Travertine Tiles

You can expect the installation of Travertine tiles to be in line with all other materials and in the region of between £35 – £50 per sqm depending on the complexity of the installation.

We would recommend that Travertine tiles are always cleaned with a PH neutral natural stone cleaner, specifically formulated for travertine tiles. These products have become widely available in Supermarkets and online in recent years.

You can lay travertine paving / outdoor tiles in the same way you would install any natural stone or porcelain products. Basically they should be laid on a full wet bed of mortar over a compacted hardcore base deep enough for the site conditions. For further reading please follow the link to our tech guide:

https://www.naturalstoneandtim...

We would additionally always recommend using a slurry primer when installing Travertine paving to help bond the slabs and the sub-base together. This will result in a greatly improved installation.

If your Travertine tiles have been installed incorrectly leaving an uneven surface also know as lippage, there are no easy solutions. To rectify the solution you can either remove the problems tiles and replace them this time correctly, or you can employ the service of a stone restoration specialist, but there are very few that would undertake this kind of work, and those that do will charge a great deal of money as it a very labour intensive process that requires specialist equipment and high cost grinding and cleaning pads.

The link below shows a contractor undertaking this work:

It is very unlikely that your travertine tiles are cracking on their own, there are two main reasons tiles will crack, and this is not just an issue with Travertine, but all natural and ceramics tiles will act the same.

1. Tiles are prone to cracking if you have movement in your substrate transferring through to the surface of the tiles. Remove the cracked tile and you will see the crack is present in a similar position in your wall or floor substrate.
2. The other option is that your tiles have not be correctly installed and are not fully covered with the tile adhesive, resulting in your tiles not having enough support which leaves them susceptible to movement and cracking.

Most good quality, impregnating sealers have a life expectancy of up to ten years, but if you are cleaning your tile regularly with strong natural stone cleaners such as Extreme Clean from Universeal Sealants, then additional coats of sealant will need to be applied, this will ensure that the surface well protected.

There is a great deal of Travertine available in the UK market, but it is very important to understand that Travertine is available in different grades which can have a great effect on the quality of the stone in term of density and colour variation. Travertine can range from £20 + VAT per sqm up to over £40 + VAT per sqm, but it important to select the best quality product you can afford. We would always recommend going to a company that imports directly from the quarries in Turkey and Italy, as they will be able to offer the best price and normally a better product, due to their direct relationship with the quarries.

You can grout Travertine Tiles in the same way you grout any other tile. The only difference is that you must seal your tiles at least once before grouting commences, or you will find that grout can enter the pores of the stone, which can be very difficult to remove if left to dry. With unfilled Travertine tiles, you might find that you need to mix up your grout to more of a slurry to ensure you get into all the small holes present in unfilled Travertine Tiles.

Polishing travertine tiles is a reasonable simple process, but you need experience to get good results. Basically you need to use a Diamond flooring pad with an 800 Grit. Travertine will never develop a high sheen such as granite and marble, so there is never any need to go above this 800 grit level. You need to understand that most travertine is filled and this fill is not polishable and will always remain dull compared to the polished surface of the stone, which results in a slight uneven surface finish.

Travertine tiles can be laid the same way as standard ceramic or porcelain tiles with the exception of cutting which will require a wet cutting bench or grinder with a high quality diamond blade. For more information on Travertine tile installation please following the link below:

https://www.naturalstoneandtimber.co.uk/indoor-tiles-and-mosaics-installation

We would always recommend using an Impregnating natural stone sealer for all travertine tiles. These sealers sit under the surface of the stone, helping to prevent staining and reducing maintenance at the same time. It is important not to use topical sealer on travertine tiles, this will sit on the surface of the stone, not allowing it to breath which can cause long term damage to your tiles.

Travertine is a calcium-based stone similar to limestones or marble, but is laid down with hot springs which gives it a unique characteristics.

Travertine Tiles come for many areas of the world, but the products most commonly seen in the UK come from Turkey, with a smaller amount coming from Italy and when possible, Iran.

Travertine Tiles are very rigid so when it is adhered to a solid structure, they are very unlikely to crack. If cracking appears it will be when the concrete / sub-base itself settles, any slight movement will transfer to the surface of the tile causing cracking.

When cutting Travertine tiles, it is best to use a diamond blade, and preferably a good quality cut tile bench or 4 ½ inch angle grinder, ideally with water feed machinery to reduce the amount of dust produced and to provide a successful cut through the tiles.

Daily cleaning is important, wipe up any spills immediately and sweep floors every day with soft broom to stop any build-up of dirt.

Mop your Travertine Tiles with clean water and gentle neutral cleaner at the recommend ratio shown on the bottle. For walls we would recommend using the same process but with a clean damp cloth. This is an excellent way to prevent build-up of dirt and debris and keep your natural stone tiles looking prefect.

If grout joints become dirty use the same PH neutral cleaner and a toothbrush or similar to, clean the grout lines.

If you have any staining from oil or grease on your natural stone tiles, this will cause the area of the tile to become darker on the surface. We would first recommend a product called Extreme Clean. This will draw out the stain from most natural stone surfaces, but these strong PH neutral clears should only be used occasionally as your tiles will need to be re-sealed after using this product.

We have branches across the south coast of England, including Poole in Dorset, Winchester, Tadley, Romsey and Portsmouth in Hampshire. Internal showrooms are available to view in Poole and Portsmouth and External Display are available at Portsmouth, Poole, Winchester and Tadley. 

Please visit our contact page for further information on the following link:    /our-depots

We always send a representative sample from the current batch of tiles or paving we have in stock, so as long as you requested a sample close to the time of purchasing, this will help to ensure the tiles and paving you receive matches  the sample you have been sent as closely as possible.

All of our products are either natural or porcelain and therefore there  is always scope for variation in shade, colour and to some extent the texture and finish with the natural products and with porcelain there will always be some slight colour variation between different batches, although the surface texture and finish will remain largely the same. 

We would strongly recommend that you visit one of our showrooms or paving displays to look at the current selection, so you can be entirely sure of what you will receive.

All of our Travertine tile and paving products are premium or 1st quality. We don't believe in dealing with any commercial grade travertine as the density and colour select is not at any acceptable level for our clients. 

Yes. Our opening hours and address are found on the Contact Us page. We have fork-lift trucks for loading onto suitable vehicles at all sites, and staff are always available to help with loading of smaller items. We highly recommend that you call your local branch, before visiting, to confirm the items you wish to collect are available.