floor tiles and has proved very popular with commercial and residential use. It can be used for floor tile, kitchen flooring, bathroom walls and floors, and it is often used externally. There are many varieties such as Tumbled and Polished and like all natural stone it needs to be sealed to prevent dirt becoming trapped in the pores. Unlike other stones however Travertine does suffer from pitting however these holes can be filled.

One of the main issues with polished Travertine is the polish starts to wear down with use and eventually becomes dull. Another issue we see is acid etching where strong unsuitable cleaning products used on the stone etch the surface and ruin its appearance. To resolve both these problems the stone needs to be re-polished with diamond encrusted burnishing pads of different grits to hone the stone and bring back that deep shine. If this sounds familiar you should talk to us about our annual maintenance program where we visit you once a year to clean, polish and seal your floor thus keeping it in top condition.

Below you will find detailed examples of work we have carried out in the past, it should give you some idea of what’s involved and what can be achieved with the right techniques and products.


Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovation Feltham

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Feltham

This Travertine stone floor had been installed in a property in Feltham eight years ago and hadn’t been professionally cleaned since. The appearance of the stone had slowly degraded during that time with dirt and stains building up in the pores of the stone and especially the grout which had darkened. My client had found it impossible to get it clean and restore the nice original finish. They had tried multiply household cleaners and had finally given in and contacted Tile Doctor.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Feltham Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Feltham

I visited the property and after surveying the tile and grout formulated a plan for its recovery. It was clear to me that the sealer that would protect the stone had long since worn off and now dirt was filling the pores making it impossible to clean. Without the use of some specialist products and equipment they were never going to be able to improve that on their own.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Feltham

I discussed with them the process for deep cleaning and renovating the floor and they agreed to go ahead with my quote. We agreed a date for my return to do the work which would take a couple of days.

Deep Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor and Grout

I returned the following month and started work by taping up the wooden skirting boards, kitchen plinths and architrave to protect them from splashing during cleaning. To deep clean the stone and grout I set about applying a combination of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and Tile Doctor Pro-Clean diluted with water to break up the soils and greases from the kitchen floor. This was left to soak in for ten minutes before being scrubbed in with a heavy-duty machine scrubber, alongside hand scrubbing the grout lines and deeper cracks.

After this, we low pressure washed and vacuumed the floor, flushing all the cleaning products and soils away. The process was repeated again to deal with a couple of areas that were particularly stubborn. Once this was complete the floor was left to dry out overnight, so it would be ready to receive a sealer the following day.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

The next morning I checked the floor for moisture using a damp meter and confirmed the tile and grout had dried out and was now ready for sealing. For this I applied two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer allowing time to dry between each coat. Colour Grow is a versatile impregnating sealer that soaks into the pores protecting the stone and grout from within, its colour enhancing formula also helps to bring out the Brown shades in Travertine to improve the overall appearance. Additionally, this sealer leaves a matt finish rather than anything too shiny which the client was keen to avoid.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Sealing Feltham

Once complete the floor looked clean and the different shades of Travertine tile really contrasted well together. My client had forgotten how beautiful their stone tiles are and were very happy with its improvement. The new sealer will provide a durable barrier from soils and spillages in the future allowing the floor to maintain its appearance for many years to come.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Sealing Feltham

For ongoing maintenance, I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap, this product is pH neutral and is suitable for sealed stone floors. Its effective yet mild enough to use daily if needed and goes a long way once diluted. You must be careful when selected a cleaning product for a sealed floor as many stronger products you find in supermarkets can degrade the sealer prematurely.

 

Professional Restoration of a Travertine Tiled Kitchen in South Middlesex

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Travertine Tiled Floor Renovated Staines

Travertine Tiles Cleaned and Sealed in a Staines Kitchen

This client in Staines was unhappy with the appearance of their Travertine tiled kitchen floor and I was asked to pop round and see what could be done to improve their appearance.

After surveying the floor, I could see the grout had become badly stained and the natural pits in the Travertine had trapped a lot of dirt which had accumulated and formed black spots. Kitchen floors are the most hard-working in any house and with a build-up of cooking oils and other soils ingrained into the pores of the Travertine it was clear any sealer that had once protected the stone was no longer effective.

