Help Cleaning Travertine

[rmelo99]

I tiled our entire kitchen just bit more than 400sq ft with Versailles pattern travertine stone. It was chisled edge and somewhat unfilled. The grout used was Laticrete PermaColor.

Everything was sealed with Dupont Heavy Duty StoneTech Stone Sealer(no shine)

It has been just over one year of daily use and I think an entire cleaning is in order and maybe a resealing?
From Dupont on the sealer: Expected Wear: 3-5 years on interior surfaces & 1-3 years on exterior surfaces.

Currently we have only spot cleaned the floor as needed using stone cleaners. It has been swept and vaccumed. I want to clean the whole thing, and just want to make sure I don't do it in a way that will muddy up the grout and or tiles.

We treat this floor like a baby. There are no stains. The stone is showing normal wear in the main areas(not a bad thing). It is part of the characteristic of the natural stone IMO.

I'm worried about doing something that will ruin or change the look of what I have now.

[Davestone]

A neutral stone cleaner, a nylon brush and a wetvac should do it.

[Stone Dude]

A neutral cleaner will usually work to an extent, it depends on how dirty the floor is.

Dupont makes a good Alkaline cleaner called Klenzall, if you dilute it enough it will pretty much be a neautral cleaner. If you DONT dilute it enough, it could dull the finish of the stone. The alkaline cleaner will emuslify and lift dirt from the stone. The thing is it needs to be thoroughly scrubbed, then the water recovered with a wet vac or other water recovery system. Because of the equipment involved, its not usually a do-it-yourself kind of thing, but it can be.

for maintaining the floor, you want to used a dust mop and vaccuum, keep a wet mop off the floor as mush as possible.

hiring a reputable tile cleaner can sometimes be a little pricey, but they usually have heavy duty equipment and can cover a lot of ground quickly, keeping the cost reasonable

[StoneTooling]

The KlenzAll works great if you need a heavy duty cleaner:

http://www.stonetechdirect.com/servl...aner%2C/Detail

I usually recommend Restore but the acidity of it will etch travertine.

You will probably need to reseal after the cleaning and though StoneTech recommends 3-5 years indoors, high traffic areas should be done about once every year to 2 years. Let me Know if you have any questions, we have a great relationship with StoneTech.

[rmelo99]

Thanks for the info. I was very pleased with the stonetech sealer, so I'm sure I would be with their cleaner also.

I use their spray bottle cleaner now. Not sure if thats the same stuff. I don't dilute it.

I can handle the scrubbing and running the wetvac. How do I make sure the disolved dirt etc, that muddys up the water doesn't setinto of affect the grout in any way?

Tips?

[Pinch]

I have used everything Stonetech to seal and clean my bathroom floor and walls over the past 3 years. Last year, the dirty floor grout was so bad, I used Kleenzall and stripped the floor as well as the shower stall due to discolored grout. The Kleenzall worked great, and I resealed with Bulletproof. I clean the stone with ST cleaner. I also use revitalizer to help add a bit of sealer as I go. The grout continues to discolor, and I do have a ventilation issue which leads to mold in the stall.
I clean as often as I can.. using a moderate bristle brush - that's all that works. Is there something more I can be doing to cut down on dirty grout? The traffic area is high, but once it's cleaned, things go south pretty fast.

Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can give. I have talked to Dupont, but they were unclear.

Garry

[Davestone]

If the shower wasn't built with a preslope,or bad backing material was used i'm afraid there's not much you can do.Sealers as you know won't keep it clean.

[Pinch]

Thanx, D! Yes, there is a small 'valley' that makes for a mold patch. It's the walls that also form mold, especially in the grout. I am afraid I am scrubbing with too abrasive of a brush, but it's necessary to remove and clean thoroughly. Thanks again.

Garry