Hi Tom,
We have grease spots on the travertine tiles in the kitchen. and we have some holes were the “fill” is gone. The 18″-tile floor is three years old.

Thanks,
Erika

Hello Erika,

There are several responses on the website about cleaning grease spots but if they have been there for a while on travertine, I afraid you are out of luck. You can try a poultice solution with some bleach to lesson the intensity but you will not be able to remove the stain. For a poultice solution, find you local tile store and ask them for a product. Also, any treatment you do will most likely be noticeable in comparison to the rest of the tile. It has the same affect as cleaning pen off of leather or vinyl. So, you will have to replace the tiles if you want the stains completely gone.

For the holes, just buy some non-sanded hydraulic white cement and fill the voids. You could use a non-sanded grout but it will crack and sag a little if the voids are over 1/8″ wide. Non-sanded grout is an ok solution if you are not a perfectionist.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

Dear Tom,

We have some of our customers complaining about a gritty feel to their granite, they have continuously wiped the countertops but the grit is still there, what causes this and what can we or our customers do to prevent this from occurring?

Thank You!
Diane

Hello Diane,

What are the similarities with the projects? Same Granite? Same country source? Consider the amount of sealer and the brand that was put on the surface. Too much sealer could have been put on and not it is disintegrating. Unfortunately it takes time to completely go away. You could try a real heavy cleaning with acetone, but only time will really help if the sealer is breaking down. Another possibility is dust in the atmosphere. It is not improbable that a cause could be from new construction debris or dust in the heating/AC ducks which lands on the granite surface.

Although this situation is rare, I heard once that a product called “Granite Magic” Cleaner seams to help this condition. I would suggest providing that product in these cases, and in time the gritty feeling should go away. I am interested to hear how this turns out so please let me know.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

I just had 3cm New Venetian Gold granite put in my kitchen, the installers used acetone to remove glue and then sealed it. I am still trying to remove glue and see greasy looking smudges on it in certain lights! Help what do I do to clean and protect it!

Marcia

Hello Marcia,

Acetone should have done the job. However, I recommend the following: First, use a razor blade to scrape off the glue. Acetone will not remove heavy glue deposits. Then, either use acetone again or use Windex. If the Windex does not work, use a strong solution of liquid dish washing soap and warm water. Use a green scrub pad and go over the whole top. It is important to really get all the soap off when you are done scrubbing because you are going to need to reseal the granite.

After it is all dry and clean, you should not see any film or smudges. Now, reseal according to the advice in my Article, Sealing and Cleaning Your Granite.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

We are purchasing a new home. We did our walk through today and I was unhappy with the granite countertops. There are two very large imperfections which look faded out. Our builder has assured us that this is mother nature and is actually a more enduring quality of the stone. My husband is not sure what to think. Is it normal procedure for the installers to intall the granite with not just one but two imperfections like these. One is 8-10? long and apprx. 4-6? wide and the other is smaller. I am very upset since it is so noticable. Can you give me some advice as I plan to address this with builder but need some back up.

Thank you for your feedback,
Laurie Spartano

Hello Laurie,

Your issue is a common one and unfortunately it was very preventable. In my article, “The Homeowner’s Checklist“, I write about how to avoid this specific problem. Unfortunately, it is too late for that.

Although the granite you chose is the granite you got, there is certainly a degree of acceptable quality for the “Residential Market”. Whereas Giallo Napoleon Granite, with the large blotches, might be suitable for the wainscot of a commercial building it is not a generally accepted quality for homes.

I would appeal to the Contractor as follows: Present my Homeowner’s Checklist and ask if they feel it is reasonable to expect this level of care when buying a new home. If the contractor is reputable, they will say yes. Then follow-up with the fact that this was not done and that if it was, you would have obviously rejected the slabs. You could also ask quite simply, “Would you want to see this in your home everyday?” If the contractor does not side with you and you still want to pursue it, you will have to get a local consultant.

By the way, the granite you mentioned is generally uniformed. Slabs that have large botches like the one you mentioned are heavily discounted if the botch is near the center and unavoidable with normal fabrication. Let me know how this turns out.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

I just had costa esmeralda honed granite installed in my kitchen. I have noticed that there is small rust like spots appearing throughout the granite. What could be the cause and what could correct it?

Steve

Hello Steve,

Costa Esmeralda can have enough mica and iron that would actually rust. This usually can be prevented with a good application of sealer. To remove the intensity of the rust mark, try “Iron Out” (available and home centers). Test it first in a small area because although it should reduce the mark, it may also etch the countertop surface a little; thus, removing the polished look.

I am not sure what you mean but appearing throughout the granite, so if the “Iron out” is not a practical solution, then I do not believe you have any other option but to seal the granite now to prevent further rusting.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

Can travertine tile be butted up tight with each other and grout applied thus not having any or very little grout showing? Thank you.

