Problem
A homeowner in San Diego, CA, never suspected that a throw rug could damage a travertine floor. When the rug was removed, some of the rubber backing stuck to the travertine.
The homeowner suspected that attempting to scrape the residue from the floor would probably have left scratches on the stone’s surface. Similarly, attempting to use harsh or abrasive cleaners might have left etch marks or damaged the beautiful satin finish. Rather than risk such damage, the homeowner called Set-In-Stone Restoration.
This was obviously one of the smaller jobs we’ve done, but we are glad the homeowner chose to call us, rather than trying DIY methods. First of all, we provide the same quality of care for every job we do, regardless of the size. Secondly, we’ve seen a few DIY disasters that ended up costing homeowners a lot more time and money than necessary (see this case study, for example).
Solution
We saturated the area with industrial-strength, stone-safe cleaner. After allowing plenty of dwell time for the cleaner to penetrate the residue and loosen it’s bond with the stone, we cleaned the floor using our floor machine fitted with scrub brushes that were hard enough to remove the residue but soft enough to leave the finish undamaged.
As you can see in the BEFORE and AFTER images, we were able to safely restore the area to the way it was before the placement of the rug. The homeowner was very happy with the outcome.
For more information about travertine restoration, watch one or more of these short videos: Floating Travertine, Travertine Strip, Hone, and Repolish, and Travertine Repair, Restoration, and Polishing or visit our Travertine Services page.