Frequently Asked Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT TRAVERTINE   

Q: What is Travertine?

A: Travertine is a natural stone from the limestone family and is typically found in the form of deposits near warm or hot springs. It is sometimes known as Travertine Limestone or Travertine Marble, although it is neither limestone nor marble. In ancient times, it was frequently used as a building material, but now it is most commonly used for pool decks, patios, countertops, flooring, showers, and tubs as well as exterior decor.

Q: What are Travertine Pavers?

A: Travertine Pavers are 100% natural stone pavers sold in various sizes and patterns. They are typically 1.25” thick and are ideal for pool decks, patios, and driveways.

Q: Why should I use Travertine Pavers vs. other paving materials?

A: Tumbled Travertine Pavers are one of the best materials to use around a pool deck, patio, driveway. Or walkway. Their tumbled, porous surface instantly absorbs water, leaving the surface of the deck practically non-slip. Travertine Pavers also stay cool to the touch. The same cant be said about other paving materials such as brick pavers, or concrete.

Q: Where do Travertine Pavers come from?

A: Our Travertine Pavers are from Turkey. Turkey is known to have superb quality Travertine reserves and is the preferred choice for architects and designers. Italy, Iran, Mexico, Peru, and the United States also have Travertine reserves.

Q: How thick are Travertine Pavers?

A: The industry standard for Travertine Pavers is 1.25” thick, although custom orders can be done for a thicker paver.

Q: What does the finished surface of a Travertine Paver look like?

A: Travertine Pavers typically have one of three finishes:

Tumbled (textured and porous surface)

Honed (smooth and matte)

Polished (smooth and shiny)

Q: Do you offer a final inspection of the Travertine Pavers before they leave your warehouse?

A: Yes, we check all pallets before they leave our warehouse. We check for possible breakage, loose safety strips, the condition of the pallet, and take all necessary measures to ensure that the Travertine Pavers arrive to you in the best possible shape. We do not ship low quality and/or poor condition Travertine Pavers 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT TRAVERTINE   

  Q: Is it possible to see a picture of the actual lot of the Travertine Pavers?

A: Yes. We offer high resolution pictures of the actual lot upon request. We not only take pictures of the pallets, but also lay a few pieces on the ground to give you a better idea of the material.

Q: Are Travertine Pavers durable?

A: Travertine Pavers are highly durable; they have been in nature for thousands of years and retain their color over time. This is actually one of the reasons why people choose Travertine over other materials, such as brick pavers, which begin to fade and crack within a year or 

two.

Q: Can Travertine be used in cold weather climates?

A: Travertine Pavers are able to withstand cold weather conditions given that they have been properly installed and are premium grade. Our products have passed 3rd party laboratory tests for freeze/thaw cycle performance without any cracking. Laboratory test results are listed next to each product. If mud-setting Travertine Pavers are not able to withstand freeze-thaw cycles but also extreme heat, their natural coolness provides an excellent walking surface for bare feet. For this reason, Travertine Pavers are the perfect solution for tropical and humid climates as well.

Q: Can Travertine be used around salt-water pools? If so, should it be sealed?

A: Travertine is able to hold its own around a salt water pool, as long as the appropriate measures are taken to protect it. It is highly recommended to seal the Travertine with a water-repellant impregnating sealer to prolong the life of the patio.

The best option is to use a Modified Silane Sealer which will penetrate the stone deep done into the pores, creating a barrier which will be most effective at keeping the salt water out. Sealers which block the Travertine’s pores should be avoided as water can become trapped inside, making the Travertine slippery when wet. Many of the large sealer companies sell special salt-water sealers for Travertine.

Q: Which Travertine Paver should I use on my swimming pool deck and other wet areas?

A: Our tumbled Travertine Pavers are the best used on a pool deck or patio. Tumbled Pavers have a porous, textured finish which provides faster water absorption, making the area less slippery. This is the best option – especially when there are children around.

