How to fill Travertine holes with resin

Floor tiles made of travertine are offered in two variations: filled and unfilled. In the unfilled variation, all holes are left visible, giving the stone a more natural aspect. The filled variation features larger indentations and holes, which are filled during the manufacturing process, as opposed to the unfilled variant. The following article provides instructions on how to fill holes in Travertine floors.

We clean, polish and seal Travertine and Limestone flooring for a wide range of clients and projects. When customers have called us for advice, it’s usually because they are concerned about the dirty appearance of a travertine floor due to the holes which have appeared over the years. These holes fill with dirt, resulting in an unattractive floor. 

Naturally occurring bubbles or holes of varying sizes can be seen in Travertine. An occasional pocket or bubble under the surface may readily burst as a result of the pressure of furniture or foot movement beneath the surface.

Limestone floors are normally smooth or polished, but Travertine floors are typically tumbled and have a honed or matt surface, depending on the variety. 

The process of filling and restoring Travertine floor tiles may be achieved using a variety of techniques. This blog will describe the most effective procedure for permanently mending and filling them.

Not only is it time-consuming and expensive to replace broken Travertine floor tiles, but it can also be difficult to match the new tiles to the old ones due to the nature of the material.

In both Limestone and Travertine flooring, the technique for filling holes is the same; however, with Limestone, which tends to have a polished flat finish, it’s important to have the resin flat with the stone surface, otherwise it may appear unsightly. To do this, one would need to sand and polish the stone upon completion. For a tumbled stone floor the holes can be filled without having to polish the resin.

When sanding the resin down it’s important not to accidentally sand the surrounding stone otherwise you will end up creating damage that is more noticeable than it was before you began. Why not call us to come and fill your travertine holes for you? 

Filling holes and cracks sometimes requires a two-day service, imagine how long it would take you! What’s more, our service often includes a full travertine cleaning and polishing service of the entire floor, resulting in a consistent surface across the floor that you would never even notice the old cracks and holes. For a free quote, please contact us by using the WhatsApp icon at the bottom of each page. 

Filling holes in Travertine and Limestone may be done in a variety of ways. Here are some examples.

Filling with epoxy glue, which hardens to the consistency of nails and is unaffected by traffic or furniture, is the most long-lasting method available. We make use of a resin filler as a filler material. Available in a can of filler and a smaller tube of hardener, it is easy to transport.

As a first step, make sure that the floor is totally dry, as the filler may not adhere to a wet surface as effectively. If you need to seal the floor then it’s best to wait until after the filling procedure because the filler may not adhere to a freshly sealed surface.

You’ll need the following items to complete your project

Epoxy resin filler for use in flooring applications. Acetone is used to clean the holes. A flat spatula such as a putty filler or an old credit card. It is necessary to use a sturdy card to mix the filler. Trimming the filler flush is accomplished with a sharp blade or razor blade. Disposable gloves. A toothbrush that has seen better days. It is necessary to use several grits of sandpaper, ranging from 60 to 1000, so that the stone may be smoothed out and polished to an honed or polished surface. The use of masking tape. Knee pads or a kneeling pad are recommended, especially if there are several holes to fill.

Cleaning travertine floor holes

Any holes or damaged areas should be repaired by first cleaning it with acetone. Clean the hole with acetone, using the old tooth brush. Any oil-based material will be totally dissolved as a result of this. Scratch the inside of the hole with a sharp implement so that the surface of the stone becomes rough, making it a suitable substrate that will bond to the resin. Using a vacuum cleaner, remove any dust that has accumulated.

This is a messy job so cover the stone that immediately surrounds the hole with masking tape. This will protect the surrounding stone from any resin residue that may be present.

Preparing the Resin for filling travertine holes

This resin is offered in a straw colour that is compatible with the majority of travertine flooring options. If you feel the colour of the filler is incorrect or that it stands out excessively, you may want to consider adding some colour. If you wish to tint the resin to match the colour of the floor, you may need to use a resin dye to do this. In order to experiment with a new colour, start with a very little amount of the colourant and gradually add it to the filler paste until you achieve the desired shade. After that, apply the hardener just before you start filling the hole.

Prepare your filler material on a piece of old cardboard or newspaper. Follow the instructions carefully. Hardener should be used at a rate of 3 percent, although this is exceedingly difficult to predict, much alone define. In general, we utilise a pea-sized glob of hardener for every golf-ball-sized blob of resin.

If the right mixture is prepared it usually sets in 5 to 10 minutes, so start with little amounts at first to get acclimated to the feeling of working with it. Use only a very small amount of the product from the tube and avoid overdoing it since it will gradually set. If you apply an excessive amount of hardener, you will just have to act more quickly!

Filling travertine cracks and crevices

Spread the filler into the hole in two directions, taking care not to create any bubbles or voids in the process. In the case of larger holes in Travertine, a number of treatments may be required to build up the filler. Make sure the filler is flush with the surface.

Re-surfacing filled travertine holes

As soon as you’ve filled the cracks and holes with resin and smoothed the surface, carefully peel away the masking tape before the resin begins to set. With a sharp blade, the excess filler may be easily removed at this stage. If you’re an expert at sanding stone floors, you may decide to rather let the resin cure and sand it down to match the surrounding floor. 

Ideally you’d need to resurface the travertine floor to create a completely smooth surface that you won’t even be able to feel the resin when running your hands across the tile. 

We are a company that specialises in floor cleaning and stone restoration and polishing. For travertine floor restoration and polishing get in touch with us and ask us for a free quote.