Travertine around pool query

[donhdoyle]

We're adding a outdoor balcony, veranda, and pool deck and want to cover it in 18 inch sqare travertine. We've found a Turkish stone that is lightly tumbled (edges rough, partly unfilled but partly smooth). It has the colors we like and is at a price we can afford ($5.25 per square foot). Travertine is beautiful, long lasting, and it gives the kind of Italian look we want, but

1. I'm concerned about it becoming slippery when wet. Is that going to be a problem? Is this related to the sealant? What can I do, if I use this, to make it less slippery.

1. the unfilled holes: are these going to be a problem? I don't expect or even want a perfectly clean smooth tile surface outside, so that doesn't bother me. But are there other problems I should be concerned about.

I live in Columbia SC so the weather is generally warm with very infrequent freezes. I'm told the light travertine stone is relatively cool on the feet in the hot sun.

thanks --Don

[Robert Gammon]

I have done an experiment with a tumbled surface travertine sample. The surface had NO visible unfilled areas. Got the stone VERY wet, put it down on carpet and put my foot on it and PUSHED, The stone slipped on the carpet before my foot skidded off the surface.

All travertine has voids in it, you pay for the fewest number and smallest number of voids.

even explains the difference and prices the quality levels differently.

Best Quality 18inch brushed travertine from MarbleMaster goes for $4.39 sq/Ft and shipping is free if 2000 Sq Ft or more are in the order. OTOH, it is a freight shipment, and YOU are responsible for having a suitable forklift available to unload the pallets (3240 lbs for 360 sq ft. - each 7/16 inch thick tile weighs 14 pounds).

[Richard J Kinch]

You seem to be aware of the roughness. This will make it impossible to keep clean. Are you aware of how porous and spongy travertine is? The roughness means you will have vegetable material that will leach tannins and foster mildew growth. This brown and black staining matter will soak into the stone and stain it permanently. In short, this stone will weather into a real dingy state, nothing like when it is new. Is this part of the "Italian" look you are after?

[donhdoyle]

I know that unfilled travertine can get dirty looking. But if it is sealed and hosed off occasionally is that going to be a problem? Is it wiser to have the holes filled, either at the factory w resin, or with grout when installed. Are there people with actual experience with this stone? Are there good alternatives that give a real stone look and feel but are easier to maintain?

[donhdoyle]

In other words it is not slippery to the feet even when wet. I may misunderstand but I thought that what they called tumbled usually came with an unfilled surface I will look further into marble master. Thanks

.

[Richard J Kinch]

Look, it has a water absorption of quite a few percent. *Anything* waterborne on top of it will get into it and stay there, locked in the spongy matrix forever. That means tannins and mildew and whatever else your outdoor surfaces collect.

Sealed? A hair-thin layer of acrylic will only slow down contamination. It's not a hermetic seal. Why do you think people learned to hate chattahoochie==and that was 1/2 inch of epoxy "sealer"?

Hosing it off? How will having it clean once in a while change that it is dirty the rest of the time?

Why do you think outdoor grout gets dingy? It has less WA than travertine.

I'm not saying weathered/dingy travertine isn't OK. It just isn't at all what it looks like when new.

Why not test it first? Buy a tile or two at the home improvement store. Apply sealer to one if you like. Put these tiles out on your back porch with some wet leaves and dirt on it for a month or two. Hose it off. Scrub it. See what you get.

If you have access to an accurate scale, you can do your own lab testing. Bake a tile dry and weigh it. Soak it in a bucket of water for a few days, and weigh it again. Divide the mass difference by the volume (in metric) to get the percent of water absorption. If it is more than about 1/2 percent, you're gonna have problems with this stuff outdoors. I'd bet you'll get 3 or 4 percent, or more.

[Robert Gammon]

Tumbled surfaces can be applied to ANY natural stone. All it means is that they do NOT apply a high polish to the stone. Basically the grinder stops work when the finish gets to a certain point.

Travertine is an open surface stone. Sealers will not offer significant protection. No doubt we have all seen granite tile installed outdoors at public buildings. It wears great, but weathers to a dull surface quickly (looks dingy)

The stone will look GREAT for the first few months/years.

I have had several conversations with MarbleMaster over the last several years. Discuss your project with them and listen/read what they say carefully. They may make some suggestions that will make your pool are look MUCH better for a longer time.

I have seen photos of pool areas that have been finished with Travertine, they look WONDERFUL when new.

[donhdoyle]

Wouldn't this be true of any natural stone material to some degree? They used travertine on the collesium and Roman forum and while it does not look like new 2,000 years later, it looks ok. Are there natural stones that are going to serve my purpose better? What do you all recommend as the best pool decking surface, keeping in mind appearance, safety, maintenance?

thanks Don

[Richard J Kinch]

Species like granite have much less water absorption. But you do need to test a sample or otherwise have it characterized.

Porcelain tile does not have this problem, although the grout does.

[donhdoyle]

Do people use granite around pools? What I mostly see is flagstone, bluestone, brick and concrete. Are these less porous than travertine marble I wonder?

[Robert Gammon]

One issue is that granite is more expensive than Travertine.

Travertine will look absolutely BEAUTIFUL when installed, and for a good long time afterwards.

You can avoid grout discoloration issues by using a dark grout (maroon, dark brown, black, deep blue, deep green)