Travertine Stone Floor Before Cleaning Staines-upon-Thames

My proposed solution was to deep clean the floor with a particular focus on the grout and pitting and then replace the sealer to protect it going forward. I presented my quote, and they were happy to go ahead.

Travertine Stone Floor Before Cleaning Staines-upon-Thames

Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

To get the tile and grout clean I started with the application of a mixture of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean combined with Tile Doctor Remove and Go. Remove and Go is basically a stripper that is very good at breaking down grease and oil, alongside removing old sealer from the stone whilst Pro-Clean is an excellent grout cleaner. This combination makes a powerful cleaning cocktail and was scrubbed into the stone with a Black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine. The scrubbing action gets the cleaning fluid into the pores of the stone and thoroughly flushes out the soiling which is then removed using a low-pressure machine that rinses and extracts using a vacuum.

Once done the floor was inspected and then the process repeated in a couple of stubborn areas, again thoroughly rinsing, and extracting afterwards. All traces of the cleaning products need to be removed as they would undermine the sealer which follows. At this point the floor was looking so much better and I was able to leave it to dry out overnight.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

The following day, work started by testing the moisture levels in the floor with the damp meter. You can’t seal a damp floor so I like to make sure its dry first. The floor was sealed with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer which is an impregnating sealer that works by occupying the small pores in the stone thereby ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can easily be removed. This product also contains an enhancer that lifts the natural colours and contrasts in the Travertine whilst adding excellent protection against soiling and spillages. The perfect choice for this floor.

Travertine Stone Floor After Cleaning Staines-upon-Thames Travertine Stone Floor After Cleaning Staines-upon-Thames

As you can see from the pictures the floor was much improved, the modern kitchen looked new again, it had given the room a new lease of life. You must be careful what you use to clean a sealed floor as many household products are simply too strong and will break down the sealer. So, for aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild pH neutral cleaner that can be used regularly and will not compromise the newly applied sealant

Travertine Stone Floor After Cleaning Staines-upon-Thames

 

Professional Renovation of a Travertine Tiled Kitchen in Middlesex

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Travertine Tiled Floor Renovation Twickenham

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Renovation in Twickenham

I recently visited a property in Twickenham to survey their Travertine tiled. kitchen floor. The tiles were installed six years ago but the floor had not been professionally cleaned or sealed since. The kitchen was the busiest room in the house and experienced foot traffic from the garden as well as the hallway. The sealer had worn down over the years and now dirt was becoming ingrained into the pores of the stone and there were stains from cooking oils in the floor around the main cooking area.

Travertine Floor Renovation Before Renovation Twickenham

The stone and grout had darkened with the dirt it now carried so I carried out a small cleaning test to confirm my suspicions. The test went well and gave the stone and grout a much lighter and cleaner appearance and contrasted well against its neighbour.

Travertine Floor Renovation Before Renovation Twickenham

The homeowner could clearly see just how dirty the floor had become and satisfied that I would be able to do a good job on the floor give me the go ahead to clean the whole floor and then seal it afterwards.

Cleaning and Restoring a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

The Travertine was really dirty so to give the cleaning process a boost I created a potent mix of two strong Tile Doctor cleaning products called Pro-Clean and Remove and Go and left it to dwell on the floor to allow time to start breaking down the dirt. I chose these two as Pro-Clean has a great reputation for cleaning grout and Remove and Go for removing old sealers and coatings.

After fifteen minutes I set about scrubbing the tiles with a rotary floor buffer fitted with a black pad to break up the inground dirt. The pad can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout line, so this was followed by hand scrubbing the grout lines. Once done the now soiled and dark cleaning solution was extracted using a wet vacuum. The floor was then inspected, and the process completed until I was satisfied and followed up with spot cleaning a few areas with stubborn stains.

Travertine Floor Renovation During Renovation Twickenham

As you can see from the pictures, the difference made it well worth doing. After a final rinse with water and extraction with the wet vacuum the floor was then left overnight to dry out.

Travertine Floor Renovation During Renovation Twickenham

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

The following day the floor was tested with the damp meter to check its moisture levels and ensure the floor was ready to accept a sealer. The tiles had dried out nicely and so the first of what would be two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer were applied to the floor. This is a premium colour enhancing sealer that works from within by occupying the tiny pores in the stone where dirt would otherwise reside. The sealer will ensure dirt remains on the surface of the tile and grout where it can be easily removed and help protect the stone from spillages.

