Sealing Travertine Shower

by Sharon Wiest
(Orem, Utah)

QUESTION: I have travertine floors and showers. Should I put a sealer on all of those?

ANSWER: Many travertines are dense enough that they don't need sealing to retard staining on a floor. But, travertine will take an impregnator/sealer without any problems, so it's a good idea to seal your travertine floor at least once and especially in the kitchen, bar and bath.

You can test to determine when and if any stone needs sealing.

Remember that sealing won't do anything to prevent etching if travertine comes in contact with acidic substances like alcohol, coffee, fruit juice, etc.

Travertine Shower: should NOT be sealed. Most problems that develop with showers or wet environments are the result of a poor installation. You could seal the shower without any issue (or appreciable benefit for that matter) but sealing may end up trapping moisture in the stone.

So, in wet environments, it's best to let the stone breath. Nothing you use in the shower should stain travertine and sealing will not protect against caustic cleaning agents that shouldn't be used anyway.

I'd seal the floors once, test in a few years to see if they may need it again (probably not) and forget about sealing travertine shower.

Hope this helps,
Ryan