Travertine Polishing and Honing and How They are Professionally Done

The Different Finishes of Travertine, What Makes them Beautiful

Travertine tile floors are absolutely beautiful. There are so many different looks travertine can have depending on what you like personally. There are a few different types of travertine like tumbled or polished, both of which the different sheens are different.

Tumbled travertine is a more natural, almost rustic look for travertine. This travertine style is created by tumbling similar travertine pieces with abrasive materials in a large water barrel. The tiles typically look rougher on the edges (they are not rough; they are not straight edges). When travertine is tumbled, it is hard to achieve a high gloss like shine. 

Honed or Polished travertine tiles are treated tiles that have been ground down to one smooth finish, and all the tiles are the same thickness. With honed and polished travertine tiles, you can achieve matte, satin, semi-gloss, and high gloss sheens. Depending on the grade of travertine, honed and polished tiles may need to be filled. The higher the travertine grade, the fewer fills are required, and the higher the shine can get.

Now that we know the difference between the different types of travertine tiles, let's get into the different sheens.

The first sheen is matte. This is a very natural-looking finish. There is no shine to the travertine tiles at all, but they are one uniform look. Think of paint a matte finish on paint is simple and flat looking. The beauty of the matte finish is you achieve the authentic look of the natural stone. You typically find this sheen on travertine paver sand tumbled travertine. It gives you more of a rustic travertine look.

Then you have a satin finish. This sheen is becoming more and more popular. The satin finish has the slightest reflection. Satin finishes are most popular on tumbled travertine. When the light hits the travertine at certain angles, you can see the finish, but directly on top of it, the travertine looks like a matte finish. This gives a lot of depth and character to your travertine tiles. Satin is excellent for those who do not like the reflection of semi and high gloss sheens. You can achieve this sheen on both tumbled and honed or polished travertine tiles.

Semi-gloss is another very popular sheen. This one has a gloss like look, but it is not super highly reflective. We can achieve this sheen on tumbled and honed or polished. This sheen gives a little more of a “high end” feel to the travertine tiles(especially the honed or polished tiles). It adds life to the smooth tiles. To get flat travertine tiles to a semi-gloss, we have to polish with powders that react with the calcium bringing out the natural shine from within the stone. Travertine being a natural stone can have many looks.

The last sheen we can accomplish through polishing is a high gloss shine. This is the highest sheen travertine can get to. When done correctly, the travertine tiles will look like a mirror. The reflection of the windows, doorways, and lights is a perfect reflection. This sheen is a personal preference. Some people love the high gloss shine, and others do not like it at all. The high gloss gives a real “high end” feel to travertine; it almost sparkles all the time. If this is a look you are going for, we highly suggest installing a higher grade travertine tile. The higher the travertine grade, the higher shine you can get, and the fewer holes you will have. The fill used on travertine does not polish, so if this is the sheen you are going for and you fill the holes, the holes will stay flat and the be very noticeable. 

Each sheen and type of travertine is beautiful in their own way. Travertine is a beautiful stone and makes for a gorgeous look for most styles of homes. Here in Arizona, Travertine is very popular as it is easy to maintain as long as you clean and seal it professionally every 18-24 months. Travertine tile is not for everyone but those who do like it when they achieve the sheen they were hoping for they love it and brag about it. Now let's talk about how to identify if you have travertine.

With the new types of ceramic and porcelain tiles that look like travertine, you may think you have travertine, but you do not. Here is how to tell if you have a travertine. Travertine is usually a light to medium tone beige, sometimes on they allow-beige side, there are also grey-toned travertine pavers. Tumbled travertine will look like a stone on the surface. It has that slightly uneven look like stones do, and you will be able to feel the difference. Most of the time, the edges of tumbled travertine are wavy and not straight as well. For honed and polished travertine, the surfaces will be very smooth, same with the edges, and there most likely will be some small pitting or holes in the surface depending on if they were filled. If the pitting were prefilled, those areas would be rougher, then the travertine tiles' smooth surface. The tiles will absorb the same color all the way through, with smooth bases. Ceramic and porcelain tiles have either a reddish back to the tile or a grid on the back, etc. 

If you are buying a new house and you are not sure if the home has travertine or not, it will most likely not be travertine. Having travertine floors is like an upgrade, so Realtors will put in the description the fact that there are travertine floors throughout or something to that extent. Travertine, as you may see, can be considered a higher-end tile for multiple reasons. You can achieve so many different looks; it is a natural stone, so the tiles never look identical, and travertine looks beautiful when taken care of correctly.

For more information, check out our website www.travertinecleaningaz.com or give us a call at 480-352-2987. 

‍

‍