Q. I bought travertine tile, and when I got home I realized one side was polished and the other unfinished. I prefer the unfinished side. Is it possible for me to mud with the polished side down or will it not stick to the mud and pop up? Is there a... Read More

Q. Hi! We have outdoor noce travertine - unsealed - on our pool patio deck. We had a "dog party" last week and one dog loved to swim. He repeatedly jumped in our pool and then ran through our plant beds, tracking mud all over our travertine. The mud... Read More

Q. In response to your follow-up question about our travertine patio stained with mud, our patio travertine is directly on dirt. I will try a tile and natural stone cleaner as you suggested and hope for the best! Our travertine does have the wet look... Read More

Q. I cleaned soot off my fireplace stone, but it won't come out where it has seeped into the stone. A. Smoke and soot are made up of very fine carbon and oily particles that can become absorbed into the surface of porous stone. Once that happens... Read More

Q. Natural stone tile installation has water marks that aren’t fading after 2 weeks of installation. Should I apply a poultice to remove the moisture? MSI sells the stone. It's called white oak. It's honed marble, 24 inch tiles, and... Read More

Q: Looks like my installer got plumbers putty on my brand new unsealed natural stone sink, leaving spots or smudges. Any way to remove therm? A: They can be removed with a technique called poulticing. You will need to use a strong solvent such as... Read More

Q. Hello. I have just built a new home. I have Crema Alara Marble in the kitchen and foyer floors, slate in my mudroom and travertine in my bathrooms. All have been professionally sealed. I do not use any chemical cleaners. Is water and a microfiber... Read More

The material you are describing is probably a marble known as rossa perlinio. This type of marble, when it is formed has mud running through it and this is what the soft veins are---mud. Unfortunately the only cure is to fill the veins as the erode... Read More

Q. I am going to be hiring a tile setter. What kinds of questions should I ask them? By the way, I am in California.A. Here is what a consumer should ask a prospective tile setter:1. Verify the contractor has a C-54 specialty license, along withÂ... Read More

Curling in green marble can be a serious problem when the marble is set in a wet mud or thin-set. The Marble Institute of America recommends that green marble be set with an epoxy-based compound. Check with the installer and see what has been used to... Read More