Honed and Filled Travertine Tiles

• While the porous look and feel of the tile is enjoyed by many, the porous nature of the stone makes the tiles vulnerable to staining. As an alternative, you can install honed and filled travertine tiles to benefit from the natural range of color of your tile without having the naturally porous surface. The honed and filled tiles are created by polishing the surface of the tiles and applying a color-matched resin to fill the pores in the tiles. Filled tiles are polished again, and the newly smoothed tiles are then ready for installation. Honed and filled tile can have negative long-term consequences however, as the resin material wears away at a different rate than the tile itself, leaving the tiles uneven over time.
  
  

Installing the Tile

• Snap a chalk line for guiding your tile rows during installation. A chalk line can be snapped by placing the two ends of the chalk line in opposite ends of a room, raising the line and letting it strike the floor, leaving behind a straight chalk line. Snap two intersecting lines, each marking the center of the opposing walls of the room. You'll want to use one of the right angles created by the chalk intersection to place the corner of your first travertine tile, and follow one of the lines to the wall to lay your first row. Build on this row when laying the remaining tiles, using two tile spacers placed between adjoining tile edges to provide uniform spacing and allow expansion and contraction space between tiles.
  
  Use thinset mortar as the adhesive binding the travertine tiles to your subfloor. Use a 1/2-inch notched trowel to spread the thinset on the subfloor. First spread a layer of mortar, then angle the trowel so that you can run the notched edge through the spread thinset, raising ridges in the mortar that will spread evenly to the tile's back, providing a better grip than a flat layer of mortar. Press the tile securely to the subfloor and use a rubber mallet to gently tap it into place. Check that each tile is level with the floor and with adjacent tiles, using a carpenter's level. If a tile is uneven, tap it into place, and if it's necessary to raise a corner to level the tile, pull up the tile and apply a thicker layer of mortar, tapping it level and removing the excess. Cut the tile with a wet saw tile cutter to create partial tiles for the edges of the floor when needed.
  
  

Finishing the Installation

• When the travertine tiles have been placed on the subfloor, and the mortar has been allowed to dry according to the manufacturer's instructions, remove the spacers and grout the tile surface. The grout will fill the joints between the tiles and help hold them stable. Use sanded grout with travertine, taking care to fill joints completely and to remove the excess grout from the tile surfaces with a damp sponge before the grout dries. Once the grout has dried, place a layer of tile sealant onto the floor tiles to prevent stains, especially if using unfilled tiles.