Travertine tiles are a very dense form of Calcium Carbonate and although a Limestone,Travertine tiles are more usually considered as a Marble.Colours vary from pale to dark cream with attractive surface varigation.

The characteristic voids in this material were caused by gases prresent when the rock was in the molten state.These voids appear as holes in the tiles and are either filled during the fixing process or at the Factory.

Used since Roman times as a building material Travertine tiles with their unique qualities as a flooring material have been used for many domestic and commercial applications.

Choosing a material

There are several types of finish available so this versatile material can suit almost any application from "rustic" to contemporary.The surface appearance of the tile depends on the cutting technique at the quarry.Tiles are either cut with the natural grain of the stone or contra cut against the natural grain.The former giving a linear movement in the surface markings,the latter giving more varigated markings in a non linear format.

Travertine tiles are quite variable so it's important to see an actual area as a single sample will never give the true picture of this material.See Travertine Gallery page

Filled or Unfilled?

We are regularly asked what does this mean.As we explained earlier one of the characteristics of Travertine tiles are the voids in the surface which are a feature of this material.These can vary from literally pinholes to quite large irregular holes.These voids can be filled with grout when fixing the tiles or filled at the factory. and the tile machined to give a honed or polished surface.

Factory filled and honed tiles are usually more expensive than unfilled however this depends on the finish,brushed tiles cannot be filled and are desirable due to their "rustic"appearance.As with all things quality can vary dramatically as Travertines are often graded into quality groups such as Select and 2nd choice.We do not stock 2nd choice quality as the quality is so variable,many of the cheap offers on this material fall into this category (but they are not going to tell you that are they?)

It is possible for holes to appear in filled Travertines usually when they are on the floor and in relative high traffic areas.This is usually caused by the filling breaking down.Its not as bad as it sounds but it can happen regardless of the quality of material although the better materials have less filling so this is consequently minimised.These voids can be filled using a suitable Grout or an Epoxy Resin.The easy method is to simply fill the void with a matching grout usually the same as was used between the tiles when they were fixed.It is impossible to guarantee that that voids will never occur with filled tiles.

As with all natural materials shade and surface appearance can vary quite considerably however the larger the area the less noticable this becomes and in many cases it is desirable as a feature of this type of material.

If your project is for a reasonable area it's worth taking the time to have a look at the actual material you are considering as it is impossible to choose correctly from a sample tile. We are pleased to show customers the materials we hold in stock.

Types of finish for Travertine tiles

Polished Available only with filled tiles

Honed Available in either filled or unfilled

Brushed A textured finish available unfilled tiles only