Colors, Finishes, and More

There are plenty of natural colors from which you can choose such as: soft ivory, pale creamy white, rich golden shades of walnut and honey, silvery greens, rustic reds, deep mocha coffee and so on. Even if some varieties of travertine are more consistent in color, the tiles don’t have a single solid color because each stone is unique. Despite it’s uniqueness, if the stones are quarried from the same area, the similarity between rocks should do enough for creating your beautiful floor.

Travertine Colors

Beige – ranging in color from lightest ivory to pale fawn
Walnut – a variety of mid range browns from dark tan to milk chocolate
Noce – shades of walnut that range from medium gold to dark coffee
Chocolate – deep, rich dark brown
Silver – light ivory tiles with a hint of gray that creates a silvered appearance.
Philadelphia – earthy, medium range tan colors with a high degree of natural striation
Gold – rich shades of golden honey
Light – pale cream or ivory
Navona – very light beige (almost white) with a rustic, antique appearance
Emerald – pale shades with a greenish tinge
Emerald Light –  Pale green veins on white background
Onyx Light – Honey yellow onyx veins on white background
Mina Rustic  – Blend of beige and walnut and has some yellow and black veins. Has more variation comparing the other colors
Mina Dark- One tone darker than Beige, it can be described as “Light Walnut”
Scabos – a highly variegated degree of colors ranging from light honey to dark rust
Durango – cloudy ivory and light khaki tile speckled with tiny black dendrites
Red – travertine that contains a high rust content can range from a pale rust to a vibrant scarlet
Rosa – a deep rose pink mottled with cream
Gray – a heavily striated dark gray travertine
Classico – a uniform color and patterning that resembles natural cork

Travertine Finishes

-Polished – A common finish in commercial applications. The travertine is smoothed and polished to a shiny, reflective surface similar to marble.
-Honed – The most popular choice for home use. This type of finish is flat and satiny smooth with a low-shine matte finish.
-Brushed – the more antique and less slippery type of finish. It has slightly rough texture and a matte finish.
-Saw Cut  – means there is no further finishing after being cut with the wet saw. It has a flat, very matte finish with no honing or polish.
-Tumbled – most often found in outdoor installations, is the most natural finish, resulting in a highly textured finish with no shine and edges that are rounded with a worn appearance that resembles ancient stone.

Travertine Filling

-unfilled – with its natural pores and natural occuring holes
-filled – the porous holes in travertine are filled with a mixture of a hardener like cement and dust byproducts from the cutting and honing process for a perfect color match.

Travertine Tile Thickness

The thicknesses for the standard travertine tile are 3/8″, 1/2″, 5/8″ and 1 1/4″ for pavers. The recommended thickness varies depending on the type of travertine and the intended purpose.
The thickness can be customized to exact measurements but keep in mind the fact that the thinner travertine is cut, the more its tensile strength weakens.

Travertine Tile Sizes

Considering the fact that travertine’s color depends on the influence of the georgraphical position, not every color will be available in every size. However, travertine comes in many different sizes from small pieces for mosaic tiles to large-scale tiles for building lobbies but it is quite difficult in some areas to mine large tile.

Some of the more common sizes are:
12″x12″x3/8″
16″x16″x1/2″
16″x16″x3/8″
16″x24″x1/2″
18″x18″x1/2″
24″x24″x1/2″
24″x24″x5/8″
3″x6″x3/8″
4″x4″x3/8″
4″x8″x3/8″
6″x6″x3/8″
8″x16″x1/2″
8″x8″x1/2″
8″x8″x3/8″
12″x12″x1/2″
12″x24″x1/2″
Antique Pattern
French/Villa Pattern
Small Pattern

Patterns are mixes of different sized tiles designed to be used together.

Antique Pattern:
Also known as Meandros pattern, sets include tiles in the following proportions:
1 pcs 16″x24″, 2 pcs 16″x16″, 1 pcs 8″x16″, 2 pcs 8″x8″.

French or Villa or Versailles Pattern:
Villa Pattern sets include tiles in the following proportions:
2 pcs 16″x24″, 6 pcs 16″x16″, 4 pcs 8″x16″, 4 pcs 8″x8″.

Small Pattern:
Small Pattern sets include tiles in the following proportions:
1 pc 12”x18”, 2 pcs 12”x12”, 1 pc 6”x12”, 2 pcs 6”x6

EDGE DETAIL

– Chiseled Edge – represents natural stone with rustic chiseling around the edges. While machine chiseling is most common because it is less expensive and very consistent, hand chiseled cuts are more random in size and placement. Travertine can be both hand or machine chiseled
– Tumbled Edge – it gives the travertine a rough, textured finish with rounded corners for a naturally aged appearance.
– Straight Edge – Sharp 90° corners and edges.
– Chamfered, eased edge, or beveled – A 90° edge that has been eased by angling tiny portion of the edge to make two 45° angles that fit together.
– Pillowed Edge – refers to a rounded bullnose edge all around the tile.