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Travertine Tiles For Your Home And Garden Decor

Biga | Nov 23, 2010 |

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Travertine is one of the most famous stone products for use both in the home and in the garden or yard. This classic Roman stone has been utilized for construction and tiling for thousands of years. Indeed, the Coliseum in Rome is in fact composed almost entirely of travertine not marble as many people think. Travertine is a sedimentary rock that is formed by the evaporation of water in pools of hot springs. When the water evaporates it leaves behind layers of minerals and these minerals are what give the stone its beautiful shades. The main hue of travertine tiles is a soft brown but many accenting colors can be seen in each tile with the addition of minerals.
Travertine tiles are used for many purposes in the home. The stone makes a very wonderful flooring and is quite common in foyers. When used on the floor the tiles need to be sealed so as to shield against staining. As the rock is sedimentary, it generally has small pores and air pockets which permit the staining material into the structure if the surface is not closed. The surface will wear well as these are rather hard and tough. Other common uses of Travertine include as countertops or worktops and back splashes as well as trim and accent pieces. A quite nice use is to tile throughout the bathroom inclusive of the shower which gives a very stylish look like an old world Roman bath.
In the garden, Travertine paving stones are quite famous as backyard floors as well as pavers through the garden to maintain ones feet dry. Being made of stone the pavers will be fine, but they do require to be sealed from moisture in areas with cold weather because if the water filters in and then condenses, it can break the tiles. If you are planning a renovating or remodeling project, Travertine tiles are worth your attention.

Many people are doing complete entry ways with these tiles and having very good results. Again, since you will most likely be bringing rain water or snow melt in you will want to be sure to seal the tiles you use for the floor. Also, since you will need better traction in this wet environment, you will want to choose tumbled tiles. These are rougher and add much better footing if the tiles get wet.
These are just a few of the many possible uses for travertine tiles.