properly sealing decking material, travertine

[tstex]

Hello and Merry Christmas to all,

We just had 1200 sqft of travertine installed in the pool decking area, outdoor covered kitchen and walkways. There is still more construction to do, so I would like to know when is the best time to seal the travertine we had installed?

If there is a tip sheet and some product recommendations, that would be great! We did not go w a saltwater pool for the obvious reasons that NaCl & Limestone-based rocks do not do well.

Thank you for your help and advice.

Regards,

tstex

 

[ITR]

Curious as we also just installed a travertine deck. Why are you planning on sealing it? We were thinking of not doing sealing at all. Is there a particular reason (or reasons) why you are choosing to do it?

 

[madgunner]

Travertine, limestone and other natural stone surfaces tend to be porous and are subject to negative effects from spilled drinks, freeze/thaw, mold/fungus, etc.

If the stone is of the harder types and polished to a glossy finish, especially if the pores are filled with epoxy, it may be more resistant to damage.

Definitely recommend sealing any porous stone surfaces, especially outdoors, if the original look is something that you want to preserve. There are many products available, such as DuPont StoneTech, DryTreat, etc. that can be used, providing protection without changing the color of the stone, which won't need to be resealed for several years or longer. A simple test with water can show if the stone needs to be resealed (e.g. if the stone absorbs water and darkens in color quickly, it should be resealed).

 

[madgunner]

I'm no expert, not employed in the trades... but I would seal the stone sooner rather than later. Let the cement/grout cure, and then apply the sealer, based on the directions from the manufacturer. Thus far, every sealer manufacturer I've called on the phone or emailed was quick to answer questions (this includes DuPont, DryTreat, EnduroSeal, and RadonSeal). Some products require waiting for any cement or grout to cure at least 30 days prior to sealing, while others can be used very soon after the cement or grout is applied. If the area has residual moisture, be sure it has ample time to dry out. If I had to recommend something on-the-spot for travertine, try the DuPont StoneTech BulletProof --- Google says.

http://www.wikihow.com/Seal-Travertine

 

[txnole]

This ----> DuPont StoneTech
Or this yor SWG -----> DuPont StoneTech Salt Water Resistant

 

[tstex]

Yes, our travertine is the tumbled non-glossy or polished look. It is very porous and I am looking for 3-4 days of solid sun w low humidity which is not in the cards for now.

A simple glass of orange juice can really react negatively w travertine bc it is acid-based. Acid w actually etch the stone of strong and left uncleaned. We also have the Pebble Tech guys coming next and am pretty sure we need to get the stone sealed before those guys [like most pool sub contractors that can care less about anything that is not theirs] start banging things around and dropping/spilling anything.

Try this this link as a pretty go info source. Gives a lot of do's and dont's, and product recommendations as some previous posters.

thanks,
tstex

 

[rodog123]

Hello tstex - We have travertine coping our PB filled in the large holes with grout (blends in very well barely noticeable) , this might be an option.

I would wait till all the dust has settled and cleaned up before you hit it with a sealer.

If you can post some pics of your outdoor kitchen would love to see it. I'm in the process of researching kitchens hope to start by middle of next year.

 

[HouTex]

I have travertine coping and it's slightly polished and while it has numerous imperfections and natural holes, the flat surfaces are fairly smooth. I seal it with 511 Impregnator by Miracle Sealants. It seems to work well. I've had a SWG for about 4 years and I only have some slight errosion on one piece of coping.

 

[BuckeyeChris]

after a summer in the heat, and some hard downpours, here's what's happened to our unsealed, tumbled, filled travertine. Most of the filling is coming out in chunks. It's leaving large craters. They do a good job at the travertine place of filling most of the holes so you don't even notice, but once it starts coming apart, I was shocked at how deep they filled some of these.
Also, the shad is noticeably lighter. We may go ahead and seal it this spring before another summer gets to it.

 

[tstex]

Thanks to all.

The heavy rains here too also removed a lot of the poly-grout. It basically sand w a little bite to it. Once it rains, it does seem to be removed.

After the pool is completely fnished and no one contractors around, I will need to clean the whole 1200 sf cleaned to as much of the orig finish as possible. If anyone has a procedure on how to do this correctly, I am all eyes and ears. Once the travertine is properly cleaned, then I will have the guys come back and refill all of the holes depressions. I will then give that 1-2 days to dry out, then get the best sealer available the seal the whole thing.

I will review and research the recommendations made here in previous posts, then make a selection. My biggest challenge now is getting 4-5 days of accurate weather forecasts that will provide all sunny days.

The last question I have, is that in some of the places, the tumbled travertine has turned orange, which is basically a lighter color rust from iron-ore that naturally occurs in the stone. What can be done to either eliminate or remove as much as possible of this discoloration before it is grouted then sealed? Has anyone been successful in this area?

Thank you very much,
tstex

 

[SuzfromTexas]

ITR: What did you do about your travertine?

I am going to seal my deck and coping. If you did, I'd love any tips you learned about it. I've done a lot of research but would love first hand experiences. I'm trying to find a contractor to do it for me.

Thanks!
Suz.

 

[ITR]

I had the stone company seal it. Was about $300. Looks amazing for the first six months...now it looks like it used to....which is okay, just not as colorful and beautiful as when it was sealed. I haven't decided if I am going to try it myself next time or not. The good thing is that the sealer did age uniformly and I did not end up with any blotches. I was afraid of that knowing the hot FL beats down on it most of the day.

