Having 600 x 400 travertine tiles laid in our hallway in a few weeks should they be sealed as our tiler seems very unsure, I don’t think he had used this natural material before.

Any answers please.

are they smooth or full of holes.

muts

If your tiles are filled and honed then you need to seal the tile before you grout and after you grout, if they are unfilled then you need to fix the tiles, grout and then seal after.

Make sure you use a good sealer and not one that you will have to apply again in 1 - 2 years.

Hope this helps

I would suggest using a sealer from Aquamix as they have the benefit of being water based (in the main). After reading about the effects a solvent based sealer from another manufacturer had on a team of tilers (they were hospitalised) I'm vary wary about what I go near.

Aquamix have a sealer called Enrich and Seal that really brings the colour of the stone out. Lasts for up to 15 years too. They also have natural looking sealers if you don't want to change the appearance of the stone.

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Mattonella Tile Studio Ltd
Unit 11, Stone Enterprise Centre
Emerald Way
Stone Business Park
Stone
ST15 0SR

www.mattonella-tiles.co.uk

Ultra Solve or Sealers Choice Gold would be a better choice I think both from Aqua Mix.

Kev

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[size="2"][color="Blue"]TILING LOGISTICS Aqua Mix Trained Operator. Specialist Restoration, Grinding, Honing, Polishing and Repair of all Natural Stone. Marble, Granite, Travertine, Limestone, Slate & Quarries to name but a few. We also do Grafitti removal, grout recolouring, sealing, resealing and cosmetic repairs. E Mail any questions to tilinglogistics@hotmail.com

Surely it depends upon the look that Paul is after that dictates what would be the better choice of sealer.

__________________
Mattonella Tile Studio Ltd
Unit 11, Stone Enterprise Centre
Emerald Way
Stone Business Park
Stone
ST15 0SR

www.mattonella-tiles.co.uk

Have a look at the Aquamix website; Aqua Mix - For Home Use - Products and have a read about the different sealers, and make sure you give your tiler plenty of warning as to what you expect him to do.
If you want to enhance (and darken) the colour of the travertine use Enrich n Seal (but there's no going back if you do!), but if you just want the stone to look as it's installed, then use Sealers Choice Gold. Both over premium protection, which means maximum reaction time to any spills.

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Cathedral Stone & Tile Services - specialists in renovating Victorian tiled floors and general cleaning and renovation of all tile and stone installations. Independent Aquamix applicator.

Darren,

I absolutely agree with you of course it is up to the customer. However, Sealers Choice Gold and Ultra Solve are slightly easier to apply to travertine and most people select trtavertine because they like the look although I must admit Ultrasolve does slightly darken the appearance as well but no where near as much as Enrich & Seal.

Kev

__________________
[size="2"][color="Blue"]TILING LOGISTICS Aqua Mix Trained Operator. Specialist Restoration, Grinding, Honing, Polishing and Repair of all Natural Stone. Marble, Granite, Travertine, Limestone, Slate & Quarries to name but a few. We also do Grafitti removal, grout recolouring, sealing, resealing and cosmetic repairs. E Mail any questions to tilinglogistics@hotmail.com

As a user of Aqua mix products I've found that Sealers Choice Gold helps to keep the natural appearance of travertine where as Enrich & Seal does darken it considerably, not yet used Ultra Solve so can't comment. But why buy a natural product only to change its appearance? Is it a bit like buying a pair of brown brogues only to polish them with black boot polish?!?

I would use Sealers Choice Gold. Personally, I only use Ultrasolv on a denser material such as porcelain.

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Richard Knight Tiling
Quality Wall & Floor Tiling to British Standards
Member of The Guild of Master Craftsmen