Travertine Pavers and Travertine Tile Houston
Houston Travertine Pavers
Travertine pavers and travertine tile can be found in the Houston area and are becoming the paver and tile of choice as consumers look at the options. Travertine pavers are 3 times stronger than concrete pavers. So they provide the perfect solution for pool decking, patios, sidewalks and driveways. Travertine pavers and travertine tile also get less slippery when water is applied to them. A certain suction builds up that allows them to be used for a pool decking surface. Travertine pavers and travertine tile also stay about 30-40 degrees cooler than the typical paver or tile. This allows you to have a much lower potential for burning your feet on their surface. The Houston heat will get strong during the Summer months. So the travertine pavers and travertine tile are an ideal solution for the Houston area.
Travertine Pavers and Travertine Tile in Houston for Pool Decking
Houston Travertine Pavers Pool Decking
As you look around Houston, you will begin to see more and more travertine pavers and travertine tile showing up in high end type pools. As you can see in the photo to the left, travertine pavers and travertine tile can change the makeup of your backyard. The travertine pavers can be placed on top of concrete or sand. Many people ask, "Should I place my travertine pavers on sand or concrete?" The answer is that the natural stone can be place on both surfaces. A typical remodel includes an extension of the deck. If the deck is already in concrete, some will choose to extend out by adding more concrete. But you can also just add the travertine pavers or travertine tile on top of the concrete portion and then extend out the rest of the deck on top of sand. This will cause you to save money on placing in concrete.
You can see some Houston Travertine Pavers photos by hitting the link at the top of the page.
You can see some Houston Travertine Pavers photos by hitting the link at the top of the page.
How Durable are Travertine Pavers?
Houston Travertine Pavers
Travertine pavers are more durable than concrete. In fact, travertine pavers are 3 times as durable as concrete. Travertine pavers can be installed as a driveway surface. You can drive your car or truck over travertine pavers. I remember the first time I watched a large truck drive over travertine pavers. I was impressed with their strength. Travertine pavers are typically only an inch and a quarter thick. So watching a truck drive over a paver that is only an inch and a quarter thick surprised me. I then learned the reason why early civilizations used the travertine pavers. I also figured out why those same travertine pavers endured thousands of years even to today long after empires fell. Travertine pavers and travertine tile are strong and durable. Long after your house has come and gone, the travertine pavers will endure. The tough surface will serve well in the extreme weather conditions including the Houston heat.
Travertine Pavers Fabrication
On some projects, fabrication is needed for the travertine pavers. Most travertine pavers come in 3 cm (inch and a quarter thick) but you can also get what is considered travertine pool boping in a flat eased edge paver in 5 cm (2 inches thick). Why would you need fabrication? In general, fabrication may be needed to bullnose pieces that are not bullnose. You can just buy a travertine paver bullnose but there are situations where people want their travertine bullnosed in a non typical way. For example, sometimes a double bullnose is wanted. You can buy a pieced double bullnosed but there are times when people want nonstandard sizes for bullnose. They may want a piece bullnosed in a 14x24 format. Since 14x24 is a nonstandard size, it will need to be cut down from a 16x24 and then bullnosed. This can be done directly from the factory in Turkey but it can also be done right here in Houston. Just call if you need a non standard size. If you can wait 14-16 weeks, we can have the pieces fabricated in Turkey and then sent to the U.S. But if you need it quicker, most travertine pavers can be fabricated in Houston in about a week or week and a half.
Travertine Tile Fabrication
You also may need travertine tile fabricated. This is the case when you one certain sizes on your waterline tile that are non traditional. You also might need travertine tile fabricated for your shower. A common request is to have travertine bullnosed on the edge to give the edge a clean look on the shower wall.
Travertine Pavers Custom Sizes
It is very common for people to want their travertine pavers in custom sizes. We can special order custom sizes from the factory in Turkey. Most travertine pavers come in sizes such as the french pattern pavers (This is a 4 size pattern including 16x24, 16x16, 8x16, 8x8), 16x24, 12x24, 12x12, 6x12. But sometimes people want their travertine pavers in a custom size such as 24x36, 18x36 or some other size that is different than the traditional size. In those cases, we can special order the travertine pavers from Turkey and deliver them to your location in Houston or where ever you are in the United States. It is usually good to figure 14-16 weeks for delivery on custom sizes in travertine pavers. It is possible it would take longer for a custom piece of travertine pavers but we can usually give you a good approximation depending on the size of the order. Usually a custom size needs a 100% deposit because of the custom sizes. You can also order the travertine pavers in different thicknesses. For example, you can order them in 2-1/2 inch and even 3 inches. They can even be ordered in 3-1/2 to 4 inches in non standard sizes. We have done just about every size imaginable. I have done 12x24x3-1/2 thick. I have done 16x24x4 inch thick.
