Travertine polishing is done in 3 different ways, the first is done with travertine polishing powders, the second is done with Diamond resin discs/pads and the third way is a crystallizer polish. All 3 ways have there pro's and con's and we will go over each of them, educate you and hopefully help guide you to decide what is best for you.
Travertine polishing powders are great for achieving a deep high shine, it can be used solo or after honing with diamond discs which is where it does its best job. There are alot of different polishing powders out there for travertine tile and all of them are worked in a different way, for example some polishing powders are hotter then others meaning there acidic profile is stronger and when working with these powders you really need to know what you are doing and properly neutralize all areas you are completing.
We use a travertine polishing powder that is hotter but carries a PH buffer which helps not etch surrounding areas. Travertine polishing powders work by reacting with the calcium in the stone, it actually melts it to create a harder, denser and shiny surface which last a good amount of time but can generally fade away as the years go by.
Travertine polishing using diamond disc/pads is the best way to get the most clarity out of your stone, disc and pads use a grit system from as low as 50 grit and goes up to 8000 grit. The lower the grit the more you will cut into the stone and the higher the grit brings clarity and shine. The way these disc and pads work is the lightly scratch and wet sand the surface, they are very effective in removing damaged areas and getting your stone to its highest clarity, when we use this combined with the travertine polishing powders you get the best of both worlds, you get a nice deep high shine with excellent clarity.
We use a system called Bonestre and the are originally out of Spain but opened a location here in Phoenix a few years back and in our opinion (backed by 24 years experience) are the best disc and pads on the market.
Crystalizing polish is the last way we polish travertine, crystallizer is spray that we put on the travertine tile and use a hog hair pads to buff it, it uses heat and friction to create a hard shell on the surface. This process is most used in places like Las Vegas where they have a lot of stone and need to keep the shine all the time.
This process is not used by use that often as it doesn't last a very long time, some stones react very well to it and it is best to be used as a maintenance polish between regular polishing.
We offer a wide veriety of services for all you travertine needs, check out some of our travertine polishing services and let us know if we can be of any help.
Our satin package is a great package for anyone looking to get a nice smooth finish without a high reflective shine.
Step 1 - Cleaning
Our first step is to thoroughly clean both the travertine tile and grout to remove any and all dirt and debris, we do this by spraying a stone safe cleaner down, scrub both the travertine and grout and then power wash the travertine flooring with our truck mounted unit which cleans at 1500 psi and 220 degree water.
Step 2 - Honing
After we have completely cleaned the travertine tile we will start the honing process to achieve the satin finish you want, we do this by using 1-2 different diamond resin pads, this process is a light wet sanding of the travertine surface with a 17 buffer creating a nice smooth satin look to the flooring. After the honing we extract all slurry leaving your travertine flooring looking beautiful.
Step 3 - Repairs
When we finish the the honing and the travertine flooring drys out, we will go through and fill any holes we see that can be filled.
Step 4 - Sealing
This is our last step and one of the most important steps in the process, Travertine tile is very porous and will absorb everything if not sealed properly, we apply a hybrid solvent sealer that is formulated for travertine flooring. We do this by spraying the sealer down, flooding the whole area, allow it to absorb in and then finally buff the surface to remove any haze left behind.
Our semi gloss package is a great package for anyone looking to get a nice smooth semi shiny finish on their travertine floors.
Step 1 - CleaniNG
First, we need to thoroughly clean both the travertine tiles and the grout, this will remove any and all dirt and debris. We start by spraying a stone safe cleaner onto the tiles and grout, scrub everything and use our SX-15, our truck mounted unit which cleans at 1500 psi and 220 degree water, to power wash the travertine flooring.
Step 2 - Honing
Second, we will start the honing process to achieve the semi-gloss finish you are looking to achieve. For this step we use 2-3 different diamond resin pads at different grits. These discs not only bring the travertine stone to a semi gloss they also remove scratches and etch marks by removing the top layers of the stone through a light, wet sanding process. After the honing we extract all slurry leaving your travertine flooring looking beautiful.
Step 3 - Repairs
Third, after cleaning and honing we let the travertine flooring dry out, meanwhile we will go through and fill any holes we see that can be filled.
Step 4 - Sealing
Last, this is one of the most important steps in the process, Travertine tile, being a natural stone is very porous and will absorb everything if not sealed properly. To help protect your travertine tile from staining we apply a hybrid solvent sealer that is formulated for travertine flooring. We spray the sealer down and flood the area, let it dwell and absorb in and then buff away any remaining haze. This package leaves your travertine floors protected and semi shiny.
