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Cleaning a travertine stone shower
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2017-10-18 at 9:57 PM UTCOver a year ago I got my shower walls replaced with a travertine and it looked really good and stayed clean for almost a year with minimal need to clean it. One day I used vinegar and blue dawn mixture to clean it, later to realize thats a no no with travertine, as the vinegar damages it. and the soap scum wont come out as travertine is a porous stone. So it looks like shithole now.
Second problem is the grout insn't smooth so if you rub a scrub pad over it you can reach in between. And I've heard bleach would destroy the grout and inevitably make the problem worse over time.
Any ideas on a good cleaner for travertine? -
2017-10-18 at 10:29 PM UTCsolution: tear it out and use glazed tile.
travertine in a shower is the worst idea ever and whoever came up with that idea really should be shot.
a second-to-worst idea is to manually scrub the shit out of it using that EDPA or whatever it's called...rinse the fuck out of it..let it dry for a week or two...then seal it with a high grade sealer. even that's a stupid idea tho. -
2017-10-18 at 10:58 PM UTCCan't you just replace the grout? Shower grout usually needs patching every few years in my experience.
Never heard of travertine before, apparently it's a limestone. Limestones are basically just calcium and carbon, and acids (like vinegar) will eat them.
I would try probably try abrading the stone down with fine sandpaper, or maybe 5% hydrogen peroxide or oxygen based bleach (its sold for clothes, and tends to make a whiter finish, normal chlorine based bleach can leave a yellow tint), or something which is a base like dilute sodium hydroxide. -
2017-10-18 at 11:02 PM UTC
Originally posted by jedi.Goldstein Can't you just replace the grout? Shower grout usually needs patching every few years in my experience.
Never heard of travertine before, apparently it's a limestone. Limestones are basically just calcium and carbon, and acids (like vinegar) will eat them.
I would try probably try abrading the stone down with fine sandpaper, or maybe 5% hydrogen peroxide or oxygen based bleach (its sold for clothes, and tends to make a whiter finish, normal chlorine based bleach can leave a yellow tint), or something which is a base like dilute sodium hydroxide.
I don't know how to replace grout I guess I could learn... all I know is that would be a big job for me, like the grout basically looks like it has the texture of big sand.
The sandpaper sounds like a good idea though. -
2017-10-18 at 11:04 PM UTC
Ready mixed. Assuming it is the same sort of grout. -
2017-10-18 at 11:12 PM UTC
Originally posted by infinityshock solution: tear it out and use glazed tile.
travertine in a shower is the worst idea ever and whoever came up with that idea really should be shot.
a second-to-worst idea is to manually scrub the shit out of it using that EDPA or whatever it's called…rinse the fuck out of it..let it dry for a week or two…then seal it with a high grade sealer. even that's a stupid idea tho.
yeah I've read stuff like that online and it seems like way too much work, I don't know why they did it that way. I dunno I guess I'm going to bitch to the land lady and piss off the maintenance guys, but whatever, they brought in some 3rd hand guys to do it... so I know its not technically there fault... but its kind of her fault. It looked good up until recently.
I wonder when I move out how much effort they'd put into cleaning it for the next tenant. Just seems like a lot of work.
My new neighbor said they redid his the same way before he officially moved in but he could care less how it looks. -
2017-10-18 at 11:15 PM UTC
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2017-10-18 at 11:49 PM UTC
Originally posted by Bill Krozby yeah I've read stuff like that online and it seems like way too much work, I don't know why they did it that way. I dunno I guess I'm going to bitch to the land lady and piss off the maintenance guys, but whatever, they brought in some 3rd hand guys to do it… so I know its not technically there fault… but its kind of her fault. It looked good up until recently.
I wonder when I move out how much effort they'd put into cleaning it for the next tenant. Just seems like a lot of work.
