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Natural Stone Tiles

Fixing of Travertine

How to prepare Travertine Tiles

Travertine should be dry laid firstly, mixing up tiles from packs/crates to ensure an acceptable shade blend, as shade variation is inherent in all natural stone.

Before fixing and grouting, we highly recommend that Travertine is thoroughly cleaned to remove any dirt and grime using LTP Grimex, then allowed to thoroughly dry.

First Seal

Once the tiles have dried they should be sealed. This will help prevent adhesive and grout staining the surface of the tiles.

Either LTP Mattstone or LTP Colour Intensifier are ideal for sealing Travertine. We recommend LTP MPG for Polished Travertine.

Fixing Travertine Tiles

Adhesive and the way it is used is a very important stage during the fixing of Natural Stone. Firstly we would always recommend using a White Adhesive when fixing Natural Stone (i.e. Keraquick White). This is to stop any staining and dark shadowing from the back of the tile that could occur if grey adhesive is used.

Another consideration to bare in mind when choosing adhesive, is the substrate that you wish to tile on. Please contact customer service or speak to one of our expert staff in store for more information.

Back Buttering

Another important consideration when fitting Travertine is the small voids that are in the tile. As we know these voids are formed as organic matter decays in the stone leaving the holes. These voids are weak points in the tile that need to be backfilled to reinforce the strength of the tile.

The way we fill these small voids is known as ‘back buttering’. This means filling the small voids with adhesive by applying a thin layer of adhesive onto the back of the tile, using the flat edge of the trowel.

Grouting

Now that the tiles are installed we need to consider grouting. It is recommended that only light coloured grouts are used with Travertine. This is to prevent staining on the surface of the tile and any bleeding of the grout into the edge of the tiles when grouted.

Ultracolour is ideal for grouting Travertine tiles. It is important that you clean off the excess grout as you go, so that it does not have time to dry onto the surface.

Final Touches

Now that your tiles are fully grouted, we need to do a final clean and seal.

The tiles should be cleaned with LTP Grimex and sealed again with the sealer used during the first seal (LTP GrimexLTP Mattstone or LTP MPG). This will provide the final seal for the stone.

Aftercare Maintenance

To keep your Travertine tiles looking fantastic, we need to think about how to look after your tiles.

LTP Waxwash is a gentle cleaner, which is PH neutral, which can be used regularly to help protect your new tiles. It is important that the correct maintenance products are used. Many “off the shelf” cleaners have a high acid content, which can attack the surface of the tiles.

As we have found out the surface of Travertine is often filled with an epoxy resin. During the first 12-18 months it is not uncommon for these small voids to ‘pop’ out or collapse. This does not mean that the stone is faulty but is part of the wearing cycle of the stone. These can easily be repaired using Mapei Kerapoxy Jasmine. Please contact customer service or speak to one of our expert staff in store for more information.

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