Travertine TOPICAL sealer....

[floorguy]

So a home owner called me (off my truck whooo hoo)

anyway, dirty floor, she went after it with her steamer and decided to helll with this...

Said her son did it a couple of years ago, and did it "just like the install guy" with a topical one....in fact on the stairs you can feel the "drips" that ran down the fronts...

Also under the kitchen table has the scuffs and peels just like normal VCT finish would....

When she steamed it, she said it came of "flaky"....which makes me a bit leary of what could be on it...

i go back tomorrow with some stripper and pads to see how bad it is...


I have an idea where i think i want to be with a bid...and i will give options...

A for strip and clean

B Add polish

C add penetrating sealer

just want to check if there is anything i may miss... Because I checked one a few years ago...and the stripper didnt do a whole lot....

 

[Lance Golden]

Hillyard makes a pretty good stripper called "Assault" ,that I have used on travertine. Just make sure to allow the full dwell time before pulling the stripper off the floor..

 

[Lance Golden]

You might want to call Rob @ HardRock and get some of the Diamond renew powder polish. They also have a great impregnating solvent based sealer that extremely easy to work with!

 

[Blue Monarch]

Could definitely be a nightmare job. When there is flaking.....I try to run!

 

[clean image]

test you stripper of choice to see if it emulsifys

sounds like standard not urethane that would require KS3, paint stripper

plan on razoring the perimeters

most likey going to need to refinsh, as under the coating, the trav will need something

Im assuming your talking about a straight edge, factory filed and honed and butt install, laid fairly flat

 

[floorguy]

yup....

i will take pics of what i find tom..

here is the road in "driveway" and the view from the "hot tub room"

 

[Mikey P]

You can get a nice even appearance on Travertine with just a brown fiber pad under your heaviest rotary.

Floor finish will come off, you may have a hard time in the deeper pits and pours, use a Malgrit brush and heel away...

Lacquer or epoxy?


run

 

[CrazyRay]

Of course whatever finish is there needs to come off before anything else. If it's flaking then it is already coming off, so maybe it won't be terribly hard to remove. Might even try a good degreaser with a grout machine like a Turbo Hybrid first. Factor in dwell time and pre-scrubbing. See how it responds then go to a more aggressive chemical if necessary.

Polishing stone has never been easier than with the diamond Monkey Pads under a 175 rotary. You can get the Monkey pads in a set or buy them individually. Here are a few suggestions:

http://www4.cobbcarpet.com/zen/inde...d=1044&zenid=0bf0e6500c379af73674f920fbae3133

http://www4.cobbcarpet.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65&products_id=1089

http://www4.cobbcarpet.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=69&products_id=4953

http://www4.cobbcarpet.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=78&products_id=1215

 

[boazcan]

Take a small amount of xylene with you. If your stripper doesn't do much, then apply a small amount of the xylene to see if it becomes tacky. If so, then you have a solvent acrylic or urethane on there. Won't be any fun to bid at that point.

Bryan
SurfaceSolve Floor Care
www.tampatilecleaning.com

 

[floorguy]

oh yeah speaking of sealer and cobbs....doesnt this stuff work for stone to ???

http://www4.cobbcarpet.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=78&products_id=1226

and i have the set of 3 original monkey type pads... Me thinks they are the HTC ones

http://www.htc-floorsystems.com/en-US/FloorSolutions/HTCTwister.aspx

xylene is what i was wondering about...or rather what other thing to take and check....

stairs..... uhhhh 24 total and 2 5x5 landings, and a 3x5 at the bottom...

havent even thought up the price yet....will wait to see what it does tommorow.....ohhh and i will take a video of the drive up there....maybe a charge for PITA trailer road

 

[trojancarpetcare]

I would probably pass it up unless the custy wants to spend some cash on it. That can be a nightmare hope you get it and get paid(well)

 

[Rob Fairfield]

Hi Doug,

If the coating is flaking chances are it's a lacquer. Acrylics don't chip, peel or discolor. They are much more pliable and penetrate enough to bond to the stone. Acrylics strip easily and lacquers are an absolute pain to remove. Most guys only take a lacquer strip job one time in their career.

Neither product should never be used to give travertine or marble floors a shiny look. The look is the result of a one or a combinaton of the following polishing processes. Diamonds, polishing powder or crystallizer.

The HTC pads ban be used on travertine but stay away from the red (400 grit) pad. The white (800 grit), yellow (1500grit) and green(3000 grit) pads are generally safe to use. If the customer wants the highest polish possible a powder will have to used after any process.

If you decide to take the job you may want to add filling voids in the travertine as an option. It pays well.

Good Luck

 

[CrazyRay]

Yep, the Dynachem Ultraseal will work for grout, but I would recommend the Ultraseal Impregnator for the travertine. Looks like those pads are similar to the Monkey Pads and should work fine. Travertine generally does not need extensive polishing so that part should not take that long. I agree with Rob on the grit. A 3000 or up should be all you need. Also, good call on filling the voids Rob. The aggressive cleaning on the finish will most likely leave some holes that were filled with grout.

Ray