Travertine Floor Renovation After Renovation Twickenham

For aftercare cleaning I like to recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This is a gentle neutral pH cleaner that can be used frequently. It has a nice fresh fragrance, and as its concentrated a small amount goes a long way. It will also help to protect the newly applied sealant. This is important and most supermarket floor cleaning products are simply too strong for use on a sealed floor and can prematurely degrade the sealer.

The client was delighted with the work we had carried out, the kitchen had been transformed and were now confident they could maintain it. If you would like a no obligation quotation to clean your natural stone or ceramic tiled floor, please get in touch.

Travertine Floor Renovation After Renovation Twickenham

 

Professional Restoration of a Travertine Tiled Kitchen in South Middlesex

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Travertine Floor Renovation Walton-on-Thames Middlesex

Travertine Floor Cleaned and Sealed in Walton-On-Thames

Our client had inherited this Travertine floor when purchasing in a lovely street in Walton-On-Thames, close by was the River Thames which runs all the way into London. The new owners were unhappy with the floor in that it did not look very clean, and they were keen to get this rectified. I arranged a site visit to survey the floor and see what could be done to restore its appearance.

Travertine Floor Before Cleaning Walton-on-Thames

The floor itself was in good physical condition, however, it was apparent from the level of dirt ingrained in the stone that it had not been maintained very well by the previous owner. I carried out a small test clean which came out well and they could see straight away what the floor should look really like! They were happy with my renovation quote and we agreed a mutually convenient time where I could work in relation to the COVID guidelines.

Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

The Travertine floor was scrubbed using a mixture of Tile Doctor Pro Clean and Remove and Go. These are heavy duty cleaning products designed for use on tile and stone can be combined to form a powerful cleaning/stripping solution which is left to dwell on the floor surface. After a short while the solution was worked into the stone using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad.

This cleaning recipe works extremely well breaking down dirt, stains, and grease in the stone. Following a machine scrub and a more manual hand scrub of the grout lines, we then pressure rinsed the soil away and then it was extracted using an industrial wet vacuum. In a couple of areas, it was necessary to repeat the process to ensure it was completely clean. Once we were satisfied that the stone was fresh and clean, the floor was left to dry off overnight, so it would be ready for sealing the following day.

Travertine Floor During Cleaning Walton-on-Thames

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

After drying overnight, the floor was checked with a damp meter to make sure it was dry. Once reassured I started with the application of the fresh sealer to the floor using Tile Doctor Colour Grow Sealer which is a colour enhancing sealer that works from within by soaking into the pores of the stone. Several coats were applied allowing each one to dry before applying the next. This sealer does not provide a glossy finish, just a nice natural sheen. This brought back the contrast and natural colours in the stone, whilst adding protection to stone for many years to come.

Travertine Floor After Cleaning Walton-on-Thames

The client was very happy with the work we carried out, the floor had come up much better than they had expected, and it really made a difference to the lovely kitchen space. The floor looked like new. I recommended the regular use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap for future cleaning which will keep the floor in great condition and ensure the longevity of the newly applied sealant.

 

Professional Restoration of a Travertine Tiled Kitchen in South Middlesex

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Travertine Tile Grout Before After Cleaning Sunbury-on-Thames

Professional clean of a Travertine Tiled floor in Sunbury-on-Thames

This client got in touch about cleaning their Travertine Tiled floor which they were struggling to get clean. They had been using all the usual household floor cleaners, but nothing was having the desired effect. The property was in the lovely village of Sunbury On Thames within the borough of Spelthorne. I’m based in nearby Shepperton and so it wasn’t long before I was able to pop over and take a look at the problematic floor.

Travertine Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Sunbury-on-Thames

It turns out the Travertine floor which was installed throughout the hallway and kitchen had not been professionally cleaned since its’ installation twelve years prior. As you can see from the pictures, the old sealer that was protecting the Travertine had long since worn off and this in turn had allowed soils and spillages to penetrate deep into the pores of the stone and grout. The sealers demise may have been accelerated with the use of overly strong cleaning products but given it not been professionally cleaned for twelve years it was well overdue a deep clean and reseal.