My new neighbor said they redid his the same way before he officially moved in but he could care less how it looks.
travertine in a rental? that makes no sense. that shit is too expensive to be wasting on the prole renters.
post pics of shower/tiles. -
2017-10-18 at 11:54 PM UTC
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2017-10-18 at 11:59 PM UTCalmost every single apartment I've been here has a different floor plan / carpet and general materials.
its definitely not a "smooth stone"
and who knows maybe they did treat it with a gloss and thats why it lasted so long not needing to really be cleaned but the wax/gloss I guess wore off and thats why it looks like shit now and is rapidly looking gross. I've just never had this problem with a shower before.
Post last edited by Bill Krozby at 2017-10-19T00:04:31.224485+00:00 -
2017-10-19 at 12:09 AM UTC
Originally posted by Bill Krozby almost every single apartment I've been here has a different floor plan / carpet and general materials.
its definitely not a "smooth stone"
and who knows maybe they did treat it with a gloss and thats why it lasted so long not needing to really be cleaned but the wax/gloss I guess wore off and thats why it looks like shit now and is rapidly looking gross. I've just never had this problem with a shower before.
Post last edited by Bill Krozby at 2017-10-19T00:04:31.224485+00:00
the resolution on that pic is horrible...i cant see anything, but it looks like regular ceramic tile.
either way...if youre renting just clean it with whatever you have...who cares if its damaged. its not like youre going to be living there forever. bleach and sodium hydroxide mixed together is the best/easiest thing to use. spray it on the walls somehow, and keep it wet for long enough to let the solution dissolve the built up shits. dont let the liquid dry. use a nylon bristle brush to scrub it...and wear long rubber gloves. the same shit thatll clean your nasty shower will literally dissolve your skin. rinse well. -
2017-10-19 at 12:15 AM UTC
Originally posted by infinityshock the resolution on that pic is horrible…i cant see anything, but it looks like regular ceramic tile.
either way…if youre renting just clean it with whatever you have…who cares if its damaged. its not like youre going to be living there forever. bleach and sodium hydroxide mixed together is the best/easiest thing to use. spray it on the walls somehow, and keep it wet for long enough to let the solution dissolve the built up shits. dont let the liquid dry. use a nylon bristle brush to scrub it…and wear long rubber gloves. the same shit thatll clean your nasty shower will literally dissolve your skin. rinse well.
It's definitely not ceramic but yeah I was thinking the same thing to clean it with whatever. I've lived here for 4 years now, but that isn't forever.
That stuff is caustic so thats why I tried out the vinegar/dawn solution first but it didn't do shit but fuck it up worse. -
2017-10-19 at 1:12 AM UTC
Originally posted by Bill Krozby It's definitely not ceramic but yeah I was thinking the same thing to clean it with whatever. I've lived here for 4 years now, but that isn't forever.
That stuff is caustic so thats why I tried out the vinegar/dawn solution first but it didn't do shit but fuck it up worse.
how do you know its not ceramic? -
2017-10-19 at 1:40 AM UTC
Originally posted by infinityshock how do you know its not ceramic?
it doesn't feel like ceramic and doesn't look like ceramic (I know its a bad pic), its porous as hell, has wholes and dips in it. Ceramic is a lot more smooth and the grout doesn't look like anything i've ever seen used on ceramic tiles, this is the first time I've ever seen tile like this and spoke to my neighbor about it and he agrees its travertine.
I just doesn't feel like ceramic at all, and if it was ceramic it would be a lot easier to clean. I dunno hell maybe I'll ask the maintenance dude next time I see him, but I think he will agree / not know since he wasn't working here when it was put in and the other dude doesn't speak english at all.
its just obvious its some kinda limestone. I've never had this problem with a shower before.
I guess like you mentioned clean it whatever way , I just thought it was strange that out of nowhere a year later it started looking shitty and can't be cleaned easily where I really didn't have to do much to it before, so I'm guessing the wax came off especially after using the vinegar on it.
My place is usually pretty clean so its just kind of annoying when I take a shower and notice how gross it looks, I've even wiped down the tiles and pulled back the shower curtain and I have a fan in there.
