How to treat travertine tiles

[emphasis303]

Hello

Im going to buy some travertine tiles for the floor and walls, I wanted to know exactly what treatment I need to give them and also what are the best products, also if there are any drawbacks of using travertine?

Also whats the best colour grout for light sandy colour travertine, not keen on white having to be cleaned.

Many thanks and a very happy new year

 

[tpt]

Have a look at either ltp or lithofin products. Lithofin MN Stainstop is my personally favored product.

Seal once before grouting and at least once afterwards. Ensure you use a white, powdered adhesive as coloured\rm adhesives can 'bleed' colour through to the front of the tile.

To cut you will need a watercooled cutter, and dont mark them on the back\front with a pen - it will bleed through.

Be careful which trav you buy, there is a lot of crap about, some are more holes than travertine - have a look at the back of the tile - if you see lots and lots of deep wide holes forget it. One major retailer has a 'new' range of trav that we keep seeing and its really bad, it may be cheap but back filling all those holes with adhesive before using is very costly in terms of materials and labour. The issue with the holes is that on a floor they can cave in at any point when you stand on them, and for walls condensation can form and you'll then get mould marks. its often worth spending 4-5 quid m2 more.

Grout wise, most manufacturers have a limestone\slightly off white colour available. Stay away from DIY sheds - i'd recommend granfix or bal for grout and adhesive.

Look lovely when fitted well, and will last for years.

 

[emphasis303]

Thanks very much for your reply.

Yeh I've seen ice travertine at tile depot. However I've seen it online for like 19£ a m2 online. Which is a tenner cheaper than tile depot but I'm not sure on the quality. Any suggestions where to get it from?


I've seen this http://www.travertinedirect.co.uk/products/Premium-Select-Medium-honed--and-filled.html

Obviously can't tell until I see it.

Any ideas?


Cheers

 

[tpt]

i'm not familiar with that supplier, but they offer samples so i'd advise ordering one before doing anything. Looks a good price.

The cheapest trav we sell is £25m2 but this is more out of choice as we went a lot cheaper a while ago and got quite a bit of comeback. That said, you can get a bargain as long as your choosy.

http://www.tradepricetiles.co.uk/travertine-range.html

We also supply from a company called classical flagstones and we have found their products to be very good quality

https://www.classical-flagstones.co.uk/

I'm not suggesting you should buy from us, but do order samples and do ensure if its honed and filled its not 90% filler!