Ed

Hello Ed,

The short answer is, “No”. Furthermore, I never recommend butting Travertine tile for several reasons. First, the travertine tiles are never cut perfectly and require a joint in order to maintain a steady module across the floor. Second, you can’t put grout into a joint that does not exist. If you do not open up the joint to 1/16″ minimum the grout will not bond to itself and the tile; therefore, it will fail. Third, it is almost impossible to eliminate lips from tile to tile with butted joints, unless you grind down the floor after installation.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

Thanks for responding to question about travertine tile being butted up. Can travertine tiles be laid in a staggering pattern or is it best to lay in the traditional pattern so the grout can have more bonding authority?

Ed

Hello Ed,

It is quite nice to run travertine in a staggering pattern, otherwise known as a ‘running bond’. I highly recommend this look because it adds a bit of customization to an otherwise typical looking ’square pattern’ floor. In this case you would eliminate the first problems I mentioned with butting the tiles, but the other two issues still exist.

Best regards,
Tom Cordova

My wife and I are designing a pool which will have a planting area as a wall of the pool. The planting area will be covered with marble but we are not sure how the chemicals of the pool can affect the marble. If not marble what other durable choices we should consider?

Robert

Hello Robert,

There are several things to consider here. Some new pool systems clean the water without the need of routine Muriatic Acid treatments. If this is your design, then that eliminates one of the problems with using marble around pool areas. This acid is basic commercial granite Hydrochloric Acid. If your pool design requires this acid or any other acid that reacts with calcium carbonate (marble), then keep in mind that the acid(s) will literally dissolve your marble.

In addition, even sunlight and air pollution will noticeably damage the finish on marble within a year or two. If you do not desire an ancient weathered look, then do not use marble outside and especially not around water features that are designed to required acid treatments.

My recommendation is to use granite. Muriatic acid and sunlight will not harm granite at all. There are hundreds of colors that you can see on www.GraniteStock.com and I am sure you would find one that you like. Note, that a few exotic granites are coated with polyester resin at the factory. Do not use these granite colors outdoors because the resin will deteriorate and ‘yellow’ from sunlight. Just ask the supplier if the granite you like is resin coated or not.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

Hi Tom,

I have an island that shaped like a grand piano top. I have cabinet runs of 102? and 72? on the straight sides that form the L-shape. On the Curve side is where I want to have some seating. What would be the acceptable overhang without any corbels or bracket support for the eating/seating area?

The granite I am using would be 2mm Pearl Brown or Volga Blue Extra. There will be a plywood subtop. If the granite sits on the plywood, would I be able to have an overhang area of 14?-16? deep, with a span of about 80? without any corbels? Would the plywood be strong enough to support this span? I am not interested in the corbels/brackets underneath because of “knee room” and preference for a cleaner look.

Thank you,
Maria

Hello Maria,

The short answer is No, you should not overhang 2cm granite more than 6″ without support. There are two ways to support it. One, you can use corbels as you mentioned. Two, you can use posts. If you choose the post option, you will need to set them 36″ part or install steel angle from post to post. Discuss this option with your installer.

There is another way to avoid corbels but the overhang you are describing is just too deep. If you wanted to only overhang 12″, I would recommend embedding 3″ wide x 3/18″ deep stainless steel bar in the plywood, extending front 6″ into the cabinet and all the way up to the underside of the bullnose. Again, discuss this option with your installer. It is a great solution to avoid corbels but over 12″ is difficult to get rigid support.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

Tom

I have seen travertine installed using two different installation methods. One was a full spread of mortar/thinset on the floor & back buttering of the tile, the other was 6-8 dobs or piles of mortar/thinset on ths back of the tile. Which one is the preferred method of installation, & what are the advantages or disadvantages of one over the other if there are any?

Thanks
Dan

Hello Dan,

I have not seen a certified installation method for floors that stipulates using drops or piles of mortar on the back of the stone tile.

There are some pretty strong adhesives in the marketplace, but the problem is that doing this will create hollow sounding tiles. For wall installations, this might be adequate and sufficient under the right circumstances.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

Hi Tom,
I am a homeowner who would love to have granite countertops, but cannot afford the expense. I am going to tile my laundry room and master bathroom to gain experience in laying tile. Then, I would like to install granite tile on my kitchen countertop and perhaps backsplash. Is granite tile much more difficult to install than ceramic tile? Also, how would I achieve a polished edge on the countertop?
Thank you for any assistance.
Chris

Hello Chris,

I really would recommend looking harder for a granite company that can provide you with granite slab within your budget. Contrary to what others might say, tiling a kitchen countertop with granite is not a do-it-yourself job and it is far below the upgrade level of granite slab.

The countertop surface is only a few feet from your eyes and if the job is not perfect, you will see every flaw. If you do choose to go the tile way, you will need to count the tiles along the edge and have them polished by a professional fabrication shop. Don’t try to polish them yourself, because they need to be polished with wet-diamond pads that you do not have access to. The installation is tricky and substrate must be floated perfection level. There are lot of cuts to make, so be sure to have a good diamond blade on your saw.

Other resources for granite slab are www.HomeGranite.com and www.GraniteStock.com.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova