What is the best underlayment for travertine floors, when the rooms are on the main level with full basement below, and the previous flooring was wall to wall carpet over dense particle, mdf, board? Thank you so much!

 

Dear Julie:

There's no easy answer to your question. In a word, the subfloor has to be stiff. The question is: how do you get there?

Are the joists supporting the floor adequate and spaced properly to meet the 720L flex rating required for the installation of natural stone tiles? Is the installer that you're going to hire familiar with stone tiles installation? Will they go for a “mud job” or cement board sub-layer? How thick can the mud or the cement board be without creating problems (baseboard heaters, doors, etc.)?

Only the answers to those questions will give you enough intelligence about your situation.

My best advice is that you rely on a competent tile installation contractor. The really good ones don't come cheap, though… :-(

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!

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,

Mauri zio Bertoli

 

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