Ceramic is more shiny and smooth than this stuff.
Post last edited by Bill Krozby at 2017-10-19T01:48:03.546947+00:00 -
2017-10-19 at 2:13 AM UTC
Originally posted by Bill Krozby it doesn't feel like ceramic and doesn't look like ceramic (I know its a bad pic), its porous as hell, has wholes and dips in it. Ceramic is a lot more smooth and the grout doesn't look like anything i've ever seen used on ceramic tiles, this is the first time I've ever seen tile like this and spoke to my neighbor about it and he agrees its travertine.
I just doesn't feel like ceramic at all, and if it was ceramic it would be a lot easier to clean. I dunno hell maybe I'll ask the maintenance dude next time I see him, but I think he will agree / not know since he wasn't working here when it was put in and the other dude doesn't speak english at all.
its just obvious its some kinda limestone. I've never had this problem with a shower before.
I guess like you mentioned clean it whatever way , I just thought it was strange that out of nowhere a year later it started looking shitty and can't be cleaned easily where I really didn't have to do much to it before, so I'm guessing the wax came off especially after using the vinegar on it.
My place is usually pretty clean so its just kind of annoying when I take a shower and notice how gross it looks, I've even wiped down the tiles and pulled back the shower curtain and I have a fan in there.
Ceramic is more shiny and smooth than this stuff.
[vidtps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty0Tgnzg/video]
Post last edited by Bill Krozby at 2017-10-19T01:48:03.546947+00:00
ceramic tile can be made to look like anything...wood...metal...plastic...and travertine. it can be mirror-gloss shiny...or rougher than 40-grit sandpaper.
'real' travertine is expensive as fuck and one of the most difficult surfaces to maintain. the sales brochures all say 'LASTS FOR-FUCKING-EVER!!11!' and while that is true, the shit is soft as fuck and will degrade over time. as in it wears more if used on a floor or high-traffic location. if you do anything other than look at it...the stuff starts being not the way it was when new.
like i said...i find it hard to believe a slum-lord would spend that kind of money on a rental. cheap and more sturdy ceramic would be a better choice. from that shitty pic i still say it looks like ceramic. -
2017-10-19 at 2:17 AM UTC
Originally posted by infinityshock ceramic tile can be made to look like anything…wood…metal…plastic…and travertine. it can be mirror-gloss shiny…or rougher than 40-grit sandpaper.
'real' travertine is expensive as fuck and one of the most difficult surfaces to maintain. the sales brochures all say 'LASTS FOR-FUCKING-EVER!!11!' and while that is true, the shit is soft as fuck and will degrade over time. as in it wears more if used on a floor or high-traffic location. if you do anything other than look at it…the stuff starts being not the way it was when new.
like i said…i find it hard to believe a slum-lord would spend that kind of money on a rental. cheap and more sturdy ceramic would be a better choice. from that shitty pic i still say it looks like ceramic.
You could be right, all I know is the grout is the main problem, probably will just bleach it with cotton stripps dipped in bleach and go from there. -
2017-10-19 at 2:30 AM UTC
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2017-10-19 at 2:51 AM UTC
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2017-10-19 at 2:56 AM UTC
Originally posted by infinityshock solution: tear it out and use glazed tile.
travertine in a shower is the worst idea ever and whoever came up with that idea really should be shot.
a second-to-worst idea is to manually scrub the shit out of it using that EDPA or whatever it's called…rinse the fuck out of it..let it dry for a week or two…then seal it with a high grade sealer. even that's a stupid idea tho.
Originally posted by Bill Krozby yeah I've read stuff like that online and it seems like way too much work, I don't know why they did it that way. I dunno I guess I'm going to bitch to the land lady and piss off the maintenance guys, but whatever, they brought in some 3rd hand guys to do it… so I know its not technically there fault… but its kind of her fault. It looked good up until recently.
I wonder when I move out how much effort they'd put into cleaning it for the next tenant. Just seems like a lot of work.
My new neighbor said they redid his the same way before he officially moved in but he could care less how it looks.
