Contrary to popular belief, travertine is not really a porous stone. In fact it is one of the denser calciferous stones out there due to its formation. It is formed when dissolved waterborne minerals are deposited - often in hot springs environments.

The biggest issue you will have with a travertine table top is etching and no sealer will prevent that.

That being said - if your table has a lot of filled spots, it probably will not hurt to put sealer on it and the stuff your tile guy left would probably be as good as any, just as long as it is not a topical sealer (one that forms a varnish-like layer)

Thoroughly clean your table with a solvent like acetone (the home depot kind, not nail varnish remover) Apply the sealer with a rag, leave a few minutes and diligently buff the residual sealer off with clean, lint-free rags or unprinted paper towels. Make sure that you totally remove all sealer residue, otherwise it could dry on the surface and leave you with a blotchy, streaky appearance that is a pain to remove.

Thanks stonegirl!

My granite gal used TileLab Grout and Tile Sealer on my travertine backsplash. I know I've seen it at Home Depot or Lowes.

IMO, that stuff is garbage. (Tile Lab)

What Bill said. The solid content (that which makes the sealer effective) is very low in the TileLab products.

Bill or Tile Girl, We just finished tiling our backsplash with tumbled travertine. Can you recommend a good sealer? Should we clean it first with the Acetone as you told Gina? Gina thanks for the question.

Bill,

A quick question about travertine. Is it a good choice for kitchen/bath floors and if so, what would you use to clean and seal? If not, what would you suggest? I love hardwood floors, but stuff flies out of my hands when I cook so THAT is not an option! The thing that concerns me about the grout lines between tiles is that they look dirty after awhile. Any way to prevent that? Thanks for all your good advice!

Bill, I assumed the granite person knew what she was doing but apparently she didn't. It was just done so no harm done yet. Would it hurt for me to reseal over the TileLab "garbage"? If so, what should I use?

Can you recommend a good sealer? Should we clean it first with the Acetone as you told Gina? Gina thanks for the question.

Either Miracle 511 Impregnator or Stone Tech Impregnator Pro. Both are good quality products, and unless you're getting a problem from old sealer on the stone, no, you don't need the acetone.

A quick question about travertine. Is it a good choice for kitchen/bath floors and if so, what would you use to clean and seal? If not, what would you suggest?

This one's a loaded question in this forum. If you want a floor that's going to stay pristine, travertine isn't the kitchen floor for you, although there are literally LEGIONS of people in here who seem to disagree with me on that. If you ARE going to use travertine, though, go with one that's honed, instead of polished. As for sealer use the same ones I just recommended, and as for cleaning, it MUST be ph neutral, and preferrably one made specifically for cleaning sealed stone.

If you want something that's not quite so "sensitive", look into rectified porcelain. There are many around that mimick travertine, and do it very well, and with the rectified porcelain, you can even set it tight like real stone. The difference is hot water should be all that's needed to keep it clean, and it won't stain, etch, or scratch like real stone. You could dump a bottle of orange juice on it and not be worried about seeing that spot on the floor for the rest of your life.

Would it hurt for me to reseal over the TileLab "garbage"? If so, what should I use?

Use the acetone that Stonegirl recommended to remove the Tile Lab sealer, and then use one of the ones I recommended above.

Thanks so much for the info Bill!

Thanks so much for the info Bill and stonegirl. Gina, thanks for bringing this up and sorry for piggy backing your thread.

Hi Bill,

Thanks so much! I will look into rectified porcelain.

We have a travertine tile border around our pool, as well as a travertine table. Both have faded to almost white in color, in the last couple of years. Is it necessary to seal the tile and table or are they ok in the weather? Imo, a sealer might bring back the warm creamy color of the travertine, which I love, but Idk anything about this type of stone.

I know this is an old thread but thanks for the info Bill. I recently purchased a travertine coffee table and if liquid hits it, it "smudges" the finish, makes it a bit rough. I'm gonna try the sealer.