Travertine is a prized, versatile, elegant natural stone used extensively in both commercial and residential construction. Available in a broad choice of finishes, colors, and sizes, travertine befits both casual and formal design styles, indoor and outdoor settings, use as flooring, countertops, backsplashes, shower and tub surroundings, and patio and pool decks.
Travertine is extremely durable — harder than marble but softer than granite. Whereas tastes in building materials come and go (think Spanish tile), travertine is timeless, dating back to the Roman Empire and remaining a contemporary mainstay.
The word “travertine” is derived from the Latin tiburtinus, meaning “of Tibur,” an ancient city where the stone was originally quarried.
Composition and Formation
Limestone is composed primarily of calcium carbonate in the form of the mineral calcite. Travertine is created when ground water rich in dissolved carbon dioxide comes in contact with limestone, the carbon dioxide acting as an acid. As the ground water moves into an environment with a lower concentration of carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide is released from solution, allowing the dissolved calcium carbonate to precipitate onto solid surfaces, eventually building up thick deposits of travertine.
Travertine is a sedimentary rock. Definition: Sedimentary rocks are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles.
Travertine is formed by rapid precipitation. Definition: Precipitation is the process of transforming a dissolved substance into a solid.
Water passing through soil picks up carbon dioxide from plant roots and decaying organic matter. Volcanic activity is another important source of elevated carbon dioxide in ground water. Carbonated ground water from hot springs may cool before reaching the surface. Similarly, water carbonated by soil may circulate to depths where it is warm when reemerging to the surface.
Travertine stone is pitted with small holes and indentations caused by the bubbling of carbon dioxide. Ancient travertines may have porosities as low as 2 percent due to crystallization of residual calcite in the original pore spaces. A porosity of approximately 50 percent is typical for cold spring travertines, and 25 percent for hot spring travertines. Finished travertines may retain these characteristic imperfections, or epoxy fillers may be used to create a smooth surface.
Travertine comes in a variety of natural shades including white, tan, brown, cream and gold. Rusty tones — red, peach, orange — are introduced by the presence of iron carbonate. The tone-on-tone coloration, patterns, and swirls are naturally occurring, meaning no two surfaces are identical. The understated, cool, earthy look of travertine contrasts sharply with bold colors, configurations, and veins characteristic of granite and marble.
Travertine is found in hundreds of locations around the world. The landforms created by cold and warm water sedimentation, and admixture with local minerals, are amazingly varied and wondrous to behold. Examples include: domes reaching 300 feet in height created by geysers; fissure ridges along joints and faults; cascade deposits formed by waterfalls; dam deposits creating ponds and lakes.
Quarries and Supply
Significant deposits of travertine are found in scores of locations in Italy. The excavation of travertine for large-scale building applications traces back at least two thousand years, to present day Trivoli, located 20 miles east of Rome. The travertine deposited there measures nearly eight square miles and 200 feet thick along a fault proximate to the dormant Colli Albani volcano. A second ancient and venerated quarry, Guidonia Montecelio, is located in this deposit. Until 30 years ago, Italy was the world’s leading supplier of travertine, holding a near-monopoly.
Nowadays, major travertine suppliers include Turkey, Mexico, Peru, Croatia, Spain, Iran, and China. U.S. imports of travertine in 2019 totaled 17,808 metric tons, of which 70 percent was sourced from Turkey.
Notable Usage
Travertine was a foundational material used by ancient Romans to construct cities, buildings, and infrastructure — temples, aqueducts, baths, public spaces. To quote from Wikipedia: “It typically lacks planes of weakness, and its high porosity makes it light in weight for its strength, gives it good thermal and acoustic insulating properties, and makes it relatively easy to work. Dense travertine makes excellent decorative stone when polished.”
The Colosseum in Rome is the largest building in the world constructed mostly of travertine. In Vatican City, Michelangelo chose travertine for the external ribs of the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, as did Bernini for the Colonnade of St. Peter’s Square. In the later Baroque period, travertine was used to construct the Trevi Fountain
Contemporary architecture is similarly inspired by and preferential to travertine. The lobby walls of the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) in Chicago are made of travertine. The Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center is clad with over 3 million pounds of Tivoli travertine. The Getty Center in Los Angeles used over 108,000 square meters of Tivoli travertine.
Travertine Tile Finishes
Once quarried, travertine is factory-finished in a variety of ways for use in residential and commercial settings. While there are any number of processes and techniques employed, four stand out:
Polished travertine: Extremely smooth and bright, reflecting light. Most elegant and modern finish. Holes and troughs filled prior to polishing. Slippery when wet: not safe flooring for wet areas (e.g., showers, pools, spas).
Honed travertine: Most popular residential finish for floors, countertops, walls. Filled holes and crevices. Surface sanded to produce a smooth, matte finish — still polished but not glossy, not slippery. Indoor and outdoor use.
Tumbled travertine: Tiles placed in large tumbler with abrasive grit and water to produce rustic finish: muted colors, doesn’t reflect light, weathered, antique look. Holes and crevices filled or unfilled. Texture ideal for wet areas and backsplashes. Not conducive to countertops.
Brushed travertine: Tile smoothed with rotary wire brush or wheel, creating unique rustic look, similar to tumbled. Typically unfilled.
Complementing these finishes, tile perimeters can be straight edge (also referred to as saw cut), beveled, or chiseled edge. The latter imparts an aged and weathered appearance. Finally, common sizes of travertine tile (inches) include 4 x 4, 6 x 6, 12 x 12, and 18 x 18.
The special beauty in using travertine is often achieved by combining finishes, edges, colors, patterns, and sizes to creative distinctive looks in different parts of a home. Perhaps there is no other building stone on earth that provides more flexibility, durability, and natural attractiveness.
Homeowner Tips For Using Travertine
Finally, a list of prudent precautions to consider:
•When installing, select tiles carefully, remove damaged and unattractive ones, mix tiles to achieve preferred colors and patterns
•Purchase ample spare tiles from the original batch in the event of damage or renovation. Matching colors and patterns across different lots is nearly impossible
•Natural (i.e., non-sealed) travertine absorbs wine, grease, tomato sauce, citrus juices. Clean up immediately. Place protective mat at grill
•Consider sealing tile flooring (polished finish is already effectively sealed). Repeat every few years •Travertine will crack, scratch, and etch. Do not drop heavy objects on it. Do not drag heavy furniture across it. Clean up grit and sweep up sand frequently
•Honed travertine flooring over time will develop cracks and pits caused by its innate porosity. Imperfections can be filled using a variety of products
•Refinishing companies can polish, hone and fill travertine flooring to give it a fresh, new look.
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