Thanks John.  I appreciate it.
Baird

On Thu, Nov 18, 2010 at 12:59 PM, John Freitag <jfreitag@thestoneandtileschool.com> wrote:

 

 

From: Baird Standish [mailto:bairdstandish@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2010 12:22 PM
To: Restoration and Maintenance
Subject: RE: [sccpartners] Travertine with bad grouting job

 

comments in blue

 

John

 

Hi John.  Thanks for the advice.  Have a couple of quick questions.  See my questions below.

Thanks,

B

On Thu, Nov 18, 2010 at 8:51 AM, John Freitag <jfreitag@thestoneandtileschool.com> wrote:

Baird,

If you go down to a 50 grit diamond plan on opening holes in the floor and
you will probably need to fill all the holes. I would recommend staying away
from that.

I would approach the job by going in and cutting the grout down the
approximately 1/8 of an inch then using a fine tool or other methods you may
prefer to remove the grout.

 

 You are referring to the grout between the tiles I would guess. I don't recall that the grout between the tiles were in bad shape, just the grouting of the holes in the travertine ( would have to take another look to be sure but it was pretty much lake any other grout job between tiles).  Considering this, is it important that  I remove and regout the grout lines (this might add a lot of time)?. NO if the grout is in good condition then hone sand polish. If the hole that have been filled is your concern then I would use traverfil and fill the holes. Using the traverfil will require you to allow the traverfil cure at least 24 hours tbefroe cleaning off the residue. Hone the floor first then apply the traverfil. Let cure for 24 hours then use a hog hair pad , neutral cleaner to clean off the residue then polish.

 

Then I would re-grout the floor  using a non
sanded grout but would use a latex additive to the grout. I would use at
least 50 to 70 % latex and the remainder water when mixing the grout. The
latex will improve the bonding of the new grout to the old grout. When using
the latex additive the grout will cure much faster so your pot life will be
short. Mix up small batches of grout.

 

 Do I just trowel it on and wipe off the excess with a squeegee (sort of like color sealing).  I have never grouted travertine.  Also, is traverfil an option or better to go with a light unsanded grout with the additive (in other words, what does traverfil do that the other stuff doesn't?)I usually use a grout float the apply the traverfil, the pot life is very short on this produce.

 

Next, do i then hone the whole floor at, say, 400 , as I normally would (or something lower?) and then polish?  How long to wait after regrouting to let it dry?see answer on first question.

 

Next, How does the latex/grout combo turn out after polishing?  I would guess flat . If you use traverfil you willnot need to add any latex additive to that material.

 

Concerning sealant,  I proposed either an impregnating sealant, which will do nothing for the grouting, which is flat-not glossy, or a topical polymer which will help even out the shine across the whole tile, travertine and grout. I never use a topical on marble, if your using the traverfil if will take some polish. Keep in mind the traverfil contains marble powders and Portland cement so it will take a low shine just as any travertine with fill will. if you want to add some additional shine you could LIGHTLY crystallize the floor.

 

Finally, How do I estimate the time spent grouting.  Because I have never done this, I don't know if this wll take a day, two days etc.  The whole thing is about 600 square feet.the grouting or filling of the hole on 600 sq can be easily grouted in ½ to ¾ of a day.

 


 Even though most grout have latex already added you will need to add more.
The latex additive can be purchased in Home Depot and other tile supplier.
It's usually in the tile section by the setting materials and grouts.

What is the typical coverage for this grout and latex combo?again if the grout is not an issue and it’s just the holes I would use traverfil instead of the grout.

 

 



John E. Freitag
President/Director
The Stone and Tile School
Office 407-567-7652
Cell 407-615-0134
jfreitag@thestoneandtileschool.com



www.thestoneandtileschool.com




-----Original Message-----
From: Baird Standish [mailto:bairdstandish@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2010 7:56 PM
To: Restoration and Maintenance
Subject: [sccpartners] Travertine with bad grouting job

Hi,
I just inspected a newley installed travertine floor that the owners
would like us to bring to a consistent polish and seal. The tiles are
not finished well, with much irregularity to the polish. The key point
is that the grouting (traverfill or maybe just plain unsanded grout,
probably the latter), is not well done. Some of the grout is flush
with the surface but much of it is below the level of the travertine
surface. The surface itself is smooth and scratch free, so I could
otherwise finish it with one 400 grit hone and polish, but it looks
like I will need to use a 50 grit diamond to grind down the floor to
even out the grout, then work up from there. I'm wondering if it is
possible to grout over the existing grout effectively (without it
coming loose) and cut back on the number of hones?
Thanks
Baird

--
________________________________________
From the desk of
Baird Standish
Managing Partner
Facility Specialists, LLC
1616 Walnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: 215-732-7505
Fax: 215-546-9160

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--
________________________________________
From the desk of
Baird Standish
Managing Partner
Facility Specialists, LLC
1616 Walnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: 215-732-7505
Fax: 215-546-9160

Powered by http://DiscussThis.com
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Start a new conversation (thread)




--
________________________________________
From the desk of
Baird Standish
Managing Partner
Facility Specialists, LLC
1616 Walnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: 215-732-7505
Fax: 215-546-9160