Travertine Flooring

One of the most popular tile available today is travertine. This comes on the heels of a Tuscan style that has been sweeping the renovation industry for the past few years that features a rural Italian motif.

Travertine is a sedimentary rock which is one step above limestone. It forms near mineral springs and the bubbles from the escaping gases became encased in the rock forming colorful voids. The Romans found it to be a stronger building material that limestone and used it extensively. The Colosseum in Rome is the perfect example of travertine used as a structural material. Many flooring companies fill the imperfections in travertine but when it is used on walls and other surfaces the pitted look gives a natural appeal.

Like its metamorphic cousin, marble, travertine has wonderful coloring from pale creams to deep browns and coral reds with mineral coloring throughout. It is not as hard as marble and will react to acids but properly sealed it will provide a lifetime of service as a flooring.

For flooring and walls travertine is available from small mosaics, to 36″x36″ tiles and large slabs. Flooring experts lay out the tile first to get the coloring right before cementing them in place. For outside patios and garden walkways the stone can be placed on a sand bed. These stones will be tumbled or scored and not the homed finish of the inside tiles.

For a unique look, many types of travertine are mixed-and-matched. This works well if there is one type that forms the theme. For example, if half the tiles are beige they can be set up in a checkerboard manner with the other squares being filled by travertine of differing colors.

For more information on travertine contact you local flooring expert.

Granite, Marble and Stone Floors

To learn about granite, marble and stone floors go to Floor Coverings

Travertine Tile

Travertine has been dubbed by more than a few flooring installers as “almost marble.” That’s because it is a softer, earlier form of marble. Both belong to a limestone family known as calcium carbonate, a mineral dissolved in underground water currents and then deposited on the surface by rivers or natural springs. Minerals such as iron, copper and other impurities accounts for the many different colors of travertine. Marble has had more heat and pressure applied to it by the earth’s forces.

This beautiful coloring is the reason many people like the stone. It can run from a bright, blood red to a soft beige with no pieces looking alike. This is why people choose it for the interior walls of buildings and for feature floors. In fact the Colosseum in Rome was constructed of travertine.

This unique stone comes in tile form just like marble and granite. However, travertine is not for the person who wants to get it down and forget it because, being a limestone derivative it is susceptible to juice, vinegar and other acidic compounds which will react with the finish. Sealers add protection and the floor has to be cleaned regularly.

Travertine goes down like marble, granite or any other stone tile. Radiant heat can be put underneath just like it can with regular tile but a professional tile installer should do the job.