I discussed with the client what we could do to clean the floor and demonstrated my proposed cleaning process on part of the floor. They were very satisfied with the demonstration and were happy to go ahead with my quote. The work would take two days to complete, one day for cleaning and a second day for sealing.

Travertine Tiled Floor Before Cleaning Sunbury-on-Thames

Deep Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Floor in Sunbury-on-Thames

Working in sections I started by spraying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean on the floor and left if to soak in while I set up a floor buffing machine with a black scrubbing pad. After about ten minutes I ran the buffing machine over the working area, the machine was set to run at slow speed to reduce splashing. This action broke down the soils and helped lift the marks and stains out of the stone.

Tile Doctor Pro-Clean is a concentrated, multi-purpose high-alkaline cleaner, stripper and degreaser. The strong dilution of one-part cleaner to two parts water would ensure it would clean the floor and strip off any old sealers present on the tiles. Once the Travertine had been cleaned in this way, I ran a narrow brush along the grout lines to ensure they were also scrubbed clean.

Travertine Tiled Floor During Cleaning Sunbury-on-Thames

After scrubbing a low-pressure rinsing machine was used to rinse the floor with water and extract all the dirt and cleaning products off the floor. After a final inspection the floor was then left to dry out overnight to leave the stone ready to receive a new seal the following day.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Floor in Sunbury-on-Thames

I returned the next morning and tested the floor with a moisture meter to ensure the Travertine was dry. The results were good, so we set about applying two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a colour enhancing sealer that soaks into the pores of the stone thus preventing dirt from becoming ingrained there. The sealer really brought put the contrast back into the stone by enhancing the colour whilst giving it the protection it needed to prevent future spillages staining the tiles.

Travertine Tiled Floor After Cleaning Sunbury-on-Thames

The client was very happy with the result, the finished floor looked much lighter and 100% cleaner, the beauty of the natural stone was really apparent, and the grout which was once dark and was now white again.

For aftercare I recommended they avoid purchasing supermarket floor cleaners, the majority of which are too strong for sealed stone and let them with a bottle of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. This is a pH neutral solution that will not prematurely erode the sealer and is highly concentrated, so a small bottle lasts a long time.

Travertine Tiled Floor After Cleaning Sunbury-on-Thames

 

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Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Before After Cleaning Shepperton

Dirty Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Deep Cleaned and Sealed in Shepperton

This dirty Travertine tiled kitchen floor was installed at a house in the village of Shepperton in the borough of Spelthorne and most famous for the TV studios nearby. The Travertine tile had not been deep cleaned and sealed since installation, eight years prior and if you have been following my blog you will have probably guessed correctly that the protective sealer had worn off and dirt was now becoming trapped in the pores of the stone making it difficult to clean effectively.

The customer asked us to visit and discuss what their options were, they had been trying to clean and maintain the floor using every day household products. It just wouldn’t clean up and they felt it just looked dirty all the time. Sealers rarely last eight years on a stone floor and in this case the use of strong supermarket cleaning products had probably accelerated its demise.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Shepperton Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor Before Cleaning Shepperton

As you can see from the pictures the dirt and cooking grease had penetrated the stone and made it look really dirty. I talked them through the process and what could be done and completed a small cleaning demonstration which worked well. We agreed a price for the work and a mutually convenient date to complete the work for them, it would take two days.

Deep Cleaning a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned on the agreed date and started by cleaning process by pre-spraying the Travertine tile and grout with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go. This product is a multi-purpose stripper formulated to remove most sealers and coatings from Tile and Stone. It works best when left to dwell for ten minutes before being scrubbed in and in this instance my aim was to break down the cooking greases and any remaining sealant that was left in the stone. To scrub the solution into the floor I used a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary floor machine.

To the floor pads can struggle to reach into the recesses of the grout so for that I apply a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and manually scrub it into the grout lines using a stiff grout brush. This alkaline chemical gives a deeper clean, getting to the deep-rooted dirt, it breaks it all down and leaves just the soil ready to be rinsed away.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor During Cleaning Shepperton Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor During Cleaning Shepperton

To remove the soil created by the cleaning process I use a spinner tool operating at low pressure. This is a clever piece of machinery that forces hot water onto the floor whilst simultaneously removing it along with the residue using a vacuum. It leaves the floor clean of the dirt released from the pores of the stone during the cleaning process and relatively dry. The floor needs to be dry before sealing so it was left to dry off fully overnight.

