I am in the process of installing 100 sq. feet of travertine stone tile, and my tile guy says that it won’t need to be sealed ( that it will “polish” when it is walked on). But, I’m worried…it seems like it should be sealed to prevent staining. Whadyathink?
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Travertine like all natural stone is porous and without sealing it will be prone to staining.
I would always seal natural stone.
Hope this helps.
It needs to be sealed. You can use a glossy sealer, or a penetrating sealer that looks like it isn't there. Is sealing in his contract and he doesn't want to do it?
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
start with a penetrating sealer, followed by a surface sealer (matt, statin or gloss) the surface sealer every year or so (or so depends on how wet and much wear the area gets) .. when it starts to darken it needs another coat ..
Absolutely should be sealed. Your tile guy should know this. The grout too. Seal it all!
For that matter, the face of the stone should be wiped with a rag damp (not dripping) with sealer, to prevent the grout from staining the surface. It's also refered to as grout release agent, but they're basically the same thing.
Note that some sealers should not be applied until as much as 2 weeks after the installation, to allow everything to thoroughly dry, while other sealers can be applied the next day. Should say on the instructions on the bottle.
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