Q: Which Travertine Paver should I use for my driveway?

A: Our Chiseled Travertine Pavers are made especially for a driveway. Chiseled Pavers have “chipped” edges to provide a tighter, more secure fit and to withstand the weight of an automobile. But not to worry, the Pavers are chiseled with a special machine and are not any more prone to breakage because they are broken around the edges.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT TRAVERTINE   

Q: Is it necessary to seal Travertine?

A: It is not necessary to seal Travertine, although doing so will bring out the natural beauty and splendor of the pavers and/ or tiles. Sealing may be preferred indoors or on a patio that is frequently used for entertaining, as it will protect against spills from food and wine, which may stain the Travertine.

Some clients prefer to use a non-slip “ shark skin” sealer to provide more traction to a chiseled paver on a driveway. Recommended sealers: DuPont, StoneTech, Miracle Sealants, and Aqua Mix.

Q: What is the French Pattern?

A: Used for both patios and pool decks, the French Pattern is an old-world style pattern used for hundreds of years. It contains four sizes with the pattern, comprising 16 square feet per set. Each set consists of (2) 16” x 24” pavers, (4) 16” x 16” pavers, (2) 16” x 8” pavers and (4) 8” x 8” pavers. 

Q: Can I install Travertine Pavers over an existing driveway?

A: Travertine Pavers can be installed over existing concrete or asphalt as long as the driveway is in reasonably good condition. To ensure an adequate foundation for the Travertine, the existing driveway should be inspected and repaired in order to achieve a flat surface and to prevent breakage of the Travertine in the future.

Q: How much should I allow for breakage, waste and cuts?

A: It is reasonable to order an additional 10% material, which can be used in the case of cuts, turning radius or breakage. Remember, Travertine shades and colors will vary from pallet to pallet, especially if you need to order more years from now. It is a great idea to have extra material on hand in case you need to change out a paver down the road.

Q: When ordering, can I mix-and-match colors and styles of material?

A: Yes. Your creativity is given free reign when ordering from us!

 

Q: Can I find uniform colors with Travertine Pavers?

A: Not really. Because Travertine is natural stone, no two pieces are the same. Natural minerals are deposited randomly in each slab of stone, which means there will be naturally occurring differences in color and pattern for each cut paver.

Q: Can Travertine Pavers be used around a pool?

A: Tumbled Travertine Pavers are ideal for pool decks. They have numerous advantages over other materials in the marketplace. To summarize a few: Tumbled Travertine Pavers are heat resistant, they wont burn your feet in hot summer months, they absorb water to help prevent slips and also help prevent flooding.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT TRAVERTINE   

Q: What are the colors of Travertine Pavers?

A: The main colors found in Travertine P avers are: Ivory ( off-white, beige, tan color) Walnut (very light brown) Noche ( brown) and Gold. Occasionally, you can find red, blue, and grey tones.

Q: What can you say about the durability of travertine?

A: This used to be one of the most popular questions on travertine. Travertine has a very high compressive strength, much higher than brick pavers or cement pavers, at around 8000 PSI. In addition, there are many examples of travertine used in the ancient cities of Rome in Italy and Ephesus in Turkey. The travertine is still intact after more than 2000 years of use. That, by itself, is a big statement.

 Q: Is Travertine heat resistant?

A: Yes. Travertine Pavers will not absorb the heat from the sun outdoors and will not burn your feet during the hot summer months.   

Information on Sandstones and Limestones 

Sandstone-Each Flagstone has a unique color range. Customer or Installer should always view a large area if possible, to make sure they are happy with the product texture and color range. 

Available in 4-piece pattern packs as well as single sizes.

Calibrated and sized in squares and rectangles. 

Please note that all of our products, weights and the square foot coverage are nominal. 

Gauged to 1” thick. 15,000 PSI Compressive Strength.

Can be used for concrete overlay.

When dry lay installation is preferred using a jointing compound (Polymeric) Sand is recommended. 

