Qualified Flooring is necessary for a home and what is says about the age of the home. Though there are many types of flooring, it is your responsbility to choose the consistent one for your home. Travertine flooring is there to help you acheive your goal.
Travertine flooring is not limited as it includes tile and mosaic. If you want to increase the durability of your flooring, then travertine mosaic is your only solution.
Travertine is basically a type of stone flooring which will give both durability and also beauty to your home. It is a natural sedminetary rock that belongs to the category of limestone family. Its beauty is calssified into onyx marble, Mexican onyx, Egyptian alabaster and oriental alabaster.
You may ask what is the special purpose of this flooring for various locations like home and office?
Pros & Cons Of Installing Travertine Flooring
Pros
- Various Style Options
- Easy to Install
- Long Lasting
- Beautiful Flooring Choice
Cons
- This stone may react with acidic products
- It may be slippery in wet conditions
Creation Of Travertine
Travertine stone is made when minerals are disintegrated in ground water. They are supposed to be brought to the surface by geysers, rivers and springs. It is also obtained if limestone is placed under pressure for long periods of time.
If travertine is placed under pressure for a long time, it will become marble. Travertine is better quality than limestone and marble is better than travertine.
When this travertine is supposed to udnergo the manufacturing process of travertine tile, it follows a cutting operation. The stones are getting converted into thin tiles. These tiles undergo further finishing touches to give them a smooth look.
Under the finishing are four kinds of Tile
- Polished
- Honed
- Brushed
- Tumbled
Polished tiles have a a brighter shine, since it undergoes polishing untill it is flattened and smoothed enough to catch and reflect light.
Honed tiles have a matte finish and also look flat and smooth. Brushed and tumbled tiles are textured.
The consistency of travertine is equal to other tile stone floors. It is equal to marble in that it may break and crack. In order to make it last for a long time, it has sealant added. The unsealed travertine should not be used in food preparation areas, since it will absorb any straing quickly and is very difficult to remove.
If the place is a more populated area, then travertine mosaic would be a more suitable choice. Mosaic is able to carry heavy loads in comparison with travertine tile. Travertine tile with most often come with a hardness rating of about 4 in manufacturing which is similar to marble strength.
Application In Residential Buildings
Travertine has been used for thousands of years for residential buildings. If you compare marble with travertine, travertine is easy to see and so its vast application can be seen in higher trafficked areas. Today, it is used not only for flooring but also in wall coverings.
If it is unsealed and unpolished, it may react with acids. Even a simple orange can leave a stain on the floor. For this cause it is more important to avoid unsealed flooring particularly in food preparation areas.
If you want to add flooring to your home in a timley manner, you can opt for travertine flooring, since installation of travertine flooring seems to be very easy. On the other hand, if it is polished and sealed, it will become durable and reliable. It may not be a suitable choice for bathroom flooring.
If you want to add bauty to your home, you can install this travertine. It comes in various colors like ivory, beige, walnut and gold.
Travertine Is Easy To Clean
Travertine stone flooring is very easy to clean and is said to be eco-friendly. It will be more prominent for your home as it does not absorb odors or gases. Since it is sealed, the dirt will remain in an upper layer of stone instead of staying in the ground. Therefore, it can be easily removed.
There are both pros and cons of travertine flooring and you should adjust the lifetysle and needs according to the technology. Travertine tile flooring will help you create a new look for your home. If you want to increase the durability of your flooring, then you can opt for travertine mosaic flooring. The consistency can be observed with travertine flooring. Therefore, if you think that flooring is also associated with the responsibility of adding beaty to you home, then you can choose this flooring. It has various advantages:
- It is an eco-friendly stone
- It is a very decorative stone
- It adds quality to your home
Sealed travertine flooring is more prominent for the kitchen, since it will help in removing staind easily. If you add beauty to your home, then you can choose for travertine mosaic flooring which will not only serve to beautify but also add quality to your home.
We have smooth flat travertine floors in our entry and formal dining area. I love the look but we started with 2 pit holes or mini craters at move-in and now there are too many holes to count !!! Our builder told us that the floors are travetine and this happens with this natural stone. We’ve only been in our new home for 4 months and I’m scared to think what the floors will look like in a year !!!
Is this true ? Does mini craters appear naturally in travertine or is there something wrong with our floors ?
