Decorating & Renovating
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Travertine tile sealing - FoxinFiji or others?
I googled and found this very helpful, archived post on the subject which is now my starting point: http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/54410829.aspx
My follow up question: we're closing soon on a house with travertine in all the bathrooms. In a couple of places, there are very large holes -- either never filled or once filled and then loosened and falling out later.
Who do you call to have it re-sealed? A handyman? A tile company? Is this a DIY job, if you're of only mediocre handiness?
Thanks for any tips or help!!
Re: Travertine tile sealing - FoxinFiji or others?
Hey sorry I didn't see this post earlier. I was gone last week studying for a professional test.
Anyway, you can seal travertine yourself no problem! I haven't done much research on what is the best sealer yet but below is some info I found on the GardenWeb from some of the experts. You might have a hard time finding those exact brands but it's a place to start. Check with local tile companies/installers for what they use and sell. Try to stay away from the sealer sold at big box stores because it's mostly water and needs to be applied more often because of it. Just make sure to buy one that can go on both tile and grout to save yourself some time. Just clean the area really well, paint on with a roller or brush, and follow the instructions. With holes in your travertine you'll want to spend some time getting in them as best you can. If the holes are constantly everywhere the travertine was probably never filled. Epoxy filled holes only really come out in high traffic areas (like on the floor near the door). It's pretty rare for them to come out of tiles on vertical surfaces.
Brands to look for:
Aquamix Sealers Choice Gold
Miracle 511 Impregnator
Stone Tech Impregnator Pro
STT's SB sealer (Deluxe)
What is the difference between a water based sealer and a solvent based sealer? How do you know which one to use?
There are two important differences. First, the solvent based sealer is a "breatheable" sealer, while the water based is not. What that means is that the solvent based sealer will let moisture transmit back and forth , so as not to trap moisture in the stone or grout, while the water based sealer will not. The reason this is a good thing is that you don't want moisture getting trapped inside of a surface, and growing mold or mildew INSIDE. That's actually even a tougher situation to remedy than if it just grows on the surface.Secondly, both are what's called "penetrating" sealers, meaning they do their job by penetrating into the stone, and stopping solids from getting into the pores of the stone, thereby curtailing stains taking hold. Water based sealers will not penetrate NEARLY as far into the surface as the solvent based sealers will, and as a result, have to be replaced much more often. About the only time I'll use a water based sealer is if I'm installing something like terra cotta tile, or soft limestone, where I need a pre-grouting sealer to stop the grout from adhering to the face of the tile. Any other time, I'll use solvent based.
Are there different kinds of sealers for different locations, such as bath/shower, floor, kitchen counters?
Answer: When it comes to protectant type sealers, any penetrating sealer can be used in all places. The differences come in the finishing sealers. Do you want the wet or dry look? High gloss, or satin (matte) finish? Smooth or nonslip?
As for maintenance on the travertine, keep it sealed using a good quality penetrating sealer, and use a ph neutral cleaner. Most cleaners are mildly acidic and will etch natural stone over time. A lot of bathroom products are also acidic so try to clean up messes as soon as you can. Shaving cream is surprisingly the worst offender.
HTH!