Tom

I have seen travertine installed using two different installation methods. One was a full spread of mortar/thinset on the floor & back buttering of the tile, the other was 6-8 dobs or piles of mortar/thinset on ths back of the tile. Which one is the preferred method of installation, & what are the advantages or disadvantages of one over the other if there are any?

Thanks
Dan

Hello Dan,

I have not seen a certified installation method for floors that stipulates using drops or piles of mortar on the back of the stone tile.

There are some pretty strong adhesives in the marketplace, but the problem is that doing this will create hollow sounding tiles. For wall installations, this might be adequate and sufficient under the right circumstances.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

Hi,

I am going to install travertine floor in my kitchen. I have installed ceramic tile before but not any natural flooring. Could you give me any helpful advice on the sealant process, etc?

Thanks!
Doug

Hello Doug

The short answer is don’t try it and let someone with experience install the travertine. I only say that because most people really mess up travertine installations the first time. You will learn a lot from what you do wrong but then it will be too late.

Ceramic Tile has factory edges and is more forgiving; however, travertine does not and you will probably have lips that you can feel and will cast shadows. To make matter worse, travertine likes to de-bound from the substrate in time unless it is properly back scratched with latex-modified thinsets. The corners of travertine are also very susceptible to cracking after installation due to extreme pressure from high heals and other forces. Be sure to put extra thinset under all the corners. I would use a 3/8″ square notch trowel for spreading the thinset on the concrete floor. Expect a bag to cover about 30 square feet.

Basically, if you can afford a few more dollars per square foot, hire an experienced installer. After installation and grouting, wait 36 hours before applying two coats of premium penetrating stone sealer (follow manufactures instructions).

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

Hi Tom,

I was called by a client to examine a job and to figure out why her travertine floor came up its third year post installation.
From what I’ve seen in the installion process, the installer used first a mixture of cement, sand, mortor mix and thinset combine.
This he first set on the sub-floor followed by the travetine which the installer placed thinset on the back. This seemed pretty sound yet I’m confused.

Any ideas to this problem would be highly valued.

Thank you for your time
Romel

Hello Romel,

Yes, this does sound like a good installation process for floor tile preparation and follows in line with TCA standards. The one part which you did not mention was whether any thinset was stuck to the back of the travertine when the tile came up. During travertine tile installation, the bottom of the tiles should be wiped with a wet sponge and then a scratch coat (back-butter) of the thinset put on them. The corners should be buttered a little thicker. If you do not see thinset on the back of the travertine when the tiles came up, then this step was skipped. This means the tile was dusty with calcium residue from the original fabrication process, which creates a possible bond-break situation.

Why is this step skipped sometimes? There are two reasons. First, there are some very good latex modified thinsets in the marketplace that will create a strong bond even if the tile is not washed and scratched. Still, I would recommend that at least the corners are back-buttered. Second, the wash and back-butter take more time so some installers just skip it.

Try to find the brand of the thinset that was used to adhere the tile. The problem lies in that product and the application of it.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova

Hey Tom -

We are having travertine installed for the first time, and are not 100% sure that the job is a good one. What are industry accepted tolerances for travertine installation? In other words, nothing can be perfect, but how much variance in the hight of one tile to the next is considered acceptable? These are 18? tiles, honed and filled.

Thanks in advance,

Tom

Hi Tom,

The actual industry standard is vague because of the lack of definition between “marble” and “tile”. In other words, travertine tile falls into both categories and “tile” give allow to much variation for the stone tile because the edges are not factory rounded.

The unwritten ‘Quality Standard’ for Travertine stone flooring is that it should feeling smooth across the joints. You should not feel or see ridges. That being said, variations in heights between tiles can sometimes be considered acceptable if the joint width is wide enough to make the transitions smooth (within reason).

If the tiles installed are smooth finish and without tumbled edges, then the joints should not be wider that 3/16″ (assuming an interior installation). If the joint is wider, then the non-sanded grout will eventually crack. Technically, it should be 1/8″ maximum but I know that 3/16″ is adequate for sanded grout if the proper amount was pushed down into the joint.

Since you have a concern, I’m going to guess that you have approximately 1/8″ wide joints with height variations 1/16″ to 3/32″ in some areas. I say this because if an installer that is used to setting ceramic tile (with factory rounded edged) tries to install travertine, then this is the common result. You should also take the back of a broom and knock on the floor in many places (especially the corners of the tiles). If it sounds hollow, then the grout will come loose at that location in the near future. Many homeowners accept this situation because of lack of knowledge or “they got what they paid for” feeling. That part is up to you.

Best wishes,
Tom Cordova