Is travertine a good choice for a bathroom shower?

Q. I am thinking of installing travertine tiles in my bathroom shower and would like to know if there are any problems with this type of stone in a shower stall and how difficult it is to clean?

A. Travertine is essentially hard water deposits in large enough quantities to quarry and cut into blocks, then tiles. It is made from water so it is great in a wet environment. Just ensure that the installation is done well and you do not have any open holes or voids through the stone where water could go through to the setting material. Also make sure your grout joints are not too wide.

Make sure the stone and grout lines are properly sealed using an impregnating / penetrating sealer. For daily care, after everyone has showered for the day, squeegee down. Use a stone safe cleaner such as Daily Bath & Shower Cleaner to clean and prevent soap film build-up. However, if you do get soap film build-up, use a soap film remover. For mold and mildew that may develop, try a mold and mildew stain remover. It is completely safe for natural stone. Ask your stone and tile restoration contractor for recommendations. If you do not have a PRO, contact us. 

John Freitag
Technical Director

Director
The Stone and Tile School
www.thestoneandtileschool.com