[acerunner]

I found a picture of a kitchen I really like on the web. Something about the combination of this tile and gray grout I really like. I would like to reproduce it for the kitchen I'm remodeling. Can anyone tell what kind of tile/stone flooring that is? My guess is it's travertine...

 

[oh'mike]

It looks like a tumbled travertine--or a ceramic lookalike.

 

[Daniel Holzman]

Travertine is a soft, porous stone, very pretty but prone to staining and easily damaged by heavy traffic. Sealing travertine is said to be very difficult. We looked at travertine for our kitchen, and rejected it for these reasons, instead went with harder stone. There are porcelain tiles available that look like travertine, and porcelain would be a good choice for a kitchen due to the hardness and stain resistance of porcelain.

 

[acerunner]

At the tile store, they have 3 main finished for travertine, polished, honed smooth, and one with many holes and pores. are the polished one just porous? Does the finish make a diff in porosity?

 

[oh'mike]

The honed and the polished have been filled before processing----It is a soft stone with lots of interesting voids and holes----Wears quickly in heavy traffic areas---absorbs stains and dirt quickly.

Regular sealing is a must.---Mike----

 

[acerunner]

hmm...well maybe i will have to settle for a porcelain look-alike.

thanks for the info everyone.