How Do You Install Travertine Tumbled Stone?
Travertine tumbled stone tiles are cut flat and square like other stone tiles, but their surface is pockmarked with craters and holes, the result of natural mineral activity in the stone. The holes are part of the character of travertine–though for practical purposes you’ll generally want to fill them in with grout so they don’t collect dirt. By using a different-colored grout than the tile, you can highlight and display the random shapes of the holes while creating a flat, solid surface over the tile. Use your level and pencil to draw a straight vertical line down the middle of the wall, from top to bottom. With your notched trowel, spread thinset mortar over a few square feet of the wall, at the bottom center. Press your first travertine tiles into place at the bottom, on either side of the line, putting a spacer between them. Build up and out from the center, adding more mortar as needed and continuing to put spacers between the tiles. Cut the end pieces as needed on your tile saw.
