Greetings; We would like to put travertine tiles on our bathroom floor, and we have the following questions:
- How strong is it? (It is, after all, full of holes....)
- Should we fill the holes? With what?
- How slippery is it?
- Are there different qualities (grades) of travertine? How to judge?
- Would travertine be a good candidate for electric radiant heating?
- Any other particulars that we should be aware of?
TIA
LD
Not very strong, has to be laid by an expert for full support, to prevent cracking. Porous, attracts mould, soft, scratches easily. Basically a calcite/gypsum hot spring or cave deposit. I would suggest another material for areas that get wet. Travertine can be a beautiful floor, but would rather see it in hallways or away from heavy traffic and moisture. Have you considered cork? Not a good conductor, for radiant heating, but very good for the warm springy feel under bare feet. If you go with stone or tile, marble is a bit more durable than travertine, and things like granite and gneiss are super hard and waterproof.
Very soft.
Look at the CF spec. No CF spec? Cheap junk.
There are many variations of this soft, low-grade natural stone.
Think of it as a poorly finished concrete.
Typically, you fill the holes with the same grout you're using in between the tiles. Travertine is pretty fragile...looks killer on the walls, but I think twice about putting it on the bathroom floor. It's as good a candidate as any other rock or tile for radiant. As with any natural product, there's infinite variation in quality...you really need someone who knows rock to work through the possibilities.
Cork, mmh? That's worth considering....
How would cork compare to ceramic tile, in terms of durability? Maintainance? Would our pet (a husky) damage it? Would a cork floor require an underlayment ? If so, what type? Since cork is a natural insulator, should we forget about radiant heating and revert back to forced air (which is what we currently have)?
TIA
LD
DB, yours is the first positive post I got! The fact that you have actually *lived* with travertine floors for 3 years with no problems is reassuring. What "miraclesealant impregnating sealer" do you use? Do you need to strip the floor first? Any and all information you can provide me with will be appreciated.
Thanks.
LD
My coworker has travertine on the floor in her kitchen and living room. It looks nice and seems durable enough. If you like it, install it. If you don't like it, then don't. Flooring is a legitimate use of travertine.
Dimitri
I suppose I should be careful about a commercial posting, but on my travertine, I used the product I sell that will prevent stains for AT LEAST 15 years and I can use any non-acidic cleaner to clean the stone without hurting the seal. It has been around in Australia for 10 years and has just come to the United States.
My neighbor used it on his travertine bathroom floor, travertine counter, and travertine shower and he loves it. In reality, it may NEVER need to be resealed.
It is invisible.
Hallo everybody,
Roger schrieb:
We choose tiles in "cream" for our house, "Feinsteinzeug" from Cotto D´Este
Excuse pidging-english
Karin
LD,
Do yourself a favor and post this at the forum at "
Philip
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