Travertine cleaning and sealing in Bayview

Bayview travertine terraces are usually built on a level cut into the hillside or on the flatter ground near the water, with the pool set to catch the view. Two things work on the stone. Pool water, whether chlorinated or salt, splashes onto the coping and dries in the pores, leaving salt behind that slowly breaks up the surface. And leaves and flowers from trees above fall onto the stone, staining it with tannin where they sit. Humid mornings on this side of the peninsula keep the surface damp longer, so algae can start in holes that have lost their filler. Left alone, the coping turns rough and blotchy within a few seasons.

Our travertine cleaning is acid-free from start to finish. Travertine is a calcium carbonate stone, and acidic products, including some sold for pool scale, etch the surface and leave dull patches. A limestone-safe alkaline cleaner goes on first, our technicians agitate it with a low-speed machine fitted with a soft pad, and the slurry is then rinsed off gently. Tannin rings and organic stains that remain are treated with a poultice. Before we begin, the pool gets a cover and the skimmers are blocked off, and our wet vacuums take up the rinse water so it reaches neither the pool, the garden nor the slope down to Pittwater. We point out any etching so you know what cleaning can and cannot fix.

After the clean, the stone needs to dry completely, which on a humid Pittwater morning can mean waiting until the afternoon or the next day. Open holes are refilled with a matching filler, then a penetrating sealer formulated for salt and pool water goes on sparingly, and whatever the stone will not absorb is lifted off with clean cloths. The travertine keeps its texture and grip. We let you know when the pool and terrace can be used again, record the sealer and date, and suggest a simple check every summer: sprinkle a little water on the coping, and if it soaks in rather than beading, it is time to reseal.