Travertine is one of the most attractive forms of limestone with marble-like texture and earth-tone colours, making it a famous stone among builders and homeowners. Historically, travertine came from the mountains of Italy, but the ones sold today come from Peru, Mexico, Turkey, and Iran. Tiles are made from this travertine to be used as a flooring material. Travertine is usually sold in the form of tiles coming in different earth-tone colours such as tans, browns, rustic, and beige hues. Travertine is durable and easy to care for, unlike other types of natural stone. Again, it’s cumbersome compared to other types, and its porousness requires the surface to be sealed regularly. Even though they are not appropriate for all locations, with proper care and maintenance, the travertine floor can give a unique blend of beauty to our interior spaces.
What are travertine tiles? Read through the article to find out more about them.
Pros
- Stylish but dignified
- Adds value to the real estate
- Sturdy and durable
Cons
- Very expensive
- Require periodic sealing
- Slippery and cold underfoot
The cost of travertine flooring
Travertine flooring is a mid-range stone but still resides in the high-end range of flooring options. In total, the travertine flooring option costs approximately $15 per square foot, including labour, while granite only costs approximately $12 per square foot, and marble averages about $20 per square foot. The laminate flooring option can be done professionally at the cost of less than $5 per square foot. Like other natural stones, travertine can vary in cost depending on the quality and the finish.
Travertine finishes range from the natural finish, which is the least expensive to the most expensive, honed, sealed, and polished surface.
Travertine floor maintenance
The exercise of maintaining travertine floors can be complicated and simple at the same time. Like other natural flooring stones, they are porous and allow liquid and staining agents to penetrate. But this problem can be solved by sealing with a surface sealer. The treatment needs to be done during the installation and periodically applied throughout the life of the floor. And if you want to maintain the gloss of the floor, regular resealing is recommended. If the travertine floor is maintained, it becomes easy to clean, just soap and a dump cloth.
Travertine is made to withstand the beating and shows no sign of damage after severe scratches or chips. Although they may bow down to weathering over time, they show remarkable resilience, and weathering gives a travertine natural distinct character of ancient architecture.
As with honed and polished travertine surfaces, they are highly susceptible to scratches, while natural finishes are more resistant.
Designs
Travertine has been in existence since time immemorial, and floors made from it adds a sense of age and ancient architecture. It does draw attention inherently in a subdued way with shifting surface effects with each naturally formed stone leaving earth art, a one of a kind installation to the floor or wherever installed. Travertine has soft palette colours that are subtler than marble and granite options. They are available in tans, beige, grey, and speckled off-white hues that promise not to overwhelm floors with dramatic colours.
Installation
Travertine tiles are installed in the same way we do to granite and ceramic tiles. A layer of cement underlay to the subfloor, lay the tiles with a thin-set adhesive, and finally, fill the joints with grout and allow them to dry before use.