Question for the Pros

[wrgodsend]

As you can tell from the title, I'm definitely not a pro but I could use your collective experience.
We had travertine floors installed years ago, not polished just a nice sheen at an angle. Anyway, a couple of the tiles in the main area of our family room weren't level creating "lips" that you could feel when you walked with bare feet. After complaining to my husband, he decided to take it upon himself to sand down the edges slightly creating a smoother transition between tiles. Well, he also took off some of the shine and you can tell where he sanded the tiles because it has made that area lighter. I've got family coming in tomorrow and I can't get anyone in to help me before the holidays. Any help would be greatly appreciated, Thanks!

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[cx]

Welcome, wrgodsend. Please give us a first name to use. :)

I've moved you to the proper forum where you'll likely be noticed by more of the right kinda pros.

[Davestone]

Well, he was on the right track, but he didn't carry through. That slight sheen you saw was the result of honing the stone with different grits.He probably used an aggressive grit like 100, and he should have proceeded with the next corresponding grit200, then 400,and maybe 800,if needed.he should use stone sandpaper, like Hermes, or Alpha.

[wrgodsend]

Thanks for the advice. I went to Home Depot and picked up some sand paper, 400 and 600 grit (the black paper) and proceeded to hand sand the area. I tried one section dry and one section wet. However, while it helped considerably, you can still see where he sanded it. The area is a lighter color than the rest of the tile. So I have a couple of questions. Should I go to a higher grit like 800? Is there a difference between the sandpaper I used and the stone sandpaper you suggested, Alpha and Hermes? Lastly, I suppose that he took off the sealer when he sanded it. The guy at Home Depot also suggest some sealer called 511 impregnator. Will that help at all? Any other help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[Davestone]

If you can see where he sanded then you didn't sand enough with the lower grit.Look at the stone from an angle, and see if you can see scratches or swirls.This process takes a lot of experience,and a good eye.The sandpaper should be stoneworking sandpaper,it will perform better.The grits must be in succession,stone sandpaper is such/100,200,400,800,or somewhere in that range.If he used a 64 or something you have to drop down to a grit first that is double what he used.There is also a trick of using stone enhacer,or Ager to get the look you want, but again this takes practice.Without seeing it i can't direct you much. :bow:

[doitright]

Hi wrgodsend, Welcome! :)

Could you share a first name? If you could post a picture, that would help also.

How have you been maintaining the floors since they've been installed?

Grit sequence is important, but there are more factors of trying to get the stone to match. What tool did hubby use to remove the lippage? Are you hand sanding or using the same tool?

[Davy]

Miracle makes the 511 sealers. The enhancer will say "enhance and seal" on the front. It will enhance the color kinda like it is when it's wet. The other 511 is natural and will not effect the shade or stone color. :)