Give Your Home a Luxurious Look with Travertine Tiles

Travertine, a type of limestone, though not as glossy and shiny as marble or granite, has wide applications ranging from exterior wall covering to interior flooring, garden paths, paving patios as well as urban furnishing. It is generally characterized by pitted holes and troughs in its surface. It is available in a variety of colors ranging from grey to coral-red. The Marble Man, Australia’s best natural stone restoration company, also specializes in installation, repair and restoration of travertine.

Problems Associated with Travertine and Their Possible Solutions

• The use of travertine in kitchens and heavily used bathrooms is not a very good idea since it gets easily etched by acids, juices as well as acid-based cleaning chemicals. Therefore, only alkaline and neutral cleaners are used to clean travertine surfaces. However, in case of polished travertine, alkaline products can damage the glossy and shiny finish of the surface, due to which use of neutral detergent is recommended.
• Travertine absorbs oil and other liquids, thus gets stained more easily than marble. Travertine can be used for countertops but that won’t be a prudent choice as it is usually affected by scratches, etches and stains. Travertine is an excellent choice for floorings and smaller spaces since it makes small spaces look spacious and airy.
• Moreover travertine possesses a vacuolar structure. That is throughout its structure it has cavities which easily accumulate dust and dirt, thus damaging the stone. So, as a usual practice travertine is plastered so as to prevent grave damage while cleaning.

Maintenance of Travertine

There are varieties of stone finishes for travertine namely polished, honed, brushed and tumbled. The harder types of travertine give a highly polished glossy finish, though the most commonly used type is the honed one.

• Travertine is one of the most porous natural stones available and the best way to protect them from stains is to treat the travertine surface with a sealer.
• Another widely used method of protecting travertine surfaces is waxing. Traditional polish wax is generally recommended for home flooring whereas for public installations, self-shining wax such as metalized wax shall be used.
• Since travertine gets stained and etched easily, placing beverage glasses on travertine surfaces should be avoided as it leave rings. Wipe up acid spill immediately with wet cloth. However if surface is already etched, polishing may be required.
• Poultice is also a highly recommended solution for stained travertine surfaces, when normal cleaning procedure may not help. A paste is created by combining recommended stone cleaner and baking powder which is applied over the stain. It slowly draws the stain out and can be later removed by warm water.

Travertine is a popular choice among real estate agents because of the luxurious look and feel it offers. If you wish to incorporate travertine in your home, hire The Marble Man for installation, suggestions regarding protection of the stones from stain and etches, and its routine maintenance.