How to Repair Travertine Tile

If you notice holes or cracks have formed in your travertine tile, you can repair them! It’s important to repair holes or cracks that have formed in your travertine tile because they can get filled with dirt and debris. This can cause them to become dirty and dull and even cause the tiles to become irreparably damaged.

You can always replace damaged travertine tiles, but this can get costly—especially if you are replacing multiple tiles. In this article, we’ll explain how to repair travertine tiles so that you can save money and prevent wasting time searching for matching replacement tiles.

How to Repair Travertine Tile

Before you get started repairing your travertine tile, you will need the following supplies for the job:

Step One: Clean Out the Holes

The first step to repairing travertine tile is cleaning out the holes or cracks you’re repairing. To do this, you will need the following supplies:

Take your long, sharp tool—like a screwdriver or hobby knife—and thoroughly clean out the holes or cracks. Dip the toothbrush in the acetone and scrub the toothbrush over the holes or cracks to break free any remaining dirt.

If the dirt and debris continue to stick to the holes or cracks, use the tool and the acetone to remove them. The acetone should dissolve all the dirt and debris that has broken free. Vacuum up any dust that was created from cleaning the tiles.

Pro tip: Do not clean the holes or cracks with water as the epoxy resin will not adhere correctly to the tile.

Step Two: Mark the Holes With Masking Tape

Using your masking tape, tape the areas surrounding the holes to protect the surrounding tile. The masking tape should be placed on all sides of the hole. This will ensure that none of the epoxy resin gets on the surrounding areas of the travertine tile. The epoxy resin will harden and can cause a buildup on the tile if it’s not applied properly.

Step Three: Prepare the Epoxy Resin

You will need to prepare the epoxy resin that you will be using to repair your travertine tiles. Using cardboard or a piece of sturdy card stock, prepare the epoxy resin by applying a small amount of the filler to the hardener of the epoxy resin according to the directions.

Mix the filler and the hardener on the cardboard or card stock to form a paste. You will use this to fill the holes or cracks in the travertine tile.

Step Four: Fill the Holes and Cracks With the Epoxy Resin

Take the epoxy resin you have prepared and apply it to the holes or cracks in the tile. The best way to do this is to use an applicator spreader. Place a small amount of the epoxy resin onto the applicator spreader and spread the filler into the hole or crack using a sweeping motion until all of the epoxy resin has filled the hole. You may need to repeat this process for deep holes or cracks.

Step Five: Let the Epoxy Resin Harden

Once all the holes and cracks have been filled with the epoxy resin, it needs to harden. This can take as long as 12 hours to completely harden and dry. When you notice that the epoxy resin has begun to harden, you should remove the masking tape surrounding all the holes or cracks. Then, you can trim the excess epoxy resin flat to the tile’s surface using a sharp blade or razor.

Step Six: Sand the Repaired Tiles

Finally, when the epoxy has completely hardened and the excess has been trimmed off, you can use sandpaper to make the tiles flush and smooth.

What Color Epoxy Resin Should I Choose?

When repairing travertine tile, you will need to use an epoxy resin color that will match the natural color of the tile. Epoxy resin typically comes in tan, gray, white, black, and transparent.

You should use the epoxy resin that is closest to the color of the tile. If your travertine tile has a combination of colors—such as tan and white—you should use the color that fits best in the holes and cracks you are repairing.

Final Thoughts

Make sure you have all of your supplies before getting started. It will make the project much easier when you have collected all your supplies and materials for the job. Don’t rush the process—epoxy resin will take at least 12 hours to harden and up to 72 hours before it should be walked on. Make sure you follow our step-by-step guide to repairing travertine tile, and you shouldn’t have any problems!