Everything You Wanted to Know About Travertine Cleaning But Were Afraid to Ask

Travertine cleaning is not for some people.  If you don't have the knowledge then don't start.

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Travertine Cleaning in Los Angeles

Travertine is a natural stone such as marble, limestone, granite, etc.   Travertine forms differently than a lot of other stones, and it appears.  Travertine is formed in either limestone caves or hot springs.   Travertine is in a way, the Swiss cheese of stones, as when it's formed bubbles of carbon dioxide leave gaps in the formation of the stone.  When it's cut into tiles, travertine tile is filled with a resin.  Because of this, you should only work with a professional tile cleaning service in Los Angeles to clean your travertine.

Travertine is quarried in large pits and are cut into large blocks which are then further cut down at factories to tiles, pavers, mosaics, etc.  After the shape's done, then a finish is applied to the stone.  Most of the travertine found in the USA comes from Turkey.  There is a big difference between premium grade travertine, commercial grade, and A grade.   Travertine is graded by  the holes within the stone. Generally speaking, the more holes it has, the lower the quality.  Obviously there is a big difference in price. Also keep in mind that some travertine comes with a honed and filled finish. Since the filling is a uniform color, it's  easy to tell if the stone you're looking at is filled. The difference between premium grade and commercial grade lies in the amount of filling used. A honed and filled travertine tile with a whole lot of filling is considered of lower quality compared to a tile with minimal filling.  What does this mean where travertine cleaning is concerned?  Simple your travertine is an investment.

Travertine Cleaning: Protect Your Investment

What you don't know about travertine can hurt you.  Even though it's a different stone than marble or limestone, a lot of the same care instructions apply.  For one, no harsh chemicals.  So leave the bleach, ammonia, or whatever store bought solution you're thinking of using on your travertine under the sink or back on the store shelf.  Why?  Because anything harsh can easily damage your travertine, the resin filling, or both.  For a stone as hard as it is, travertine is really easy to mess up if you don't know what you're doing.

Simply spilling some orange juice or coffee on the tile can immediately start to damage it. Why?  Because travertine doesn't react well to anything acidic.  Some so called miracle travertine cleaning products can do even worse.

So remember, be smart.  Hire a professional tile cleaning service in Los Angeles to clean your travertine.

Morris Cleaning & Restoration
1007 N.Sepulveda Blvd. #1204
Manhattan Beach, CA 90267
(310) 545-8750
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Travertine Care: What You Should Know

Travertine care is all about knowing what to do as well as what to do.  Why?  Well, even though it is stone, travertine is surprisingly fragile...

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Travertine Cleaning:  The Ins and Outs of Commercial Stone Restoration

Travertine is a form of calcium-based stone such as marble and limestone.  While it is a fairly hard stone, it is susceptible to damage from anything acidic, and we're not just referring to bleach.  Travertine can be damaged from ordinary and non-toxic substances such as coffee, red wine, and even orange juice.  As for household cleaners, a great many of them contain bleach.  Even some municipal tap water also contains trace amounts of bleach.  That's why it's probably a good idea to call a commercial stone restoration service in to clean your stone.

A professional stone care service will not only safely clean your stone, they will take care not to use anything harsh on the surface and most importantly of all, do stone sealing after they are done cleaning it.  Stone sealing helps to protect your stone from any sort of spill damage, and in addition, can last as long as five years between applications, sometimes even longer.  A lot of people don't believe us when we tell them that acidic substances can literally dissolve stone.  And in the case of travertine, there is another problem. Travertine has natural gaps in it that are usually filled with resin and then sliced.  If anything damages these resin patches, it can cause the rest of the stone to crumble.  So instead of an elegant showpiece of a floor, you have a crumbled mess.

Final Thoughts on Travertine

Travertine, like all natural stone, has very specific care instructions.  For example, unlike marble, which does well with grinding and honing, travertine can be damaged if you try to clean it that way.  If you want to do travertine cleaning between visits, always damp mop, never wet mop.  You do not want to cause damage to your stone, and even wet mopping can do that, as it can leave trace amounts of bacteria behind that can be chemically reactive with your stone.

If you know a bit about stone, you may be able to work on your travertine, however, if you don't, just remember that new travertine floor is rather expensive.  It is easier to clean it, and take care of it then it is to replace it.  If you have any questions about travertine cleaning and commercial stone restoration, give us a call.

