Filling Holes in Travertine Floor

by Marilyn
(Chicago,Ill)

QUESTION:

I have a travertine floor in my guest bathroom as well as the tub surround and separate shower. It has been in for 5 years and the floor now has some deep holes. How should they be filled and what should it all be sealed with so this won't happen again?

ANSWER:

As you may or may not know, travertine naturally has holes of various sizes in it. Usually these are filled with a non-sanded grout because typically they aren't very wide/big holes and it won't scratch the tile surface.

Now, I'm assuming that for some reason these holes were never filled or the original grout has come out and they are not from damage of some sort.

Also, you didn't say if the travertine was polished, honed or tumbled?

I'm guessing it isn't polished... not good on bathroom floor.

If honed (flat, smooth, no shine) then use non-sanded grout to fill holes. Same if indeed polished.

If tumbled, non-sanded grout is still fine unless the holes are fairly large (greater than 1/4") and deep as you note, then you should probably use sanded grout. Sanded grout is typically used for wider gaps and to blend better with more rustic surface finishes like tumbled travertine.

I wouldn't use the sanded grout on honed or polished even if the holes are huge... you may get scratches.

You can use non-sanded grout on larger gaps/holes and on tumbled travertine too, but it may shrink some and you'll need to re-apply until you completely fill the holes and have a tight fit.

Sealing

Sealing will not "prevent" whatever has caused the holes to appear. Sealing does only one thing... improve the stain-resistance by dramatically decreasing the rate of absorption of a stone.

The risk of stains on a bathroom floor is much less than a kitchen, but I'd recommend using STONE SENTRY or SenGuard Sealers.

Risk of staining in a shower or on the tub surround is very small unless you like to drink coffee and dye your hair in there, so sealing isn't really necessary. And sealers don't protect against etching.

And if you do have polished travertine, then it won't absorb a sealer anyway, so it's futile to try. Of course, it won't absorb anything else either.

But if you decide to seal your honed or tumbled travertine, then a single properly applied coat of STONE SENTRY or SenGuard will be fine.

You may also consider sealing with SCP-Enhance & Seal, which will seal and darken the color a bit giving the travertine a 'wet look.'

Good Luck,
Ryan

P.S. Get all the facts, answers, explanations and simple solutions with step-by-step instructions for any issue, problem or question with our Granite & Marble Maintenance Manuals.

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