Travertine Tile Custom Sizes
We can also custom order half inch travertine tile in custom sizes. If you are planning on using the travertine tile for your cladding on your building or house, you may want something different than the traditional 12x24 or 16x24 travertine tile. Once again, these custom travertine tiles can be ordered factory direct and we can usually land them here in Houston and ship them to you within 12-14 weeks depending on the size.
Buying Travertine Pavers By the Container
If you are a distributor, you may want to buy travertine pavers by the container. We can set that up for you. We sell travertine pavers direct from the factory. You can buy travertine pavers in any color that travertine comes in and we can ship it to you direct. Buying travertine pavers direct by the container will get you a more competitive price. We have a special relationship with a few factories in Turkey that allow us to get you a special price. We can also help you order the right about if you want to do a combination of travertine paver colors and shapes and sizes. We can also add to your order travertine coping, travertine splitface and travertine tile.
What Can Travertine Pavers be used for?
Travertine Pavers can be used for multiple purposes. Travertine Pavers in the Houston market have been mostly used for pool decking. Travertine pavers can be used along with travertine pool coping, travertine splitface and travertine tile to make for a beautiful travertine pool surface. Travfertine Pavers can also be used for a decking without a pool. We also see travertine pavers used as stepping stones leading to the back yard or even stepping stones landscape in the backyard. We also have had people use travertine pavers for driveways. Some people will use travertine pavers for their front porch.
What Can Travertine Tile be used for?
Travertine Tile also has several uses. Travertine Tile is used on outdoor decking when a homeowner already has concrete out on the deck and the deck is not being extended. Travertine Tile is used for kitchens as both flooring and backsplash. Travertine Tile can be used in a bathroom for flooring but can also be used on the walls of the shower. Homeowners also use the travertine for the shower flooring and backsplash.
What Can Travertine Splitface be used for?
Traveritne Splitface has many uses. Most of the uses we see inside of Houston for travertine splitface is using it on the walls next to a pool, around the spa surround, on an outside fireplace, on a fire pit. Travertine splitface can also be used inside a house and typically it is used on a backsplash, fireplace or in a wine cellar. Travertine splitface is a broken face stone that gives a rugged look for the travertine and it is used on surfaces that are not used for flooring.
Cleaning Travertine Pavers
Travertine Pavers can be cleaned by power washing your travertine paver deck. Some people keep the travertine pavers clean by simply spraying down the deck with a hose. There are additional methods if you are struggling to keep your travertine pavers clean. One approach is to use a nonabrasive detergent to clean off the deck. You just mix the cleaner in with water and mop it like you would your kitchen. Some people have stains that they need to get out. At that point they mix Baking Soda in with water and that will often extract any stain in the travertine pavers. This same approach works with travertine tile.
Sealing Travertine Pavers
Some people decide to seal their travertine pavers. While most people will elect to not seal their travertine pavers, some people will want to seal them. The best method for sealing travertine pavers is to make sure the travertine pavers are dry. In other words, wait a few days after you have sprayed down the travertine pavers before you begin the process of sealing the travertine pavers. You also want to wait a few days with no rain to seal the travertine pavers. The morning dew makes the pavers a little wet but don't worry about that. Just wait until the Sun has come out and dried out the travertine pavers and then it is safe to seal. One way to seal the travertine pavers is to roll the sealer on the pavers with a paint roller. Another way to seal the travertine pavers is to spray on the sealer. You can do it either way.
Repair Travertine Pavers
The nice thing about travertine pavers is people pick them because they are such low maintenance. But occasionally some maintenance is required. Here are a few examples of times you might need some maintenance. To begin with, sometimes you may need someone to reset your travertine pavers. Most installers are pretty good at installing the travertine pavers. But travertine pavers can settle when laid on a sand base as the sand settles. It is common for a paver installer to reset the travertine pavers after a few years. Another time is after major hurricanes. After a heavy amount of rain from a hurricane, some of the travertine pavers need to be reset on the deck. This doesn't take long and one installer can usually make the adjustment. It is also fairly common for someone to want someone else to clean the travertine pavers after time. This is usually unnecessary if you just clean them once in a while. Most people will mop their kitchen floor a few times a week but go years without cleaning off their travertine pavers. In those cases, some people will call in a professional to clean up their travertine pavers.
