New Travertine Floors

[Wake Champ]

My post and concerns are very much like Koiman. (I didn't want to hijack their post!) I recently had "chocolate" travertine installed. I'm not sure which which type, possibly durango since it was very affordable, and is very brittle.

Anyway, the crew finished last night. The grout "haze" they left us with is very bad. It made the tiles very light colored. No sealants have been put on yet. What is the best way to get this tile back to how it was before it was grouted? We have tried mopping areas with water, but it doesn't seem to be doing the trick. Am I out of luck? I know Lowes sells a safe product designed for cleaning grout haze on travertine. What should I do?

(I only paid the crew 2 dollars a square foot for the installation, which seems very good. I don't mind cleaning myself, I just want it back to the pre-grout look! Please help. I have also heard using a sponge on the tiles might work.

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[Trask]

Depends on what "pretty bad haze" is. Is it a film or is there actually grout on the surface in places? There are haze removers but I would try elbow grease first and quickly since it semms to get harder to get off every hour it sits on there. That might just be my perception though :yeah: There really isn't any magic it's just a bear to remove sometimes especially if it's honed Travertine. :goodluck:

[Wake Champ]

Thanks for the response. It is honed travertine. It seems to be more than a haze, but it is my first time with travertine so I am a newby. The tiles were light brown, and now are a white chalky color. I will post some pics later.

[Wake Champ]

Check out the before and after pictures. Keep in mind, I have yet to seriously attempt to remove the grout haze

[joh]

Do to the fact that this is a do it your self site, go to your lows are home depot which even one that rents tool. Rent a buffing machine and wet vac, buy two hog hair pads, come back to this site and buy the KlenzAll™ Heavy Duty Stone & Tile Cleaner (Gallon) and Enhancer Pro™ Heavy Duty Stone Enhancer (Quart). How you ready to work, scrub the floor and extract the water from the stone. Once the stone is clean and dry apply the sealer, please remove the excess from the surface, you are done, I would tell you to call your local restoration guy to do this for you but that choice is yours.

[Wake Champ]

thanks for the suggestions

[hope4311]

hi. first, i want to say Beautiful Floor! I hope you get it back to looking like the before picture.

ok, i am conflicted. i found a beautiful 18x18 travertine tile at home depot at a great price ($2.41 per sq ft). i was planning on installing in the entry, hall, kitchen and dining room. after reading a bit on other forums, i am concerned about scratches, stains, etc that people are writting about. how concerned should i be? if i drop a jar of pickles or a glass of water in the kitchen, will that cause damage? they look to me to be filled and honed...should they be sealed or not and if so, how often? will this hold up well as a floor that is high traffic? i am doing a 450 sq ft area so if i do have to get them refinished in the future, what sort of pricing are we taking. please help!

erica
...in new jersey LOL

[doitright]

Hi Wake Champ, Welcome! :)

Jo gave some excellent advice. If you get the buffer, practice in the middle of the floor first. Otherwise agitation with a scrub brush should be sufficient.

It's not uncommon for a dark floor to lighten somewhat after grouting. Your floor does not appear to have excess grout residue present. A thorough cleaning (with the use of a wet vac), and use of a enhancer will make the floor look better than it did out of the box.

Hi Erica :)

Try to keep your posts on a single thread. It gets too confusing otherwise. I've posted an answer on your thread. ;)