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Travertine floor tile

Article Number: 602 | Rating: Unrated | Last Updated: Mon, Oct 8, 2007 at 12:00 AM

I would like to select tile for my family room and have heard that Travertine is an excellent product. What other tiles are good choices? What are the pros and cons of tile for a family room with traffic. If I select travertine is honed and filled the best. I don't want gloss finish but I know it must be sealed. What sealer is best? Thank you. Also what is the most cost effective way to buy tile. How are the wholesalers that are selling via the internet?

Dear Joanne:

I hope you don't expect me to go through the pros and cons of every possible tiles available on the market, do you?

You like honed and unfilled travertine? Go for it: it is indeed an excellent choice!

" I don't want gloss finish but I know it must be sealed."

You do?!?!... Well, it's good to know, because I didn't know that honed travertine must be sealed... I thought it was only an option and a big stretch at that, just to be in the extra-extra-extra-extra-extra-safe side. But what do I know?...:-(

And, BTW, what on earth has a sealer for stone got to do with the finish on your travertine tiles?!?!... It look like I'm gettin' an education here!... :-)

Why don't you forget the sealing thing and try to learn something really useful about the care of honed and filled travertine, such as what to do and use on a daily basis?... I may be naive, but it sounds to me that daily care is vastly more important than the seal-a-mania, which in this case, like I said, is optional at best.

As you can tell by reading many of this site's postings, you're not likely to get good information about it from your dealer or installer. (You know, those who told you that you must seal travertine, and also lead you to believe that a sealer for stone has something to do with the finish of the surface...) Don't become another statistic! By logging into the Helpful Hints section of our website at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/helpful-hints.htm, you will be able to get the short version of our maintenance guidelines at no charge. The full version of it – a 7-page document considered by many as an industry benchmark – is available in pay- per-download format in our Educational Literature section at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/literature.htm.

And remember, every single penny of the cost of the literature will be used to support this site and its cause: your cause.

While you are in the “Helpful Hints” section, do spend some time reading all of the interesting FREE articles you'll find in there!

As for the shopping, personally I still believe in specialized stores with a good reputation and a good selection. But I'm probably gettin' old, here...

Finally, keep in mind that we need your support to help us helping you!

Will you please read and e-sign our Statement of Purpose at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/purpose.htm?

By spreading the word about this valuable site among your friend & family and the stone trades' people you've been dealing with, you will be rendering everybody a valuable service!

Thank you

Ciao and good luck,

Maurizio Bertoli

www.marblecleaning.org – The only Consumers' Portal to the Stone Industry Establishment!