travertine tile-ever use it?
alwaysoverbudget
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
found some 18×18 travertine tile,1/2 inch thick. looks good but i’ve never used any,does it take anything special to lay it or maintain it? it will be used in the kitchen and entry way. thinking about a bath also,but not sur i want to lay that big of tile on the wall! thanks larry
Replies
I used some 12x12x3/8" tile in a slab-on-grade bath and like it very much. Nice color. Seal it after installation. The material installed like regular marble tile. Important to use correct setting material. It's a white thin set mortar. Believe it or not, Home Cheepo has the good stuff. It's found in a greeen bag...can't remember the exact name. I used toothpicks as spacers as I wanted a very thin grout line. My guess is, the material you have would be more challanging to install, so be careful or hire a good tile installer.
i like that toothpick idea for a small grout line,i guess you used a unsanded grout for a gap that small. thanks larry
I just installed a bathj with 16, 8, and 4 inch tiles on the floor. The 16's were a bit fragile to work with, but once laid they are fine. Put on a good sealer.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
The house I'm in is getting tons, literally, of travertine. Through pure gee whiz work, me (wood) and the tile guy figured out that you can do some pretty slick stuff with travertine and a really good sander. He made a shelf out of two pieces laminated together with waterproof epoxy. I took the rotex and stearated paper and rounded and polished the edge. Instant bullnose. Worked dandy. You gotta get up into the 1200grit range to match the sheen that's on the face.
From the wood butchers perspective. Gorgeous stuff. Heavy as sin. Don't stack your boxes in front of me. Geez I hate shoving them around.
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." - Mark Twain
You might want to get a little more than you would usually order because they break very easily when you try to cut them with a wet saw. Also, there is alot of color variation which may become a headache depending on your client.