Travertine vs. Porcelain tile for floors... help please

15 years ago

X-Post to Kitchens:

We're starting to hone in on flooring so I need a set direction so I can research price. I had been focused on rectified through body porcelain and even zeroed in on several manufacturers that Bill V. had previously recommended. We went to a friends house for a super bowl party and they had a travertine floor. DH loved it. Now I'm wondering which would be best for our needs.

We wanted a no maintance floor appropriate for So. Florida. We have 2 small dogs. I had figured the porcelain with 1/16th grout line (epoxy grout).

I know travertine has to be sealed. Is it as easy as wiping on a sealer like I hear you do on granite? How often? Is it as durable as a high quality porcelain? Hold up to little dog accidents? This house is it for us so I want to get it right the first time. Would have loved wood but not practical for us.

The look we want is clean simple lines. Not overly anything.. meaning contemporary, traditional, whatever. Just a comfortable house that's very open to backyard and somewhat informal.

What would you suggest and why please.

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Comments (8)

tiledepotus
15 years ago
Travertine is an ongoing maintenance, if you looking for peace in mind stay away from travertine, especially for floors.

Good quality porcelain will be the best as you only need general cleaning for life.

Good luck
remodelfla
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you... that's exactly the kind of info I needed.
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wolfgang80
15 years ago
What kind of "ongoing maintenance" are you referring to?
icenet
15 years ago
After having marble installed in my bathroom, there was no way I was having any natural stone in my kitchen. After they put in my porcelain tiles, I was worried about any scratches as the protective plastic was ripped when they moved the fridge and dishwasher. NOT ONE SCRATCH! I'm sold. Porcelain all the way.
Laurie
15 years ago
I don't have experience with travertine. We put porcelain tile flooring in our kitchen about 8 months ago and I love it!! It's extremely durable and easy to maintain. I just go over it fairly quickly with a rag that's been dipped in warm water and wrung out. A friend of mine has porcelain tile, and loves it, as well. She has an elderly Bishon dog who is prone to accidents. She cleans it up and the floor is like new. I'm not sure if she uses just plain water..I didn't get into that detail with her.

We bought our tile from Lowe's. Dh had experience laying tile for us in the past, so this was a DIY project.

Our total kitchen size, wall to wall (without cabs is about 11' x 11', so our floor area is small. We used 18" x 18" unrectified porcelain. The tile cost was $2.45/sq.ft.

It's not labeled as being "through body", but the color on the bottom & sides of the tile is the same as the creamy base color on the top.
susanlynn2012
15 years ago
Laurie_2008, I have always admired your porcelain tile in your kitchen. I love the slim grout lines and the color of the grout and tiles. I know your tile was a special order from Lowe's that I could not find in my local store. After my busy season, I want to find out if there are any Lowe's within a 1 hour driving distance with samples of this tile in their store for my kitchen. What is the name of the tile again and what color and brand of grout did you use? I think you said you used a 1/16th" grout line width?

Your husband did a great job installing the tile with consistant grout lines and the tiles lined up so perfectly.

Thanks for sharing.
Laurie
15 years ago
Hi Lynn - Thanks : ) The tile is called Pietra Series Bone 18". On the box it says " Porcellanato Smaltato. I think MasterTile is the company that distributes it?? I did buy it at Lowes in Irvine, CA. My husband spent a long time getting that narrow grout joint. The tiles are not rectified. It is good that our kitchen is small! The grout is Keracolor U Ivory #39.
susanlynn2012
15 years ago
Thank you Laurie for the information again on your beautiful Porcelain Tiles. I have a small kitchen also. I have several Lowe's stores near me and maybe by the time my busy season ends, one of them will have the tile samples there for me to see in person. I wish you lived near me and your husband had time for a part-time job to do my kitchen tiles and I would pay him whatever a professional gets paid in my area which is a lot. Your husband did a "better than professional job".