Travertine | Natural Stone
As with Marble, Travertine is soft and porous. It has a sponge like look and heavily pitted surface, which needs filling with putty like substance to make it smooth. Even after this process, it still has fine pinprick like holes over the surface.
There are coatings available that completely cover the surface, however it tends to yellow after awhile and is costly. It is rarely used for bench tops.
| Application | Rating | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial Use |  |
Soft stone, easily scratched |
| Bathrooms / Showers | |
Non Slip |
| Kitchen |  |
Pitted Surface, Soft stone easily marked. |
| Floor Tiles | |
Non Slip |
| Exposed Outdoors |  |
Never gets hot, maintains colour, non slip |
| * Ratings are used as a guide, individual applications may vary | ||
Origin of Travertine
Natural Travertine is a type of 'morphed' limestone where the lime content has been deposited by water. Limestone is the youngest in this stone family, Travertine is approximately 50 million years old and Marble is the oldest at 100 million years old. Travertine is a type of limestone due to the way it is formed. Travertine is a sedimentary stone, a solid form of calcium carbonate produced in hot mineral springs that contain lime substances.
Where is it best used ?
Travertine has been used in construction for centuries. The Colosseum is one of the oldest and largest buildings in the world and is mostly constructed with Travertine due to the large deposits of Travertine that were quarried from Tivoli. Travertine is ideal for indoor and outdoor applications.
The surface of Travertine never gets hot; this is due to the lack of metal content in the stone. Travertine is said to be non-slip and twice the strength of concrete. This making Travertine a excellent choice for pool surrounds, kitchen and bathroom floors, wall cladding, patio and balcony flooring and even driveways.
Natural Travertine will withstand weathering and erosion without deterioration. Travertine is known rather to strengthen and improve with age. The colours of Travertine will not fade over time; they will maintain their natural colour for decades. Very little maintenance is required with Travertine; they are simply a naturally hard-wearing stone. It is a versatile, durable and reliable natural stone used for many applications.
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