Before you try anything: always speak to a professional before cleaning, treating or applying any product to your stone. Every slab is different, and the wrong product can cause permanent damage. Contact us or a qualified stone restorer first.
Quick answer
Small chips in travertine are filled with a colour-matched epoxy or knife-grade stone filler, left to cure, then shaved flush and polished. For visible edges and anything larger than a fingernail, a professional repair is much harder to spot. Cracks should always be assessed first.
First, check what you are dealing with
- Small piece missing from an edge or corner: chip.
- Line running across the surface: crack. Have it assessed.
- Hollow sound or movement: possible structural issue.
What you need
- Colour-matched filler or repair kit
- Masking tape
- Single-edge razor blade
- Isopropyl alcohol for cleaning
Step by step
Clean the chip
Clean with isopropyl alcohol and let it dry completely.
Mask around it
Tape around the chip to protect the surrounding surface.
Fill slightly proud
Mix the colour-matched filler and fill the chip slightly higher than the surface.
Cure and shave flush
Once cured, shave the excess flush with a razor blade held flat.
Finish
Polish the repair to match, or have a restorer finish it. A stone restorer can refill open holes, re-hone the surface and blend repairs into the surrounding stone.
What not to use on travertine
- Superglue on visible areas: it yellows and does not match.
- Filling a crack without knowing why it cracked.
When to call a professional
Get a professional for sink cut-outs, visible edges, anything larger than a fingernail and any crack. A stone restorer can refill open holes, re-hone the surface and blend repairs into the surrounding stone.
Understanding chips and cracks on travertine
Most travertine is honed, so damage usually shows as darker rings, lighter dull patches or fills that look different from the stone around them.
A stone restorer can refill open holes, re-hone the surface and blend repairs into the surrounding stone.
Good to know
On travertine, a chip can open into a hidden cavity. A restorer fills it the same way the stone's natural holes are filled.
Stop it happening again
Whether yours is ivory, beige, walnut and silver travertine, vein cut or cross cut, repairing it fixes today's mark; protecting it stops the next one. Our clear Stone Protection Film sits over the surface, so acids cannot etch it and liquids cannot soak in. Most travertine is honed and filled, so the Matte/Satin film is the usual match: it keeps the natural, low-sheen look. It is installed across Sydney with a 10-year written warranty. It will not stop a heavy knock from chipping an edge, but it protects everything else.
How we protect travertine · Choosing benchtops · Chips & cracks on every surface