Travertine floor tile advise

[cap2000]

We want to install travertine floor tiles in our kitchen.  I know travertine should be sealed, especially if it's in a kitchen.  Has anyone had experience with travertine in a high traffic area?  Would this be an unwise choice for a kitchen floor?  How much maintenance would my new travertine floor require?  Thanks

Joel

[Mark D.]

If you use a honed travertine you will have less problems with wear. It will still wear just as much (and scratch as much) as a polished travertine, you just won't see it because of the honed finish.

You can use Hydrex for a sealer Here is a link:
http://www.defusco.com/Glues:-Epoxy,-Polyester,-etc.-Hydrex-Sealer/c82_502/p2095/TENAX-IMPREGNATOR-AND-SEALER---1-LITER/product_info.html

If you want to give the stone the wet look you can use Ager, but then when you scratch it the scratch will be lighter than the rest of the stone and therefore more noticeable. Here is the Ager sealer:
http://www.defusco.com/Glues:-Epoxy,-Polyester,-etc.-Ager-Sealer/c82_503/p1437/AGER---1-LITER/product_info.html

I like the Hydrex much better for travertine floors, and use it myself on my travertine. Seal it before you grout it and it will also act as a grout release, preventing your grout from adhering to the stone (as long as it is a filled travertine) as well as preventing the grout from staining the travertine.

Glad to be of service,
Mark

[Stone Dude]

if you plan on using any natural stone other than granite in a traffic area, honed is the way to go. like mark said, a polished finish will contrast the spills and stains a lot more. once its installed i would have someone come out to do a finish hone on it, the factory hone tends to have diamond swirls and scratches and looks like a hlafway polish. also, almost every travertine has fill in it, for the voids and pits, which are filled with a grout type material. a polished travertine will have dull fill spots everywhere, unless its re filled with a polyester or other type that will polish like the stone. a polish will have to be polished every few years or more depending on its use, a honed floor will have to be treated typically 2-3 times less.

[Mark D.]

Also. the filler for travertine is basically a colored semisolid polyester resin. It will dry with some shine, but you can buff it with steel wool to lose the shine if you have a honed finish. A honed finish is similar to a matte finish.

Glad to be of service,
Mark