Q: We have 12 inch tile stone flooring and when someone was here working in the attic, their ladder leg made a gouge in one tile. How can I fill that in to make it look good, without replacing it?
Thanks.
Jerry
A: With most stone floors there is really no true way to repair deep gouges or chips into the stone. For granite, slate and similar stone usually the best way to “repair” unsightly problems like this would be to replace the individual tile with a replacement tile.
There is a method for repairing travertine tile which you could try out on your floor, but there is not guarantee this will be an effective long term fix for real stone floors.
You will need some color matching, high quality, unsanded grout to do the repair as well as some paper towels, a pointed tool (nails or small screw drivers work well) and a flat surface to work the material with (Styrofoam, wood or cardboard blocks work well as long as the working surface is flat). Also have a flat tool such as a pocket knife or putty knife on hand as this will be a big help.
First clear any debris from the gouge using your tool, the blow into the gouge to remove any dust. Canned air for cleaning computers can be very helpful here. Once this is done, fill the gouge with some tap water. Make sure enough water is poured into the gouge so that it will remain for a few seconds. Now take a paper towel and towel dry the water so the gouge is left lightly moist as this will help set the grout. Make sure you also dry the finished surface around the gouge as well.
Now that the gouge is prepped, spread a mound of grout over the gouge using a flat tool (a putty knife will be a massive help here). Make sure that you spread enough grout to cover the entire area of the gouge, then take you Styrofoam or other flat surface and press directly down onto the mound of grout. Use smaller circular motions and pack the grout into the gouge. Once you have finished make sure enough grout has been packed into the gouge so that it sits level with the finish surface of the tile. If you need to, add more grout and repeat the circular packing motions with your flat surface tool. The moisture remaining in the gouge and on some of the surrounding surface will help to set the grout. Once this is done, clean any remaining grout away from the gouge then allow the grout plenty of time to dry. Typically 8 hours is enough time to allow the grout to dry and harden.
This fix will be noticeable in natural stone if you are looking for it, but at a glance is rarely recognized in travertine. Again I mention that this is only a fix meant for travertine and is not guaranteed to work on real stone such as slate or granite.
