While there are many advantages to a travertine floor, there are several drawbacks. The most important one is travertine's vulnerability to various types of damage and stains due to its porous nature. Because of this, sealing your travertine floor properly is very important. While you can have a professional seal your floor, there is no reason why you cannot do it yourself as well. With an appropriate sealing agent, cleaner, and a few ordinary household items, you will be able to accomplish this task without problems. What follows should give you all of the information you need to complete the job.
Step 1 - Selecting a Sealer
There are many sealers that are specifically designed for use with travertine. It is important that you select one of these. Purchase your choice, then read the instructions carefully, as they may impact the other materials that you need.
Step 2 - Cleaning the Floor
To seal your travertine floor effectively, you will have to it thoroughly first to assure that no dust or debris gets trapped under the seal, thus weakening it and potentially coming loose.
First, to remove any large particles such as dirt, small stones, and dust, you should sweep or dust your floor carefully. Once you have done this, get out your vacuum cleaner and ready its attachment. Use your vacuum cleaner attachment to pick up any particles that you may have missed when sweeping. When you have gone over your entire floor, you can use a commercial cleaning product on your floor according to its instructions. If your sealer recommends a type of cleaning product, be sure to use that.
Once you have cleaned your floor, allow it to dry overnight.
Step 3 - Sealing the Floor
To begin, fill a spray bottle with water. Use this spray bottle evenly on your floor to get it damp. Once the water starts to dry, you can begin sealing your floor.
Spread your choice of sealer evenly on your damp floor. Once you have done this, wait 30 minutes for it to dry. At this point, you must remove the excess sealer that your travertine floor has not been able to absorb. To do this, you will need the sealer to be wet, and unfortunately adding more water at this point will damage your floor's seal. Because of this, you will need to reapply sealer to get your floor damp again, loosening the excess sealer in the process. Once you have done this, mop up the wet sealer on the surface.
Step 4 - Finishing Up
Leave your floor alone for at least 48 hours. However, the longer you can keep off of your floor, the better, as leaving it alone for more time will lead to a stronger seal. Once you have allowed sufficient time for the sealant to cure, you should test it to be sure that it has worked. Pour a few drops of water onto your travertine floor. If they form beads, your seal has worked. If they behave normally, you will have to try again.
Source: www.DoItYourself.com
