Travertine

Travertine Honing Restoring Travertine is a multi-step process. In order to get the finished product desired the stone must be ground down, honed, sealed, polished and buffed. Most people are pretty familiar with what it means to seal, polish and buff stone but why must the stone be ground down and honed first? What is honing?   Why Grind The Stone? Grinding the stone is a very important step that is also known as “flattening” or “lippage removal.” Most people who elect to have their natural stone ground down do it to avoid unsightly lippage and achieve a flat and uniform surface. Grinding it down softens all edges and roughness leaving you with a much higher quality looking product.   What Is Honing? Honing is the step of floor restoration that smooths and corrects the stone’s surface with special grit of diamond pads that make the stone surface smooth while not creating a super glossy finish. This is done in a process of repeated grinding and rubbing of the stone’s surface in an abrasive manner, much like sandpaper to wood. The natural state of Travertine is very porous and usually these surface holes are filled before honing. Honing your floors and counter tops will give the stone a very natural look, but, you must make special effort to clean up any spills as soon as possible to avoid damage to your honed surfaces.   Perks of Honing Travertine Honing is your best chance to remove deeply etched scratches, penetrated stains and help to give a more uniform appearance to the stone. In some cases honing is the only step required to bring back the beautiful appearance of stone.   Main Uses of Honed Travertine Honed travertine is used for a large variety of applications. Honed tiles are typically used for wet indoor areas such as kitchens and bathrooms. It’s also perfect for showers, patios, flooring, and counter tops as it is more resistant to water.   What is the difference between honed and not honed stone? Honed lacks the shininess and reflective qualities that polished stone has. Instead, it has a more satin-feel, smooth and velvety to the touch.   Modern Stone Care Address: 970 Bunker Hill Rd Houston, TX 77024 (832) 814–2041 https://restoreyourfloors.net/     

While Travertine is durable, it is also a natural and porous stone, which makes it especially vulnerable to staining. Travertine requires sealing to protect it from absorbing liquids and receiving superficial scratches. A sealant will not protect against all damage from acidic substances such as soda, wine or harsh chemicals found in cleaning products but it will reduce the impact and extend the longevity of the stone. The sealant acts as a barrier between the surface of the stone and any exterior influences that may come into contact with it to keep your Travertine beautiful for years.Often times, Travertine is sold with a thin coating of wax. In order to seal the travertine this wax layer must be removed from the stone. It should be noted that any wax remover used on Travertine must be free of all acidic ingredients to ensure the Travertine is not stained or damaged in the process.After ensuring all wax has been removed the stone must be thoroughly cleaned. Dry cleaning the Travertine with a rayon mop or static pad to remove all dirt and dust is crucial. Then it is recommended to go over it again with a hard surface safe vacuum. It’s important to get the Travertine as clean as possible while dry so when damp the grime doesn’t permeate the stone. Once the Travertine has been dry cleaned a specialized neutral or alkaline cleanser made for natural stone can be used. Dry the surface with a cotton or microfiber cloth and then allow the stone to breathe so the remaining moisture can evaporate. During this time restrict contact with the stone as much as possible.When the Travertine has sat and dried it is ready to be sealed. With a soft cloth or lambswool tool the sealer must be spread evenly over the Travertine. Working in small sections and from the farthest point of the room is recommended. After 30 minutes to an hour apply a second coat the same way. Remove the excess sealant and buff the rest out.It is important once the stone has been sealed and buffed to keep them untouched from furniture or foot traffic for 48-72 hours. Before moving things back into the room test the seal by sprinkling a few water drops on the Travertine. If sealed properly the water will form little beads on the surface instead of absorbing into the stone.   Modern Stone Care

Travertine is a natural stone with growing popularity all over the world. It’s become one of the most common choices for counter tops, floors, showers, outdoor landscaping and more. As the usage of Travertine expands the knowledge of how to properly protect and preserve the stone becomes more valuable.   In order to understand the upkeep of this stone it’s important to first understand what makes it unique. Travertine is the middle stage of limestone evolving into marble. It is formed by mineral springs through a process of rapid precipitation of carbonate minerals, often at the mouth of a hot spring or limestone cave. Regularly, there are voids or holes present from air pockets trapped during formation that some fabricators choose to fill. Travertine can be found in a wide range of colors. Some of the most common colors are ivory, beige, most shades of brown and even gold. Travertine is especially sensitive to acids and alkalis that are found in many familiar household items. Everything from tomato sauce, soft drinks and cleaning products pose an issue for the appearance and longevity of the stone. One of the most crucial elements to preserving Travertine is coating it with a protective sealant. A strong sealant will guard the stone against harsh chemicals, spills, scratches and other harmful influences. If a spill is to occur, immediate attention must be given to avoid a long term issue because the stone rapidly absorbs liquid as it is porous.   Regular dry maintenance, with a rayon mop, static pad or hard surface vacuum is required to remove dirt and debris that accumulates. It’s important to do this as often as possible because damp mopping is also required when caring for Travertine*. If the dry maintenance is neglected, a damp mop can cause the dry residue to take on a mud-like state that pushes into the grout** affecting the integrity of the stone. It is recommended to have Travertine professionally cleaned twice a year to ensure the stone maintains it’s pristine appearance. Travertine polishing takes care of superficial scratches, dull surfaces and minor etching from regular wear and tear. The polishing process should leave a deep, natural shine, with clarity and depth. In addition to improving the look of the stone, polishing it reinforces the stone’s seal. It is recommended to polish Travertine after every professional cleaning. *  https://restoreyourfloors.net//travertine/ **  https://restoreyourfloors.net//grout/       Modern Stone

Travertine is a special stone that comes in variety of different finishes. Travertine comes in what is defined as filled and unfilled. Meaning that travertine stone has natural holes that run throughout the stone. The filled travertine is exactly what means, the holes are filled presenting the stone with a smooth finish floors or other areas of your home.  Have you ever wanted to have your travertine floors polished? Whatever you want to do as far as restoration for your travertine floors, Modern Stone Care has the knowledge, training and experience for travertine polishing. We use top of the line diamond pads along with formulated compounds when working with polishing to get the excellent quality for flooring.    The travertine polishing technicians at Modern Stone Care can resolve almost any issues you might have encounter with having travertine. We’re experienced at fixing cracks and chips so well your floors look brand new. The solutions we use are both tender for the surface and environmentally friendly, everything that is brought up to the surface is vacuumed without leaving any traces. Our technicians use the proper travertine polishing techniques by cleaning tiles and removing debris.  The floors will be smooth out with sanding circular motion.  The intensity of the shine can vary from a honed matte like finish to a medium shine we can offer to a high gloss mirror like effect. The amount of fill blade marks, open pores can affect the shine quality especially when choosing to go with shinier finishes. Travertine at it’s finest when finished to a high gloss.  Homeowners can sometime be deceived by the confusing terminology when dealing with travertine polishing by the less diligent companies for a shiny travertine finish that can lead to expensive consequences later on.  The best method to achieving the shine you want for your floors is to use diamond polishing. You’ll get the high gloss shine you want with great clarity with our polishing services.  For further information about travertine floors and why having them polished would make an excellent addition to your home contact the natural stone flooring experts at Modern Stone Care.       Modern Stone Care  Address: 970 Bunker Hill Rd Houston, TX 77024  (832) 814–2041  https://restoreyourfloors.net//