Travertine cleaning and sealing in Avalon Beach

In Avalon, travertine usually surrounds a pool or forms the floor of an outdoor living area, and very often it sits under trees. That changes what goes wrong with it. Leaves, gumnuts and flowers drop onto the stone and leave brown tannin marks if they lie wet overnight. Corners shaded by the canopy grow mould and stay damp after rain. Pool water dries into a white salt line along the coping, and homes nearer the beach and the headlands take some spray as well. Over the years the filler in travertine's natural holes washes out, and the open holes fill with organic matter that holds moisture against the stone.

Organic staining is the first target. Our technicians pre-treat tannin marks and mould with limestone-safe products and let them work before any scrubbing, since a quick wash tends to leave a ghost of the stain behind. The surface and holes are then cleaned with soft rotary pads and a gentle rinse, the pool stays covered, and rinse water is collected rather than left to soak into the garden. Nothing acidic is used, including the fizzing pool-area cleaners that etch limestone. During the clean we point out etched or worn patches; those can be honed back to an even finish before sealing if you want a consistent look.

In a leafy garden, sealing is mostly about time. A good impregnator slows how fast tannin can soak in, which gives you a day or two to clear fallen leaves before they leave a mark. Before it goes on, the open holes are filled with a toned filler and the travertine is left to dry, which under a canopy can take a few fine days. The sealer is rated for pool salt, sits inside the stone and is wiped back so the deck keeps its grip. Sweeping often matters as much as the sealer does. Water-drop test the coping yearly and re-seal when drops soak in.