What is Travertine?

Travertine is a natural stone such as Marble, Granite, Onyx, Limestone, Slate etc. The key difference between Travertine and other natural stones lies in the formation of the rock, the hardness of the stone and the appearance. Travertine is formed in hot springs and/or limestone caves. Travertine is not the same as Marble or Limestone which falls in the metamorphic rock category. Key characteristics of Travertine stone are the holes within the stone which are caused by carbon dioxide evasion.

Travertine Tiles are used for indoor projects such as floors and walls while Travertine pavers are primarily used for outdoors such as driveways, pool decks, patio areas and walk ways. Travertine tiles are 0.5” thick while the standard thickness for Travertine pavers is 1 1/4”.

Benefits:

Travertine pavers are ideal for use around the pool and patio areas, because they will stay cool on your feet and are freeze-thaw compatible. Travertine pavers have a non-slip surface finish to offset their high co-efficient of friction. This means that travertine will provide a safe walking and play surface area for the whole family.

Travertine pavers can withstand weathering and erosion without deteriorating. It is known that travertine material improves with age. Colors will not fade over time, and the stone will maintain it’s natural color for decades.

Another great benefit is that travertine pavers require little to no maintenance or cleaning. They are simply a natural hard-wearing stone material. The Roman Colosseum and other buildings made of travertine that are thousands of years old are still standing today.

Our Travertine paver & Belgard / Pavestone paver patios are installed over a 4 – 6” compacted ABC sub-base. This sub-base is made of inorganic engineered soil, and compacted to 95% compaction (using a plate compactor & proper water/soil mixture). For driveways, Unique uses the addition of Portland cement, which allows for extra stabilization where tires cause extra weight & traffic. After the paver sub-base is compacted, our skilled masons install only ½” of sand to ensure the Travertine pavers or concrete pavers are perfectly level, and maintain proper drainage away from pools & houses. After laying the pavers, most of our patios are then sanded with polymeric “stabilized” joint sand, to ensure proper stabilization and longevity of the sanded grout.