Bodged Travertine tiling job

swalsh · Post by **swalsh** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:29 pm

Hi All,
Firstly I apologise if this has already been covered by someone else but i've not been able to find the answer.
We had our bathroom re tiled with Travertine tiles a couple of years ago and it really wasn't a great job. Bathroom was tiled floor to ceiling including all wet areas. Unfortunately the tiler sealed and grouted these tiles. Now here is where the problem begins. the sealant went over tiles that still had excess grout and also the sealant left drips on some of the tiles. A few of the tiles look fantastic - that really nice polished look - but I want that on every single tile! I don't have the money to pay someone to come and do this for me, but what I do have is the willpower and time and some money to invest in the right tools to hopefully clean the tiles and 're polish/seal' them - Could someone advise how and what I use to strip these tiles and then subsequently seal and polish them. Also do I need to do it all in one hit or can I attack different sections? Apologies for such a long post, but I really want to get this right and have it looking great. All advice greatly appreciated.

thescruff · Post by **thescruff** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 3:19 pm

A pic or two may be an idea to give the guys an idea of what is involved.

swalsh · Post by **swalsh** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 3:42 pm

I've tried taking some pictures but it doesn't really show much - basically the tiles aren't smooth when you run your hand over them - feels like dust/grit is trapped underneath and not terribly shiny. Another example is that the idiot tiler didn't even make any attempt to wipe a pencil mark and just sloshed the sealant over the top - so looking for suggestions on how to get back to travertine and grout only then start with sealant and polish - but with what, i've no idea!

lamntile · Post by **lamntile** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 5:02 pm

You should find all the answers and solutions for cleaning and sealing in the link below

http://www.tiledoctor.co.uk/Travertine.html

tictic · Post by **tictic** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 5:11 pm

i have used stonefix intensive cleaner and lithofin products try their websites or pop into ur local tile shop and see what they have in stock

swalsh · Post by **swalsh** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 5:26 pm

Thanks for the information - i've taken a quick look at the site. Once I've cleaned off the old sealant would it be a good idea to use some sort of polishing tool to get the tiles completely smooth and ready for sealing (from what i've read it seems that sealing is all that's required provided the tile is completely clean and smooth)

swalsh · Post by **swalsh** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 2:01 pm

All - thanks for the advice and suggested sites. I've now ordered Lithofin Powerclean which i've been told to scrub with a green scourer (gently) to try to remove excess grout and dust trapped behind the sealant. hopefully if this works, ill then be using Lithofin MN stainstop to seal the tiles - and hopefully that will be the end of it. I've been warned though that the catch 22 in all of this is that to really get rid of grout I need an acidic cleaner but using an acidic cleaner will eat my tiles - so hopefully I won't need to go down that route!

swalsh · Post by **swalsh** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 10:58 am

Hi All, quick update for those interested - the cleaner suggested had very little effect on the previous sealant so I had take drastic action - I got hold of some 120grit wet and dry and have been sanding the tiles. I take it up to 1200 grit and now have a wonderfully smooth surface ready for sealing!