Salt water pools offer a number of health and maintenance benefits which is the main reason why they are becoming so popular today.

However, when salt water comes into contact with Travertine, over time, the Travertine will begin to disintegrate unless the appropriate measures are taken.

“Salt Water Attack,” as it is commonly called, can happen 3 different ways:

1) Efflorescence: salt water absorbs into the stone’s pores and leaves behind a white, chalky residue. This residue, if caught soon enough, can usually be swept off with a broom. But if left long enough, you’ll need to use a special acidic cleaner to wash the stone to remove it. The acidic cleaner can sometimes have an effect on the surface of the Travertine, so it’s best to test it on a small area first. If you’d rather not take the risk, you may be able to remove the salts using a plain nylon pad and some elbow grease.

2) Spalling: this method is very similar to efflorescence, however, spalling is when pits begin to form in the Travertine because salt water crystals are trapped beneath the surface of the stone.

3) Leeching: since Travertine is a natural stone, it can contain salt beneath its surface. When water absorbs into the stone, the salt dissolves and leaves empty pockets which can weakens the stone.

The good news? It’s not as scary as it sounds.

A high quality water-repellant, impregnating sealer should always be used on the travertine, giving reasonable protection for 5-10 years.

Recommended products: 

DuPont™ StoneTech® Salt Water Impregnating Sealer: http://amzn.to/1ov1IHG

DuPont™ StoneTech® Restore Acidic Cleaner: http://amzn.to/1pR3rYD