Wet Look Travertine Pavers
If you want a wet look on your travertine pavers, you can use an enhanced sealer on top of the travertine pavers. After the travertine pavers are installed, just apply the enhanced sealer by using a paint roller or a sprayer and apply it evenly over your travertine pavers.
Porcelain Pavers
We also carry porcelain pavers for people that want a consistent look. Porcelain pavers are easy to clean and low maintenance. Porcelain pavers are 2 cm thick because they are large in sizes. Porcelain pavers come in really large size format and it is hard to find pieces that are as large as the porcelain pavers. You can find porcelain pavers in sizes as large as 24x48, 24x36, 18x36 and even larger sizes are available. The porcelain pavers are strong so they can withstand heavy weight.
Travertine Pavers vs Porcelain Pavers
One question we get often is "Which is better? Travertine Pavers or Porcelain Pavers?" The answer depends on what qualities do you want in a paver. Travertine pavers are natural stone and therefore have the natural stone look. Some people really prefer a natural stone look. As much as manufacturers try, they can never really duplicate the natural stone look using porcelain pavers. If a person highly values the natural stone look, they will pick the travertine pavers. But the porcelain pavers come in much larger sizes. Some people want 24xx48 pavers and that is easier to find in porcelain paver at an affordable pricing. Porcelain pavers and travertine pavers are about the same cost in smaller formats depending on the color. But the porcelain pavers are less expensive in the larger formats like 24x48. Both the travertine pavers and the porcelain pavers are low maintenance and easy to clean. In most cases a person can simply spray off the pieces. Some people also prefer the porcelain pavers because they want a consistent look. The porcelain pavers are more consistent because they are a man made paver.
Large Format Porcelain Tile
We have large format porcelain tiles that some people use for the interior of their home but we also have the large format porcelain tile that people use on the exterior of their home. Large format porcelain tile is frequently used on an outdoor deck for people that prefer a contemporary look in their outdoor decking.
Outdoor Porcelain Pavers
Porcelain pavers are ideal for an outdoor deck. We have been observing in the last 5 years that more people are picking the porcelain pavers for their outdoor deck. We think that the increase has a lot to do with the need for consistency that is hard to achieve with natural stone. Some people believe it is easier to keep the porcelain pavers clean too. You can usually spray down your deck and there is very little staining with a porcelain paver.
Pavers
Each year, we see more customers select pavers in general for their paving needs. Concrete used to be popular but over time, pavers continue to see increases because some people are tired of the concrete look. You can spray concrete or stamp it but the maintenance is pretty high on concrete no matter what you do to it. The same problem exist with the concrete pavers. This has caused more people to select travertine pavers or porcelain pavers as an option.
Travertine Patio Pavers
The travertine pavers have mainly been used as an outdoor patio paver option. The travertine pavers look nice around a pool and create a higher end look for a patio paver. Patio pavers are becoming more popular in the South. We are seeing more of an uptick on porcelain pavers especially as you more upward in the country. The further North you go, the more you will see the porcelain pavers.
Stone Pavers
The stone pavers are really popular in travertine pavers because of the old world look that many are trying to achieve. But you can even give a pool a contemporary look with travertine pavers.
Limestone Pavers
Limestone pavers are really picking up in popularity especially the white limestone pavers. The white shellstone pavers can come completely white or have shelling in them and many people call the white limestone with shelling, shellstone pavers. The white limestone pavers are a little more challenging to keep clean. The limestone tends to absorb material in the air and even absorb material in the ground. That sometimes causes the limestone to get dirty and creates a situation where the limestone pavers need to be cleaned. When something in the air gets on the travertine, a user can usually just spray it off. It sometimes requires a cleaner to get the limestone cleaning. The limestone also tends to be a little more brittle and that causes more breakage as the limestone pavers are being installed. We generally tell people that when buying travertine pavers, they should buy 10% extra for cuts and breakage. We tell people they might need 20% extra for the limestone pavers. This number is greatly impacted by how big the job is and how much care is taken when installing. Once the limestone pavers are installed, the breakage is really low. So the issue with them being a little more brittle is only an issue until the limestone pavers are installed.