Sealing a Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor

The next day I tested the floor with a damp meter to ensure it was dry and the results confirmed we were able to proceed. To seal the floor two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow were applied allowing the first coat to dry before applying the second. This product is an impregnator that seeps into the pores of the stone occupying the pores and protecting the floor from within. As well as protecting the Travertine from stains from spillages and day to day soiling this product also enhances the natural brown colours in the Travertine improving its appearance.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Shepperton Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Shepperton

Once the second coat had dried the floor looked much cleaner and fresher and the client was over the moon with the results. We discussed aftercare and I suggested they use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, it’s a pH neutral formula that will not prematurely degrade the sealer maximising the length of protection that it gives. If they were to continue using the household cleaners many of which are acid based, they would find the newly applied sealer is slowly stripped off the floor leaving the stone unprotected and they will be back to square one.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Shepperton Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor After Cleaning Shepperton

 

Professional Cleaning of a Travertine Tiled Kitchen in Spelthorne

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Travertine Floor Before After Cleaning in Hampton

Polishing Travertine Tiled Kitchen Floor in Hampton

These Travertine tiles installed in the kitchen of a house in Hampton, Middlesex were looking flat and un-interesting and in need of some maintenance to put the life back into the floor. The old sealer had clearly worn down and had allowed soil to penetrate the tile and grout. There were also acidic etch marks across the floor which would need polishing out.

Travertine Floor Before Burnishing in Hampton
Fact is If you want a polished stone floor to keep its appearance then it will need a regular maintenance plan in place, without it the stone will lose its polish and start to look dull and un-inviting which I’m sure is a familiar story for many of you reading this post, the upside is of course that Travertine is an amazing natural stone which does look fantastic when properly maintained.

Travertine Floor Before Burnishing in Hampton

Cleaning and Re-Surfacing Travertine Floor Tiles

To start with, we cleaned the tiles and grout with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a strong cleaner which being alkaline is safe to use on stone. The floor was then rinsed thoroughly with water and removed the soiled water with a wet vacuum.

Following the initial clean we then proceeded to re-surface the tiles with Tile Doctor diamond burnishing pads which come in a pack of four pads of different grades from coarse to extra fine. This cut back through the tile to remove the etch marks, then by applying the finer grades of diamond pads resurfaced the Travertine and brought back the shiny finish that was missing.

The floor was given a final rinse with water to remove any soil created by the burnishing which was then extracted using the wet vacuum and left to dry off overnight.

Sealing Travertine Floor Tiles

I returned the next day to seal the floor, checking first that the floor had dried overnight which it had. Two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow were, making sure that the first coat had dried before applying the second. Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the fine pores of the stone protecting the floor from within and ensuring that soils and spills are easily removed.

Travertine Floor After Burnishing in Hampton
For the regular cleaning of stone floors, we recommend Tile Doctor Stone Soap which has been specially designed for the cleaning of polished stone floors.

Travertine Floor After Burnishing in Hampton

Travertine Stone Floor Cleaned, Polished and Sealed in Middlesex

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Travertine Tiled Kitchen Ottershaw After Cleaning

Travertine Kitchen Floor Cleaning in Ottershaw

This Travertine tiled kitchen floor in Ottershaw, Surrey, was in need of a deep clean, strip out the old sealer and re-seal to ensure easy maintenance in the future. Being a high traffic area the tiles had accumulated a high amount of soil over the years. There was also marking from breakfast stools which are visible in the picture.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Ottershaw Before Cleaning Travertine Tiled Kitchen Ottershaw Before Cleaning

Firstly, I rotary machine scrubbed the floor using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean high alkaline cleaner. This broke down the soil and released it along with the remaining old sealer which was then pressure rinsed to ensure all of the dirt was removed from the pores. Following this, I used diamond encrusted burnishing pads to cut back through the stone and remove the marks from the chairs and fine scratches. After restoring the surface to a satin finish with the finer pads, the floor was left to dry out.

