We recently purchased honed and filled travertine tiles. We are looking to install these in a laundry room/mud room. We like the look of the tiles side by side without a grout line - is it advisable to install this way or does the grout assist in keeping the tiles in place? This is a heavily travelled area and we have 2 large dogs. What types of cleaners should be used on this type of floor? Also, should this be sealed?

 

Dear Denise:

Grout is an essential part of the installation: it supports the edges of the tiles and effectively seals the floor. 1/16” gap with unsanded grout is “your man” and will give an installation that looks very much as if the tiles are butt-joint.

Now remember, it's never too early to think about the proper maintenance of your stone. The issue of what you'll be doing day in and day out to your stone is – as it should be intuitive – vastly more important than its sealing (if and when possible and/or advisable) and it's all too often neglected. As you can tell by reading many of this site's postings, you're not likely to get good information about routine care from your dealer or installer. Don't become another statistic! By logging into the Helpful Hints section of our website at:  http://www.mbstone.com/HH_promo/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.mbstone.com/literature/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!

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Ciao and good luck,

Maurizio Bertoli

 

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