Please help!
kcl
Hi Lily, What room are you considering the travertine for?
Hello Anonymous, I’m sorry, but pitting is not a natural occurrence in travertine. It sounds like you have an inferior batch of travertine or it was sealed improperly. You need to take this up with your builder and the installer.
I AM DISABLED AND AM REMODELING MY BATHROOM. WHAT TYPE OF TILE IS THE MOST NON-SLIP? I AM PETRIFIED OF FALLING.
We have a sealed Travertine floor in our kitchen. It is naturally pitted but our supplier told us that when it was laid it would be grouted so that the surface would be smooth and level. That didn’t happen, and dirt collects in the craters even though the floor is often washed, which doesn’t enhance the look of the floor. We have another floor layer coming Monday to remove the existing sealant and re grout the tiles so that the holes are filled, followed by a re seal. Do you think that this will work, or do you have to ensure that you buy smooth stone in the first place?
Hi Phyllis, Unglazed ceramic tile is less slippery than travertine. Whatever you choose to go with, I would recommend having a good bath rug to help lessen your risk of falling.
Hi Jennifer, I think what you have lined up to do should take care of the problem.
What do you think about 18″ square travertine tiles? More appropriate for a bathroom wall than the front entryway floor? And how often do you have to reseal/repolish travertine?
Hi Sue, That would really be a personal preference call and it really would depend on usage, and type of traffic on how frequently it would need to be resealed.
I was concerned that 18″ sqs would be more prone to cracking if they were used on a floor.
Sue,
In a professional installation the the installer will recommend a crack suppressant before installing the stone to help suppress cracking.
How do you prevent scratches on travertine flooring and how do you install a crack suppressant as you have mentioned above.
Malini,
I would contact your installer to discuss which type of crack suppressant is needed.
Here are a few options that will help with scratching.
Place floor protectors under furniture
Clean, wipe or blot spills immediately to help prevent stains.
Place doormats at every door- this helps to trap dirt at the doorway instead of transferring it to the floor inside the home.
Take care when moving heavy objects like furniture and equipment- utilize furniture coaters to transport heavy objects across floors.
Dust and vacuum floors regularly to maximize beauty and decrease buildup of debris.
Exercise caution when using bleaches, tile cleaners, mildew removers, oven cleaners, drain openers and plant food as these contain strong chemicals that can discolor floors.
Always follow your manufacturer’s guidelines on products that are safe for your flooring.
Treat grout with a sealer to simplify cleaning.
Vacuum travertine tiles without a beater bar and use a microfiber mop which is gentle on the floor to prevent scratching.
Never use steel wool, scouring powder or any other strong abrasive on a travertine tile. This could leave permanent scratches on the surface.
I have travertine
floors in my home and have had no issues with it since installing, they’re very easy to maintain.
Hi:
I have 4 children with allergies and was considering installing honed travertine, throughout my 1st floor. Someone told me it is very soft and and not a good idea for large areas. I was planning on doing different sizes of tile in a pattern, 12″ to 6″. Is this going to be a HUGE mistake???
Jenn,
Travertine has it’s pros and cons. It is easy to match and replace. It is also very porous and I would suggest sealing to protect it. Travertine does react to acidic fluid, like orange juice and vinegar which may cause a stain.
I have travetine flooring in my foyer and kitchen, and I just love it. the stone has been sealed and it is very very low maintenance. Even when the flooring is dirty, no one knows. But installation is quite costly but worth I get so many compliments onthe flooring. when you look at the floor at different angels you see different hues in the stone.
I install travetine tiles in the bathroom, before the installation we installed backer board on the floor for support, after the grouting couple of days later we noticed that the floor was shifting and the grout was chipping.
Also what is the best way to remove stains from the tiles? I had paint spot on the floor while painting? Thanks
Elizabeth,
It sounds like a subfloor issue, concrete backer board should be screwed into a substrate with rust-resistant screws.. If nails are used they allow the board to more easily and the substrate will shift.
I would contact a professional in your area to address your concerns.
I’m going to add to what The Flooring Lady says here. I think your subfloor isn’t sturdy enough, even with the backer board. It’s too late now to beef up the plywood/OSB subfloor but you can add braces to the joists, assuming you have access from below. If not then you’ll just have to deal with the shifting floor and replace the grout with sanded caulk that flexes with the floor.