Morris Cleaning & Restoration
1007 N.Sepulveda Blvd. #1204
Manhattan Beach, CA 90267
(310) 545-8750
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Commercial Stone Restoration: What You Should Know Part 3

Commercial stone restoration depends entirely on the stone in question as well as the sort of stains and damage involved.

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Restoring Damaged Stone

For example, let's take a look at a travertine floor.  Travertine is a very popular floor choice because of its distinctive appearance.  Travertine has natural holes and gaps in it.  Travertine usually forms around mineral springs and hot springs as well.  As carbon dioxide bubbles through the mineral deposits, after the deposits congeal into stone, there are trace gaps.  To give travertine a more uniform surface, these gaps are filled with resin.  While the resin is tough and fairly durable, the stone can be susceptible to damage from a lot of different sources.  For example, anything acidic used on travertine can can your stone to become etched or even burned.  What a lot of people don't know is that household bleach is 100% acid, but then other things that some so called travertine cleaning experts recommend are also bad for your floor, such as vinegar.

While vinegar works well for basic cleaning on something like a hardwood floor,  you should keep it as far away from your travertine as you can.   The same holds true for any other form of calcium based stone such as limestone and marble as well.  While acidic substances should be kept away from your travertine, you also want to make sure that you are not using any store bought chemicals or products on your stone, as it isn't just acids that can damage travertine, so can things such as ammonia or alkaline. You also want to make sure that you have things like entryway rugs to help prevent grit, sand, and dirt from scratching your travertine.

What Sort of Travertine Damage Can Be Repaired?

What sort of travertine damage can be repaired?  It depends on the type of damage.  Stone that is shattered or cracked is kind of iffy.  If all or a majority of the pieces are there, then it is much easier to restore them with little to no damage showing.  Too much damage, however, and you'll probably have to replace the tile.  Things such as etch marks or scratches are a lot easier to repair.

 This concludes part three of our series.  Be sure to read part one  and part two as well for more information on commercial stone restoring services, or read another of our articles here.

Morris Cleaning & Restoration
1007 N.Sepulveda Blvd. #1204
Manhattan Beach, CA 90267
(310) 545-8750
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Professional Tile Cleaning in Los Angeles: There is a Difference

There's a difference between cleaning your tile yourself and professional tile cleaning in Los Angeles.  It boils down to a few key things: knowledge, experience, and professionalism.

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Tile Cleaning:  Knowing the Tile

There are so many types of tiles out there it can be bewildering, and a great many of them require vastly different care techniques.  Vinyl tile is a simple cleaning process, while  travertine cleaning  and marble polishing both have  highly specialized instructions.  The real problem that we find when a customer calls us in is if they treat tile exactly the same way.  You never want to use harsh chemicals on natural stone, for example.  We had a customer pour some bleach in water and put it on his marble tile.

Even if you have your tile sealed, chemicals like this can easily dissolve something calcium-based like marble.  Why?  Well, bleach is essentially acid, and as such, anything acidic is extremely reactive with marble and limetsone, or even travertine.  As you see, knowledge is power, particularly where tile types is involved.  This is one of the main reasons you call in a professional.  Their knowledge base.  However, on top of what they know, it is how long they've been doing it.

Experienced, Professional Tile Cleaning

While hiring a tile cleaner who is just starting out may sound like a great idea particularly if you're quoted a very low price, the fact of the matter is without experience, you could find that he has damaged your tile or even your grout.  Both problems  can be extremely expensive.  Some natural stone tile can cost you hundreds if not thousands of dollars to replace.  Sometimes, it is a matter of rushing through a project too.  We once had to go in to clean up a mess that one of our competitors left behind.  A lot of times, what happens is the customer thinks they've gotten a bargain only to find out they've been ripped off.  So again, it's a combination of three things that makes for a good tle cleaning service.  

You want to make sure that whoever you're hiring knows what they're doing.  You also want to make sure that they have the experience necessary for your job, and that they're not charging you any hidden fees.  So remember: Knowledge, Experience, and Professionalism.  That way you know you've got the right tile cleaning service in Los Angeles.  

Morris Cleaning & Restoration
1007 N.Sepulveda Blvd. #1204
Manhattan Beach, CA 90267
(310) 545-8750
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