Etched Travertine Dining Room Table

Q: We have a travertine dining room table. One of our cats got sick on it the other night. The next morning when we cleaned up the vomit, because of the acid in his stomach, it left a small stain about the size of a dollar bill. Is there a way to polish this back up?

A: You are correct in that the acids from the vomit have caused the damage to your table. However, it is not a stain, but an acid etch. Your travertine has been etched by a chemical reaction between the calcite (the main ingredient in travertine) and the acid from the vomit.

If the etching is not severe, we recommend you try to polish your travertine using a Marble Polishing Powder or Compound (travertine, like marble, is a type of limestone). This will polish the table similar to a jeweler polishing jewels.

If the polishing doesn’t work, you need to contact a stone restoration contractor.

 Good luck with your table.