Travertine problems

[Unregistered]

Hi,

To cut a long story short we had a travertine floor laid about 3 years ago and after about 6 months small holes started to appear in some of the tiles (about 2-3 mm in dia) the suppliers came back numerous times to fill and re-seal and they did say that they had had numerous call backs regarding there supplier as this was supposed to be top quality honed and filled anyhow in the end they did offer to rip the floor up but my wife did not want the hassle, so we are living with the defects, however since then more holes have appeared (no structural damage just small holes that collect dirt).
I have however found a good product called "Jolly" which is epoxy travertine filler and have used it in a few inconspicuous areas, however no matter how well you apply the product it does leave a dull sort of swipe mark indicating where you have filled the hole taking the shine off the floor and making it look unsightly, is there any product on the market anyone could recommend that will remove these marks or is it a case of getting in a pro to strip and polish the floor??

Many thanks in advance

Lee

 

[mikethetile]

:welcome:you may have to reseal the floor, someone on here is bound to have used it and will be able to advise

 

[Ken Bruty]

Hi,

To cut a long story short we had a travertine floor laid about 3 years ago and after about 6 months small holes started to appear in some of the tiles (about 2-3 mm in dia) the suppliers came back numerous times to fill and re-seal and they did say that they had had numerous call backs regarding there supplier as this was supposed to be top quality honed and filled anyhow in the end they did offer to rip the floor up but my wife did not want the hassle, so we are living with the defects, however since then more holes have appeared (no structural damage just small holes that collect dirt).
I have however found a good product called "Jolly" which is epoxy travertine filler and have used it in a few inconspicuous areas, however no matter how well you apply the product it does leave a dull sort of swipe mark indicating where you have filled the hole taking the shine off the floor and making it look unsightly, is there any product on the market anyone could recommend that will remove these marks or is it a case of getting in a pro to strip and polish the floor??

Many thanks in advance

Lee

Hi there,

I had a look at a very similar problem today for a nice lady who has had some problems with travertine fitted recently, the swipe marks are caused by the resin staining the surface of the tiles, it should say on the tin to remove the excess material immediately on application with whatever material that they specify, if not, you could try to get in touch with a sealer manufacturer like HG Hagesan their website is HG > Home, you may have to get them to email you a technical spec for use with your specific product, which they will ask you details of. It may help if you have the details of the sealer that was originally applied to your floor, in case there is a possible reaction between chemicals. Anyway, they should be able to point you in the right direction. If you don't have any joy, feel free to give us another shout.

 

[TT Tiling]

hi sounds like your tiler didnt butter the back of the tile first , hope you get it sorted ,good luck

 

[DHTiling]

Agree with post above, Back skimming the tiles to fill the small holes gives some added strength to the tile body and helps stop the filler pushing through with wear and tear.

If you have a lot of filler in the tile face then it isn't a top notch grade.

 

[enduro]

The cheapest option for you in this situation is to hire a rotary scrubber from your local hire shop and get yourself a twister pad...these pads have diamonds in them and they will remove the swirl marks and put a shine back onto your tiles, they are not alot of money...around £15-20. If you need anymore info let me know.

 

[Unregistered]

Hi,
Many thanks to all the replies
To answer a few of the questions posed, the sealer used was lithofin and the tilers laying method was ruled out by the actual supplier as the holes are only a few mm's deep.
It does seem that the original filler used in the honing and filling process is the problem.
The filler i have purchased doesn't have too much info, only mixing method and application, i did remove all excess but as the OP has stated the resin seems to stain the surface
Many thanks again
Lee

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Agree with post above, Back skimming the tiles to fill the small holes gives some added strength to the tile body and helps stop the filler pushing through with wear and tear.

If you have a lot of filler in the tile face then it isn't a top notch grade.

As Dave says, even if you back skim. If the resin filler is predominant on the face, it could be there are voids in the centre of the tile causing weak spots. N.B. stiletto heels can be lower grade travertines' worst enemy

 

[CJ]

I have the same in my house............I have to stay off my stilettos :yikes:

 

[tile-jc]

Have to agree with previous posts though there is so much cheap trav being fixed that there are many problem floors yet to be revealed. The back-buttering issue is definitely an issue as many very good ceramic tilers have had to move to stone to keep working, and have not done this. When the trav has cavities unseen from top or below, we are screwed. I have treated such problem floors using the following steps; gently strip the finishing wax (filasatin or whatever) then re-seal the floor - holes and all. Then and only then use Jolly filler. This gives the best chance of a smear-free result. Then the next problem is you never really get the money for your trouble . . . . . .