Cleaning Travertine Tiles

I gave the floor a scrub with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a strong alkaline tile cleaning product safe to use on Tile, Stone and Grout, this was mopped onto the floor and then scrubbed in using a rotary machine; grout lines were done by hand using a stiff scrubbing brush.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Ottershaw Before Cleaning
This broke down the soil releasing it along with the old sealer and the tiles then pressure rinsed to ensure all the dirt was removed from the pores of the tile.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Ottershaw During Cleaning Travertine Tiled Kitchen Ottershaw During Cleaning

In order to remove stubborn marks, fine scratches and finish the floor was cut back and re-polished using a set of diamond abrasive burnishing pads fitted to a heavy rotary machine. You start with the coarse pad which cuts through the stone and removes any remaining old sealer and soil and then smooth off the surface ready to receive a new seal using the medium, fine and extra fine pads until a highly polished finish is achieved.

Sealing Travertine Tiles

The floor was then left for twenty four hours to allow it to dry and then I returned to seal the Travertine and Grout using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is an impregnating sealer that repels liquid and soil so contaminates cannot become ingrained in the stone making it easier to clean in the future. As you can see from the pictures, it transformed the look of the floor and brightened up the kitchen.

Travertine Tiled Kitchen Ottershaw After Cleaning Travertine Tiled Kitchen Ottershaw After Cleaning

 

Deep cleaning travertine tiles in Ottershaw

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Tumbled Travertine After Cleaning in Teddington

Deep Cleaning Dirty Tumbled Travertine Kitchen Tiles in Teddington

Another Tumbled Travertine kitchen floor, this time in Teddington and much dirtier than the previous post. The grout was badly stained and dirt had built up in the pores of the tile causing it to go black and very un-appealing. Normally a sealer would stop this from happening and I suspect these tiles had either never been sealed or the sealer had worn off some time before.

Tumbled Travertine Before Cleaning in Teddington Tumbled Travertine Before Cleaning in Teddington

Cleaning Tumbled Travertine Tiles

The tiles were in need of a seriously deep clean so decided to clean it using a 50/50 dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and NanoTech Ultra Clean which adds tiny abrasive particles into an already powerful cleaning agent. This was left to soak into the floor for twenty minutes before being scrubbed in with a using a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. The combination worked and the soiled cleaning solution was black with dirt which was washed off using clean water and a wet vacuum. This action was repeated until I was happy with the condition of the tiles; during the second clean a stiff brush was used along the grout lines to get them clean. The last step was to give the floor a thorough rinse to remove any trace of cleaning product before sealing.

Tumbled Travertine After Cleaning in Teddington

Sealing Tumbled Travertine Tiles

The floor was then left for 24 hours to allow the floor to dry and when I returned I checked the floor was dry with a damp meter to double check before sealing it with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer which fills the pores of the travertine so dirt cannot become trapped and is easily cleaned off the surface.

Tumbled Travertine After Cleaning in Teddington

 
 

Cleaning Dirty Tumbled Travertine Tiles in Middlesex

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Tumbled Travertine in Twickenham After Cleaning

Tumbled Travertine Tiled Floor Maintained in Twickenham

This Tumbled Travertine kitchen floor in Twickenham, Middlesex was in need of a deep clean including stripping out the old sealer and re-sealing to ensure easy maintenance in the future. The floor had not been professionally cleaned and re-sealed for over 10 years and being in a high traffic area, the tiles had accumulated a high amount of soil over the years. There were also holes in the Travertine where the filler had broken out.

Tumbled Travertine in Twickenham Before Cleaning Tumbled Travertine in Twickenham Before Cleaning

Cleaning Tumbled Travertine Tiles

The first job was to scrub a concentrated solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean in to the floor using a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad; unlike some acidic cleaners Pro-Clean is a powerful alkaline cleaner that is safe to use on tile and stone. This broke down the soil and released it along with the remaining old sealer which was then pressure rinsed to ensure all of the dirt was removed from the pores. Following the cleaning, I then filled the holes that were visible with flexible filler.

Sealing Tumbled Travertine Tiles

The floor was then left fir 24 hours to allow the floor to dry and then sealed by applying two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is an impregnating sealer which will repel liquid and soil going forward making it easier to maintain.

Tumbled Travertine in Twickenham After Cleaning Tumbled Travertine in Twickenham After Cleaning

Hopefully you can appreciate from the pictures the difference this has made to the floor; if you live in the Middlesex area and need help with your stone, tile or grout please ask us to pop round for a free quote.

Maintaining Tumbled Travertine Tiles in Middlesex

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South Middlesex Tile Doctor

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