From Black to White: A Grout Cleaning in Berwyn, PA Brought These Travertine Tiles Back to Life

November 15, 2017

Not many tiles can be compared to travertine. Even though travertine requires attentive care to maintain its beauty, the extra work is worth it. The ancient look and unique texture that travertine gives to any room are loved by plenty of interior designers, homeowners, and décor enthusiasts. This resident from Berwyn, Pennsylvania had chosen travertine for her kitchen since the natural light beige colors of the stone perfectly matched the kitchen cabinets she had recently bought. The place looked great, and it continued that way for a while until the grout lines started to darken, prompting the homeowner to search for a grout cleaning company in Berwyn.


The Berwyn resident found out about Sir Grout of Greater Chester County while scrolling down on Twitter one day. A friend of hers had retweeted one of our posts about a previous grout cleaning and recoloring procedure that we had done. She didn't know that these procedures existed, but she was amazed by how recoloring grout could transform the entire appearance of a room. With the winter holiday season approaching, the homeowner intended to invest some money in making her house more beautiful. She thought that a grout cleaning would be just perfect for her kitchen floor.

When she compared the retweeted picture to the grout in her kitchen, she knew she had to hire us. The social media post led her to our website, where the homeowner filled out our "Request a Quote" form. She followed the instructions to schedule a free, in-home consultation. A team from Sir Grout of Greater Chester County visited the Berwyn residence a few days later to inspect the travertine floor and determine the floor needed our grout cleaning and sealing procedure.

As you can see in the pictures, the client's kitchen had rectangular travertine tiles arranged in a brick bond pattern. The kitchen was spotless, and the cabinets went perfectly with the floor. However, the travertine's hole-ridden tiles had seen better days. At that moment, the tiles looked dark due to the large amount of dirt that was stuck to them. On top of that, the grout lines had also darkened, making the whole room look grimier than normal. That day, the client told us her story and how she found out about Sir Grout of Greater Chester County. We also learned during the examination that the tile installers never sealed the tiles after laying them out in the kitchen. Our team explained that was probably the reason why the grout turned dark so quickly after the installation. After all, the floor had just been installed eight months before.


Because travertine is a soft natural stone, it can get damaged if it is not properly sealed. Sealing is the best way to preserve the brand-new appearance of these surfaces. If you keep a travertine—or any other natural stone—surface properly sealed and hire professional cleaning services periodically, the chances of deterioration drop drastically.

Fortunately, we had the solution to recolor the grout and also protect it from future damage. Sir Grout of Greater Chester County's experts offered the client a grout cleaning and sealing service using ColorSeal—a thick, water-based, acrylic sealer that is also tinted. Thanks to this Sir Grout's proprietary product, we can recolor grout to any shade the client wishes while also making the surface resistant to spills, stains, water, mold, and mildew. The homeowner agreed to our proposal, so we scheduled another appointment to start the procedure.

As we usually do, we came back a few days later to start the restoration process. First and foremost, we moved any furniture and protected all the adjacent areas that could get damaged during the restoration process. Deep cleaning is always essential before sealing grout because it ensures that ColorSeal will correctly adhere to the surface and properly cure. The team began by applying Sir Grout's tile and grout cleaner with a high-speed scrubber to remove the embedded dirt in the grout lines and tiles. As the cleaner kicked in, we could see how the little holes, which are pretty common in travertine tiles, looked brighter.

Once the surface was clean and dry, it was time to apply ColorSeal. Sir Grout of Greater Chester County's technician applied the product to each of the kitchen floor's grout lines in the color the homeowner wanted. Our mission was accomplished in just one day! The resident was stunned with the results. The new grout perfectly matched the travertine tiles. The renewed floor, along with the furniture and kitchen cabinets, gave the room a refreshed vibe. She couldn't believe that a grout cleaning could transform a room the way it did with her kitchen!

Even though you can walk on a surface 10–12 minutes after applying ColorSeal, we advised the client to maintain the kitchen dry for 48 hours to allow the surface to fully cure. Also, our expert team walked the homeowner through some tips and recommendations to prevent the grout from darkening again. We advised the homeowner to use soapless, pH-neutral cleaners, which don't damage grout or remove the sealant. Also, we mentioned that stains should be cleaned up immediately to keep them from getting under the tiles, even if the tiles are sealed.

Do you want to renew a surface in your home or commercial property? Sir Grout of Greater Chester County is the perfect company for you! We are a national leader in hard surface restoration services. Our experts can restore almost any type of surface, from marble countertops to slate entranceways. Call us at (215) 609-4868 or fill out the "Request a Quote" form on this website to schedule a free quote today. You can also subscribe to our newsletter.

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