About the only tips I know are:

- pressure wash first
- wait 24 hours before applying
- you can test the consistency after a good rain (or use the hose and wet down the tile after the dealer has dried)...you will notice the areas you missed almost immediately.


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[tstex]

ITR, how many sq ft is your travertine deck/walk areas? Is you coping travertine too?

We have over 1200 sq ft of travertine re decking, walkways, sun-decks and summer kitchen area. We have all travertine coping, top of spa, column heads and walls. The columns are also all travertine for scuppers and fire bowls, so we have a lot of different shapes, patterns and layouts, but they are all a neutral color so it all matches.

SuzfromTX, I used Aquamix Enrich'n Seal for the coping and the travertine that is one the face of our kitchen This "shades" the travertine some and pulls out all the diff colors, kind of like when it's wet from a nice rain. It really depends on what type of travertine you have. Also, if you power-wash, do not use anything above 600-880PSI...strong PSI's can blow-out a lot of the finer sediments in the travertine and leave your stones pitted. These pits collect water, dirt, debris, etc and can promote molding. Also, if your Travertine has iron in it, it will rust and turn orangish-brownish-red. You can hit this w an anti-ferrous oxidizing agent that will neutralize the rust, then you can brush off and seal. It's the comb of water, sun and the ferrous in the stone that rusts. the sealing agent prevents moisture penetration and thus no rusting. You can hit these areas twice, but make sure you follow the directions for all timelines.

I used the Dupont StoneTech on all of the pool line travertine, the columns and wall and the spa spillover before the pool was plastered/pebblesheen'ed. Its a good sealer, but the Aqua mix product seems to work a lot better, that is for tumbled travertine that we have. AquaMix is not cheap, but your biggest cost is labor. It takes almost the same labor so you might want to go w the one that lasts the longest. Also, many good quality sealers will require that you wipe it down 20-30 min's after application. if you have someone doing yours, make sure they do this or ask them this up front. If you do not do this, it can later look wet like clear syrup is on it, and it will wear differently and make your stones look irregular in appearance. Just have the installer following the instructions.

Good luck,
tstex

 

[ITR]

Mine is about 20x50 minus the pool, both deck and coping. Everything matches and I was/am happy with the result of both the choice (country classic) and the workmanship. In fact I shared the workmanship with Suz as an example of a good travertine job when she was building her pool to help her show her contractors how they needed to improve (even joints, proper cutting and laying for the circular coping/placement on the spa, etc). Even the application turned out great! Like you said, it brings out the colors and makes everything just "snap". I even like orangish tint from the FE deposits. Just not thrilled that it only lasted six months and is now getting that "chalky" look back. Maybe it's due to the daily rain we get here in central Florida....or maybe the coat wasn't thick enough? Here's a picture shortly after it was done.

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[tstex]

Nice ITR...is your pool completely enclosed? if so how do you get rain on it? That's the first enclosure I have ever seen. I guess in the winter if the sun is out, it heats everything up, yes?

If it took only six months for yours to fade, then I would have to say it was either a light application or a med grade sealer. The AquaMix seals for 3-5 yrs. You should order some and do it yourself - apply it w a sponge and you are good to go...have someone behind you wiping it down w a fine cloth...thanks for sharing, tstex

 

[SuzfromTexas]

Tstex : Thank you so much for all the information. It's going to be very helpful. So far, I can't find anyone to apply a sealer. My installer insists I don't need to seal any of it. And the companies I've called don't want to seal it unless they were the installers!

I can pay my son to do it, but I'd rather have someone with experience. And he might charge me more! Lol!!

ITR: What brand sealer did you use? If you mentioned it, I missed it.

Thanks for posting your photos again! Your pool and deck are gorgeous!

Thank you both for all the details and information. And I'm glad ya'll discussed the orange iron stuff and rusting. I have some pieces like that and wondered what was up with that. I even thought it might not really be travertine!!

Take care!
Suz.

 

[tstex]

"My installer insists I don't need to seal any of it."

Susan, did you ask him why? Some people do not want to seal their stone bc it gets them onto "the seal" game for eternity. I sealed my coping and stone that comes or will come in direct contact w water w out the help of people. I did not seal my deck. I am going to go 1 yr and see how it looks...But if I do seal it, I am going to bite the bullet and buy the AquaMix...it's $$$$ but you seal less often.

Finally, unless the person has sealed stone before, I would not use a rookie unless they read the instructions fully and understd everything. Once the sealer is down, you will have this for 6-12 mo;s w avg sealer, longer w others..

 

[ITR]

One thing I forgot to mention is they also applied polymeric sand so fill in the spaces between the tiles. We have a lot of ants in FL due to the sand, so the last thing I want to do was have ant hills to worry about.

Sorry, I don't know what brand of sealer they used. I could probably email them and find out if you'd like.


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[Flounder32]

The sealers that you are using, do they give the stone the "wet" look? I have flagstone coping, lots of moss rock (weeping wall and waterfall) and stacked stone on hot tub. All of it looks good when it's dry, but it looks fantastic when it's wet. The colors really come out. Should I use a "wet look" sealer like Glaze N Seal lacuquer? (Note: we just completed tile and coping and having not poured the deck or done the plaster yet)

 

[txnole]

The DuPont sealers are available in a more natural and a more "wet" look.