Originally posted by infinityshock travertine in a rental? that makes no sense. that shit is too expensive to be wasting on the prole renters.
post pics of shower/tiles.
Originally posted by Bill Krozby it most definitely is traverntine and I was surprised myself when I saw it, but I live in a hispter apt building
Originally posted by Bill Krozby almost every single apartment I've been here has a different floor plan / carpet and general materials.
its definitely not a "smooth stone"
and who knows maybe they did treat it with a gloss and thats why it lasted so long not needing to really be cleaned but the wax/gloss I guess wore off and thats why it looks like shit now and is rapidly looking gross. I've just never had this problem with a shower before.
Post last edited by Bill Krozby at 2017-10-19T00:04:31.224485+00:00
Originally posted by infinityshock the resolution on that pic is horrible…i cant see anything, but it looks like regular ceramic tile.
either way…if youre renting just clean it with whatever you have…who cares if its damaged. its not like youre going to be living there forever. bleach and sodium hydroxide mixed together is the best/easiest thing to use. spray it on the walls somehow, and keep it wet for long enough to let the solution dissolve the built up shits. dont let the liquid dry. use a nylon bristle brush to scrub it…and wear long rubber gloves. the same shit thatll clean your nasty shower will literally dissolve your skin. rinse well.
Originally posted by Bill Krozby It's definitely not ceramic but yeah I was thinking the same thing to clean it with whatever. I've lived here for 4 years now, but that isn't forever.
That stuff is caustic so thats why I tried out the vinegar/dawn solution first but it didn't do shit but fuck it up worse.
Originally posted by infinityshock how do you know its not ceramic?
Originally posted by Bill Krozby it doesn't feel like ceramic and doesn't look like ceramic (I know its a bad pic), its porous as hell, has wholes and dips in it. Ceramic is a lot more smooth and the grout doesn't look like anything i've ever seen used on ceramic tiles, this is the first time I've ever seen tile like this and spoke to my neighbor about it and he agrees its travertine.
I just doesn't feel like ceramic at all, and if it was ceramic it would be a lot easier to clean. I dunno hell maybe I'll ask the maintenance dude next time I see him, but I think he will agree / not know since he wasn't working here when it was put in and the other dude doesn't speak english at all.
its just obvious its some kinda limestone. I've never had this problem with a shower before.
I guess like you mentioned clean it whatever way , I just thought it was strange that out of nowhere a year later it started looking shitty and can't be cleaned easily where I really didn't have to do much to it before, so I'm guessing the wax came off especially after using the vinegar on it.
My place is usually pretty clean so its just kind of annoying when I take a shower and notice how gross it looks, I've even wiped down the tiles and pulled back the shower curtain and I have a fan in there.
Ceramic is more shiny and smooth than this stuff.
Post last edited by Bill Krozby at 2017-10-19T01:48:03.546947+00:00
Originally posted by infinityshock ceramic tile can be made to look like anything…wood…metal…plastic…and travertine. it can be mirror-gloss shiny…or rougher than 40-grit sandpaper.
'real' travertine is expensive as fuck and one of the most difficult surfaces to maintain. the sales brochures all say 'LASTS FOR-FUCKING-EVER!!11!' and while that is true, the shit is soft as fuck and will degrade over time. as in it wears more if used on a floor or high-traffic location. if you do anything other than look at it…the stuff starts being not the way it was when new.
like i said…i find it hard to believe a slum-lord would spend that kind of money on a rental. cheap and more sturdy ceramic would be a better choice. from that shitty pic i still say it looks like ceramic.
Originally posted by Bill Krozby You could be right, all I know is the grout is the main problem, probably will just bleach it with cotton stripps dipped in bleach and go from there.
Originally posted by infinityshock thats a lot of work. the bleach/sodium hydroxide spray then scrubbing with a brush is faster.
Originally posted by Bill Krozby gotcha
Is this real life? -
2017-10-19 at 3:02 AM UTC
