If you want something that’s earthy and chic, you can’t beat travertine. This natural stone is found near mineral springs and will effortlessly upgrade your home. The uses for travertine in your home are pretty much endless, and with the wide range of colors and finishes, you’re likely to find the perfect tile for your project. The cost to install travertine tiles ranges from $600 to $3,200 for a 100-square foot project.
Travertine Tile Installation Cost Factors
Here are the major tile installation cost factors you should think about when planning your travertine project.
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Size of Area
To get the best idea of how much your travertine project will cost, consider the square footage of the space you want to tile. You can expect the cost to range between $5 and $47 per square foot depending on the tile quality you choose.
Tile Quality
There is a wide range of tile quality available. What you choose will depend on your budget and your vision for the project.
Premium
Premium travertine is the highest quality available. These have consistent colors and are free from black or gray discoloration. These tiles are perfectly cut with a uniform thickness, and only tiles with minimal holes or pits are considered premium. Any holes or pits are usually filled once by machine and finished by hand. Premium travertine tiles cost anywhere between $5 to $30 per square foot, and most places only carry premium tiles for sale.
Standard
Standard travertine tiles are also perfectly cut with a uniform thickness. However, they can have larger holes that are double-filled. Although standard tiles are free from black or gray discoloration, there may be striations and swirls. Standard tiles cost $5 to $15 per square foot.
Commercial
Commercial travertine has the least amount of quality restrictions. There can be a wide variation in colors, and you may see black or gray discolorations. These tiles may have large holes that are machine-filled. The edges do not have to be uniform and may have cracks.
These affordable tiles run $2 to $4 per square foot. Although commercial-grade tiles may save you money, you may have difficulty sourcing these depending on your location.
Finishes
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Tumbled: Tumbled travertine is textured and porous. It’s ideal for walkways because it offers plenty of traction and can handle heavy wear and tear.
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Filled: Filled travertine has a smooth surface because any pits or holes are filled. These tiles have a sleek, finished look.
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Honed: Honed tiles are sanded down on one side and have a matte finish.
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Polished: Polished travertine is the easiest to clean and the most stain-resistant because of the smooth surface. It needs to be polished regularly and is extremely slippery.
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Brushed: Brushed surfaces have a rough texture which adds dimension to the tile.
Patterns
The pattern you choose for your travertine is just as important as the finish. Because no two tiles are alike, installing the tiles with a traditional stack bond or running bond pattern can be quite beautiful.
You can also take it to another level by using a French pattern, which uses four different tile sizes. The combination of different sizes of squares and rectangles makes it both eye-catching and classic.
Colors
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Travertine comes in many different colors, and the most common shades are light cream, silver, and walnut. One of the more unique colors is blue, which is not a literal deep blue shade but an ivory stone with bluish hues. It’s sometimes called “ocean blue” and is sourced from Italy.
Another unusual travertine color is black. This is not a jet black color; it’s a dark, silvery gray. This type of travertine is quarried in Iran and adds an elegant, luxurious look to homes.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a very bright hue, opt for gold travertine. These tiles are bright yellow and are a show-stopper.
Location of Installation
Travertine is a very versatile material. You can install it indoors, outdoors, on floors, and on walls. You can even use travertine in high-moisture areas. Here are common costs based on the location of your project.
Foyers
Wow your guests when they first step into your home by installing travertine floor tiles in your foyer. Foyers usually range from 12 square feet to 120 square feet, so you’ll pay $100 to $3,600 on average. It’s one of the best areas to tile if you want to impress without breaking the bank. Since foyers will have high traffic, it’s advisable to use tumbled tiling that withstands wear and tear.
Kitchen Countertops
Although many people choose marble or granite kitchen countertops, travertine is arguably just as elegant. Countertops are usually 30 square feet, but installation costs are higher for flooring at around $35 to $45 per hour. You can expect to spend $1,500 to $4,000 on average for travertine countertops.
Kitchen Flooring
Add an old-world vibe to your kitchen with travertine flooring. This project is typically around 240 to 360 square feet and costs, on average, $1,900 to $10,800. The warm hues of the natural stone make it a great addition to traditional spaces, especially if you have natural wooden cabinetry.
