Do I need to seal my travertine?

Yes, in almost every case. Travertine is a soft, porous carbonate stone full of open pits and pores, so it soaks up oil, drink spills, sunscreen and dirt fast, and damp travertine grows mould and algae. Sealing does not change the look of the stone, it changes how it behaves: water and oil sit on the surface and wipe off instead of soaking in and marking it for good. The one honest exception is that sealing does not stop acid etching, which is a separate problem worth understanding before you decide.

Unsealed travertine stains. A dropped-oil, sunscreen or red-wine spill wicks straight into the open pores and sets, and by the time you notice it is already a permanent mark rather than something you can wash off. Outdoors, unsealed travertine also holds moisture, so it goes green with algae and black with mould in shaded or reticulated spots. None of that means the stone is ruined, but it is far harder and more expensive to lift a set-in stain out later than to seal clean stone up front.

No, and any sealer that claims to is overpromising. Travertine is a carbonate stone, so acids like lemon, vinegar, wine and pool acid dissolve the surface itself. That dull etched mark is the stone being eaten, not a stain sitting on top, and no penetrating sealer stops it because the acid does not need to soak in to react. What sealing does is slow absorption and buy you wipe-up time, so the honest advice is to clean acidic spills promptly on the areas that see them.

It does not have to. A colourless surface coating leaves the stone the same colour, finish and feel, and only changes the surface energy so water and oil no longer grip. That is a different category to an enhancer or wet-look sealer, which is designed to deepen and darken the stone. If keeping the exact travertine you chose is the point, a colourless coating is what you want. Either way you should be told which type is going on before you book, because the two look very different once dry.

It depends on the stone and how hard it gets used, which is why a real number should come after someone has seen your surface, not before. In general the visible water beading fades first and is your prompt to top up, and a modern surface coating tops up on clean stone without stripping. Our coating is registered under a 10-year guarantee on its repellency function. A busy pool surround in full Perth sun will want attention sooner than a sheltered indoor floor. For the full picture, read how often you should reseal.

Usually not. Many stains can be drawn back out of porous stone with the right clean before sealing, and etching can often be honed back on the affected area. What sealing then does is stop the next round of marks setting in the same way. When we assess the stone we tell you honestly what is a stain we can lift, what is etching that needs a different fix, and what has gone too deep to fully recover, rather than sealing over a problem and calling it done.