Renewing travertine?

[Daedalus]

No, not a garage thread--that comes later--but here goes... Moved into a fixer upper recently, and one of the previous owners went crazy with travertine in the house. I'm not digging it all that much, but it's neutral looking and I'd rather not spend the $$$ replacing it anytime soon. Problem is the last owner snorted his way into a whole lot of problems, and the house is not in great shape (the fixer upper part). The floor tiles have a tired, worn out look to them, and have stains in a good number of places (rust, mold(?), who-knows-what).

Anyone have any experience with freshening up the appearance of travertine? Anyone ever use a stone cleaning polish with a random orbital sander/polisher? Any feedback is much appreciated.

 

[hdshinn]

How do you know that it's travertine stone? Refinishing stone is a job for a professional.

 

[theoldwizard1]

My niece bought a house in FL. When they pulled up the old carpeting they found travertine. The idiot carpet installer shot the tackless strip into it. Now they have chips all around the edge.

Anyone have any recommendations for patching ?

 

[shoot summ]

I wouldn't want polished travertine in high traffic areas, would prefer honed. It wouldn't be super difficult to produce a decent honed finish with a random orbit setup. Look into diamond polishing pads, I wouldn't get too aggressive as you are just trying to resurface, not grind and shape. I just picked up this set for some quartzite I am edging, using it with an air DA and a little water, works great. Be sure you seal the stone when you are done to help prevent stains, look into a color enhancing sealer to help hide some of the issues....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MU2BXI/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[shoot summ]

My niece bought a house in FL. When they pulled up the old carpeting they found travertine. The idiot carpet installer shot the tackless strip into it. Now they have chips all around the edge.

Anyone have any recommendations for patching ?

There is a product I have used called "Tenax", it is basically body filler tinted to match Travertine.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VM15DI/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[shoot summ]

How do you know that it's travertine stone? Refinishing stone is a job for a professional.

Not always, there is no rocket science in refinishing stone. Tools, and knowledge, both can be had.....

Some folks like to DIY and learn these things, and some can't afford to always hire a professional.