People use travertine indoors for cladding on walls and floors, cut sinks and even bathtubs out of it, make window sills, stairs, countertops, work surfaces, bar countertops, and various decorative elements of the interior. Polished travertine has one significant property that distinguishes it from marble: it is not slippery. Therefore, quite often, specialists use it for pool patios and bathrooms. You can check out Saturnia Travertini to see exquisite options for decorating your home. If you want to learn more about this great material, you can keep reading this article.
Travertine tiles aren’t slippery when wet, like most glazed ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles, marble tiles, and granite tiles. Furthermore, many “non-slip” coatings can be applied to natural stone tiles, which will increase your SCOF rating.
One of the best things about utilizing natural stone is that it is also eco-friendly. It is interesting to know that when processing travertine, nothing gets lost because small crumbs become the crushed stone. Due to its alkaline properties, limestone reduces soil acidity, promoting plant growth.
What Is Travertine?
Travertine (another name for the stone is calcareous tuff) is a natural material with the same origin as marble. Limestone, which lies in the rock mass from 50 to 300 thousand years under the influence of pressure and weather, turns into travertine and after, a few thousand years later – into marble. Travertine stone has the properties of both limestone and marble. It is a gorgeous, decorative stone, and it is also resistant to rough weather. It is hard enough to withstand mechanical damage and soft enough to work with it.
Due to the variety of colors and shades of this mineral: from white and dark brown – to red and burgundy, travertine cladding can be applied for any decorative style. At the same time, the shades of each stone slab are unique and allow you to create a truly original, exclusive interior and exterior.
Travertine Floors for Modern Interior
Although it is an ancient material, used in palaces and even the Colosseum, using travertine tiles for home decor in modern homes today is not obsolete. Travertine is a natural stone, and professionals don’t think anyone can take it off from the top three most favored materials for flooring.
Of course, it can certainly look outdated when paired with certain materials (think red-toned cabinets, old materials) it can also add an aged-looking character when paired with a more up-to-date or even classic look.
Travertine – The Best Material for the Pool Patio
Concrete is the most popular and, usually, the most affordable – pool flooring. Concrete pool decks look standard and lack the beauty and sophistication that only travertine could bring. Saturnia Travertini, for example, offers different tiles in various color options available for a beautiful and aristocratic finish to your pool patio. Travertine tiles with coatings are just as popular as marble tiles.
Finishing with travertine on the exterior of your home, including the pool patio, will give the house fire resistance – this stone does not burn. And it is also resistant to precipitation, does not rust, and does not rot. In addition, its weight is less than the weight of marble due to its porosity and lower density. The same qualities increase its thermal insulation properties. Travertine also conducts less sound than marble.
Travertine stone is resistant to low temperatures and can be used for exterior decoration of houses where you get winter frosts. You can make the stone waterproof by getting it further processed with a special solution. Then you can use it not only for exterior decoration but also in your landscaping design for patios and decks.
For travertine cladding, it must be machine processed, and this can even be done with a conventional diamond blade circular saw. As a result, the individual parts can be manufactured with high precision, maintaining the desired dimensions with close tolerances. Travertine tiles can be laid so that there are no seams – their edges are neatly tidied without leaving a small gap. Installing travertine tiles is not more difficult than ordinary ceramic tiles: you only need to clean and level the surface. You can find travertine tiles of exquisite quality at Saturnia Travertini.
Exterior finish with travertine is easy to work with and relatively easy to grind and polish. Sanded and polished travertine is used in construction for exterior cladding of facades. Travertine blocks are used as a building material. Quite often, travertine finishing complements the finishing works of other materials.
The objective disadvantages of natural travertine coating are related to the very high price (mainly if we talk about a natural stone). However, you can find travertine reviews in forums and social networks and see that it is definitely worth the price. Any exterior or interior with travertine makes the space timeless, exquisite, and aristocratic. Nowadays, many consumers choose travertine tiles for bathrooms, kitchens, hallways, and pool patios.