No products in the cart.
Expert Answers
My Travertine Floor Tile was subjected to a Leak will that cause problems?
QUESTION
We are building a house and the plumber turned the water on without checking to see if the main shut off valve was off to the house. Needless to say the pot filler in the kitchen was leaking and had leaked for approx. 12 hours. We have travertine floor installed in the kitchen the issue is that I'm afraid the water went under the flooring will this cause problems later on?ANSWER
ANSWER - Travertine is a calcium precipitate from various types of mineral laden water sources. It is commonly used in showers. So water in itself doesn't harm it.Although depending on how the stone was installed and what underlying materials were used to install the stone, it is possible that under certain circumstances there can be potential issues. If the stone was bonded to a wood subfloor then it is possible that the wood could warp and put a stress on the stone assembly. It the travertine is bonded to a mortar bed or concrete substrate then it should not harm anything.
If the stone wasn't installed per industry standards and doesn't have any movement joints installed within the flooring that could cause stress to the stone if it expands from being subjected to the water. If there are no resultant damages seen such as tile or grout cracking, then I wouldn't expect it to cause a problem later.
Some stones can get some discoloration after being subjected to a flood, which in some stones gives a yellowish cast from the iron oxide minerals in the stone or it might show some white efflorescence that precipitates from the evaporation of the water. This can normally be easily cleaned if treated right away and if the water source is not a persistent condition.
2 thoughts on “My Travertine Floor Tile was subjected to a Leak will that cause problems?”
Leave a Reply
I also had a flood–and maybe 500 gallons of water crossed my travertine floor.
A “moisture meter” determines it is WET and I was told to Remove and Replace .
It is on a 1 inch mortar bed and then 5/8 plywood. The plywood dried, due to the removal of ceiling and insulation. And 15 fans.
Do I need to R&R my travertine as it is registering “wet”.
I hope a professional will answer this question, soon.
Urgently??
There is no device the literally measures wetness. There are electric moisture meters that measures the impedance due to moisture that gives a relative reading. There can be false readings depending on the type of moisture meter and the thickness of the travertine tile and what materials are beneath stone. If there is metal lath attached to the wood subfloor that can cause a false high reading.
There are relative humidity tests that measures retained moisture in a concrete slab.
It is not unusual to get higher moisture readings after a water loss event. The water doesn’t hurt the travertine as its natural environment is fresh water. Water only makes the mortar stronger over time. These products are often used in showers, fountains and swimming pools so as long as the leak is fixed and everything dries it should not be a problem.
If the wood subfloor got wet for an extended time and warped that could cause tiles and grout to crack, but if it hasn’t happened then that would indicate that the wood subfloor did not get wet or at least that it did not warp.