Travertine cleaning and sealing in Vaucluse

Travertine around Vaucluse pools and outdoor rooms tends to fail in a predictable order. First the natural holes lose their filler and start holding dirt and water. Then the coping near the waterline darkens and stays wet longer than the surrounding paving. Finally the edge turns pitted and sugary as salt crystals grow inside it. On properties that look over the harbour or toward the Diamond Bay cliffs, salt in the air adds to the salt in the pool. Catching the problem at the first or second stage, with a thorough clean, refilling and a seal, costs far less than lifting and replacing coping pieces later, and it keeps the original stone in place.

We never use acid on travertine. It is a calcium carbonate stone, and acidic cleaners, including many pool-shop products sold for scale, dissolve the surface and leave dull etch marks. Our technicians instead apply alkaline cleaners formulated for limestone, work them into the holes with soft brushes on a slow rotary machine, and rinse at low pressure. The pool is covered or protected before any product goes down, and run-off is recovered rather than rinsed into the water or onto the lawn. Before starting, we walk the terrace with you and show which marks are dirt and which are etching, because etching needs honing rather than cleaning and we would rather you knew that up front.

Sealing follows once the stone is clean and completely dry, which on a terrace beside the water can take a little longer than people expect. We refill open holes with a filler tinted to match, then apply a penetrating sealer made for salt exposure in thin, even coats, wiping back any surplus so nothing dries as a film on the surface. The travertine keeps its texture and its grip under wet feet. We confirm how long to wait before swimming and before furniture goes back, record the product and date for your files, and suggest checking the coping each summer by sprinkling a few drops of water: if they soak in rather than bead, it is time to reseal.