Our high shine package is our most popular package and is a great package for anyone looking to get high reflective shine not heir travertine tiles.
Step 1 - Cleaning
We start by thoroughly cleaning the travertine tiles and the grout lines. We use a stone safe cleaner that we spray onto the travertine and the grout, we agitate the grout lines, then scrub everything. Next we use our state of the art truck mounted system to rinse and extract all water and chemicals. This machine power washes the travertine tile at 1500 PSI with 220 degree water. Giving your travertine the best possible cleaning.
Step 2 - POlishing
Next we polish using polishing powders that react with the calcium in the travertine tiles that makes the stone more dense and brings out the natural shine from within the stone.
Step 3 - Repairs
While the travertine tiles dry out a bit we fill in any holes with a product we use specifically for travertine.
Step 4 - Sealing
Once we are done doing all requested repairs that we can, we seal the travertine tiles and the grout. We use a hybrid solvent penetrating sealer that absorbs into the stone, clogs the pores and helps prevent staining. This is one of the most important steps when having your travertine floors cleaned. Travertine is very porous and can/will absorb and stain if not properly sealed.
Our full restoration package is perfect for travertine floors that have a lot of damage and that need more attention then others.
Step 1 - Cleaning
To get the best possible cleaning we use our truck mounted system. First we spray the travertine with a stone safe cleaner, then we scrub the tiles and grout lines, then we use our high heat, high pressure system to rinse and extract. The truck mount is using 220 degree water at 1500PSI. This blasts all the dirt and grime out/off the travertine leaving you with the most thorough cleaning.
Step 2 - Honing/POLISHING
Once, everything is all clean we start the honing and polishing step. First we hone the floors with 1-3 diamond resin discs to remove etching, scratches and to prepare the travertine floors for polishing. Once the floor is all prepared we polish. To get the highest possible shine we use a polishing powder that reacts with the calcium within the stone to bring out the natural shine and the reaction makes the stone more dense as well. This step leaves your floors looking beautiful.
Step 3 - Repairs
Once the high shine is achieved we go around and fill in any holes that we can and let the stone dry out a bit.
Step 4 - Sealing/DENSIFiER
The most important part of the full restoration package is the sealing. We use a hybrid solvent sealer to help protect from staining. This sealer will absorb into the travertine tile, clog the pores and act as a barrier to help prevent substances from seeping into the stone. A densifier is added to maximize the density of the travertine surface which will help with the longevity of the shine and the travertine tile it's self.
We have cleaned, sealed, honed and polished well over a million sq. feet of travertine tile in our 24 years of servicing the valley. You can take peace of mind when hiring us for your travertine flooring needs.
This travertine tile was coated with a wax for years and the HO wanted to finally get it professionally done so the flooring wouldn't scratch and fade anymore. When we strip wax off we have to spray a stripper down, let it dwell, scape the wax off with blades, then scrub the entire floor with a 17 inch buffer. After we remove the wax from the travertine tile we power wash the entire flooring to remove any remaining wax, dirt and debris.
Once we have completely cleaned the travertine tile, we start the honing process to remove any damage and open up the calcium in the travertine stone, after the honing we run our travertine polishing powder, this powder reacts with the calcium in the stone to increase the density and create a high shine.
The final step in the process is one of the most important of all, the sealer, we apply the sealer by spray it down, flooding the travertine tile, letting it absorb in and then buff off any residue left behind.
This home was purchased and the new HO wanted to get as much out of the travertine tile as possible, so we started off by cleaning the entire flooring to remove all dirt and debris.
After the travertine cleaning, we honed the whole floor with diamond disc to remove damage and get the most clarity we could get, after the honing we polished the travertine tile with our polishing powder to create a deep and beautiful shine.
The final step as always is the hybrid solvent sealer to stop things from absorbing into the travertine and damaging the floor.
Yes, travertine tile can almost always be restored. Since travertine is a soft stone we can hone it down to produce a smooth finish.
When travertine tile is scratched we fix them by honing the scratches out with either our 7 inch variable speed wet polisher or our 17 inch buffer.
There is a lot of cleaners out there but most of them are not good for travertine tile, you want to find a neutral PH cleaner that is safe for stone, no acidic or high PH cleaners should be used.
Travertine is of form of limestone and made up of calcium carbonate, known as calcite.
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