Questions worth asking
- What exactly will you do to my floor? You want steps, not "we'll make it look new." For travertine: clean, fill, hone (which grits), polish (to what level), seal (what kind).
- Will you test a spot first? For stone, a test area shows you the finish and tells the contractor how the stone reacts.
- What sealer do you use, and is it penetrating or topical? For most travertine, penetrating is what you want.
- How do you protect my baseboards, cabinets and carpet? Honing slurry gets everywhere if nobody's careful.
- How long until I can walk on it, put rugs back, or move furniture?
- Is the price per square foot? What's included, and what isn't?
- Who's doing the work, you or a crew?
- Can I see photos of jobs like mine?
- What licenses and insurance do you carry? Ask everyone, then look up what they tell you.
Red flags
- A price over the phone for heavy restoration without seeing the floor or photos
- "Lifetime" sealers or guarantees that sound too good to be true
- Pressure to decide today
- A plan to coat stone with a shiny topical finish
- Payment requests by gift card, wire or crypto, or any "overpay me by check and I'll refund the difference" deal. That's a scam, every time.
Comparing quotes
Line them up step by step. A cheap quote that skips filling, or only does one honing grit, isn't the same job as one that includes them. Ask each company to put the steps in writing.
On my end
I'll walk you through every step, test a spot if you're unsure, and put the price in writing. I'm setting up licensing and insurance paperwork now and will post it here when it's in place. Until then, ask me directly and I'll tell you exactly where things stand.