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lindawink

travertine tile from Home Depot??

lindawink
13 years ago

We're updating our master bath, and the porcelain tile I picked from the tile store is about twice as much as a travertine tile I just saw at Home Depot (on sale). Is there a reason I should avoid this material? I really like the looks of it, but don't want to spend all this money (tear-out and installation...yikes!) if the HD stuff is of such poor quality as to be a big mistake. So what do ya'll think?

Comments (9)

  • bill_vincent
    13 years ago

    Is there a reason I should avoid this material?

    be afraid. Be VERY afraid. Travertine is very easy to make look good enough for sale, and then months or even weeks down the road, it starts to crumble, or the fill starts coming out of all the holes.

    Yeah, there's a real GOOD reason not to buy it. Ever hear the cliche anything too good to be true usually is? This is no exception.

  • cruisedirector
    13 years ago

    I went to pretty much every tile place in town looking for a filled, honed, medium shade travertine and couldn't find the right thing. I happened to be at my local Lowes and, low and behold, there it was. I needed 16x16 and they were 18x18, but since it was for a smallish bathroom floor, my contractor just cut them down.
    I knew it was a risk, but they didn't have any trouble cutting them down (no fill coming out, chipping, etc.). I don't think that the price was half the other places, but it was what I was looking for and have been very happy with it the past 2 months it has been installed.

  • bill_vincent
    13 years ago

    You're the exception to the rule, then. Between here, the Kitchens Forum, John Bridge's, Floorstransformed, and HGTV (& HGTVPro), I've heard of so many horror stories originating from travertine from either HD or Lowes that there's no way in hell I'd even consider the idea.

  • jle
    13 years ago

    Oh, wow, so much to learn!

    Okay, so what about the marble at HD and/or Lowes? They've got an octagon and dot 12 x 12 in a carrara marble that I was considering. Any thoughts/experience/etc on that?

  • bill_vincent
    13 years ago

    Is it a 12x12 tile or in a 12x12 SHEET of smaller mounted tiles?

  • jle
    13 years ago

    It's the 12 x 12 sheet of smaller mounted tiles (in an octagon and dot pattern, if I recall correctly). Prices out about $9.99/square foot, again, if I recall correctly.

  • User
    13 years ago

    May I ask if it is JUST the travertine which is a problem from these stores?

    And when you say "fill"....what is the fill and where is it?

    This thread is the first I've seen to bring up this issue, and it sure is getting my attention!

  • lindawink
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks so much for the responses. I think I'll steer clear of this product. I have too much tile to take that kind of risk! I did look at it again today, and the texture was weird to me...rough at the fill spots but very smooth everywhere else. I think I'll stay with the porcelain I picked out before, for peace of mind, and use natural stone for accent/trim.

  • kittenkat_2002
    13 years ago

    I just installed travertine from Lowes in our laundry room. We purchased all our other tile from a specialty store except for this one.

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