Bathrooms
Opt for honed or tumbled tiles for bathrooms. These finishes are better resistant to spills. Because bathrooms usually have smaller square footages that range from 20 to 150 square feet, you may find it advantageous to tile multiple bathrooms at the same time. Installing tile in bathrooms costs around $160 to $4,500.
Pool Decks
Pools are great, but most of them have cement decks—so when you step out of the pool, your feet feel like they’re on fire. You can avoid the drama by opting for travertine pavers that don’t absorb heat. Not only that, your pool will look like it belongs to a 5-star hotel.
The average deck is 600 to 900 square feet, and it’ll cost $5,400 to $15,300 on average to install travertine tiles. Depending on your current deck, you may also need to account for additional costs for leveling the terrain ($200 to $300) and adding a subbase ($12 to $75 per cubic foot).
Patios
Travertine pavers for your patio are ideal because the pavers stay cool in direct sunlight. Patios are usually 50 to 170 square feet and will run you $450 to $2,900 on average.
Materials
Your travertine tiles will cost $2 to $30 per square foot depending on the quality and where you purchase them from. This wide range of cost options means there’s a good chance you can use travertine for your home.
Labor
Labor costs range between $3 to $17 per square foot for travertine tile installation. It’s a laborious job because the tiles are very heavy. Plus, if you make mistakes, it can be very costly to replace the damaged tiles. For most people, the best option is to hire a pro and get it done right the first time.
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Additional Costs to Consider
Once you have the basic travertine installation costs figured out, be sure to factor in any of these other common costs that are relevant to your project.
Tile Removal
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If you already have a tiled floor but are ready for something new, you may need to hire someone to get rid of the old flooring. Removing existing tile flooring costs $2 to $7 per square foot. It’s a labor-intensive job that typically requires sledgehammers, pry bars, and floor scrapers.
Some installers will include existing floor removal in their initial quote, so check and see whether it’s included before signing a contract.
Existing Flooring Removal
It costs $1 to $1.50 per square foot to remove carpet, and $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot to remove other types of flooring like laminate and vinyl.
Flooring Repairs
After your contractor removes the existing flooring, they might discover damage to your subfloor. This happens when moisture seeps through the top flooring material and underlayment into the subfloor. It might be due to damaged grout and tiles or repeated heavy spills that weren’t properly cleaned.
Flooring repairs cost $2 to $10 per square foot.
Wall Repairs
You should always fix any damage to your walls before installing tile. Small holes and dents can be fixed for $60 to $200. Anything larger than five inches costs $50 to $75 per square foot.
Cost to Install Travertine Tile Yourself
If you’re a DIY warrior and want to install travertine yourself, you can save a lot on the cost to install a tile floor, backsplash, and the like. However, if you’re not paying someone else $3 to $17 per square foot to do the job, you’ll have to trade it in with your sweat equity.
Besides the cost of the tiles, which is the same whether you DIY or hire a pro, you’ll need to account for the following DIY expenses.
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Subfloor repairs: You may need to do crack repairs in concrete slabs, or replace any rotten wood. This project can cost $2 to $7 per square foot.
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Grout and mortar: You’ll need about $1 per square foot for grout and white thinset mortar.
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Wet saw: Unless you have a wet saw on hand, you can rent one for $60 to $80 a day.
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Sealers: After installing the tile, you’ll need to double-seal it with enhancing or natural sealers. Travertine sealant costs $30 to $40 per quart.
DIY Travertine Tile Installation Cost vs. Hiring a Contractor
Installing travertine tile yourself will save you some cold hard cash, but it might cost you a lot of time and effort. So depending on your budget and time availability, you might be better off finding a tile contractor near you.
Travertine is very heavy, so you’ll need to do a lot of heavy lifting (or at least recruit someone with some muscles to help!). In addition to travertine being heavy, it’s also fragile. If you don’t have any experience, you may face difficulties cutting the tiles perfectly to size. And of course, if you don’t have the right tiling tools on hand, you’ll need to buy or rent them.
Depending on the scope of the work, it might be too much work to do yourself. It’s advisable to get help for complex installations like kitchen countertops and pool decks. Although you might save $3 to $17 per square foot for installation fees, doing it wrong or calling someone to fix a botched job may cost you more in the long run.
Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Outdoor