Joints can be 1/8” and as shallow as ¾”. 

The absorption rate in the Sandstone/ Limestone is 1.2 %, low absorption rate is good especially in areas prone to colder weather. 

Installation Methods: 

Inspect the packaging to make sure there is no damage, we advise you to lay down on the ground before installing them permanently. 

If Mortar setting always lay on a full bed of mortar and do not use a spot method.

Never butt joint the stone products please use an appropriate joint of ¼”-3/8”.

In the case of using multiple crates – we suggest mixing those packs to achieve an overall blended appearance.

Warning: Do not use brick acid/or acidic cleaning products on natural stone. Always check and make sure they are suitable. 

You will need a Disc Cutter with a suitable attachment or a hammer and chisel to shape slabs.

Sand-set – Soil Subgrade/ 4”-8” Crushed aggregate base, compacted in 2”-3” lifts. /1/2”-1” Angular/Concrete Sand dry mixed with Portland cement (6:1)

Gravel-Set-Soil Subgrade/4”-8” crushed aggregate base, compacted in 2-3” lifts/ Stone paving 

Mortar-set/ Concrete sub-base / Exterior rated stone thin-set mortar/ Stone paving 

Overlay-Concrete sub-base/ ½”-1” Angular/Concrete sand dry mixed with Portland cement (6:1) / Stone paving 

Joints: A cement-based mortar mix or a polymeric can be used for sealing the joints. 

Sands/ Grouts we like Riccobene Eco-Grout and Azpect Easy Grout. 

Sealing is a personal choice of the Installer/ some sealers can create a wet look and make the stone look darker, always spot check a small section first. Savannah Surfaces is not responsible for any coatings or the performance od coatings on stone, read the directions.

Maintenance & Sealers Regular maintenance is required to keep the overall appearance of the product in pristine condition. Kindly note some natural stone pieces may contain small iron content and when in contact with water can oxidize causing rust marks to the surface of paving. There are numerous proprietary stain/rust removal products on the market that can be used with Natural Stone. When using these products always follow manufacturer's application, instructions, and safety advice. When using cleaner/sealers consult with manufacturers recommendation and applications methods.

Benefits:

Benefits of Natural Stone over colored concrete and native stone

· Options of colors and sizes 

· Pre-cut and Pre-packaged 

· Choice of installation Techniques 

· Long Lasting

· More attractive then concrete 

· Aggregate can become exposed in concrete after a few years 

· Can be laid similar to concrete 

· Add greater value to your property

· Gets better with age 

Information on Exterior Porcelain Pavers 

Benefits:

*Resist Fading 

*Slip Resistant 

*Easy to clean/ stain resistant 

*Scratch and Abrasion resistant 

*Little to no moisture absorption 

*Frost/ Salt resistant due to its minimal absorption rate 

*High breakage loads of up to 3400 lbs. per foot. 

*Always use a ¼”-3/8” joint when laying porcelain, do not butt joint as chipping will occur. 

*Water-Fed Tile Bridge Saw works best for cutting with an appropriate blade made for porcelain ¾” thick. 

*You should have a sub-base of 2-4” thick of crushed rock aggregate, compacted down. 

*Apply a slurry primer (mixing cement powder, water, and an outdoor based SBR bonding agent) to the back of each tile before it is laid. 

*Paint each tile with the Primer, must be wet when laid down.

*Lay on a full wet bed of mortar, do not use a spot method. 

*Make sure you are rotating or mixing pallets to avoid a look of repetition. 

*Tap pavers with a rubber mallet. 

*Warm water and soap are generally all that is needed to clean porcelain.

*It is not necessary to seal porcelain pavers. 

INSTALLATION INFORMATION: • NEVER compact porcelain pavers with a plate compactor. 

• ALWAYS pre-compact and strike off your sand leveling course before installing your porcelain pavers in sand set installations.

• Porcelain pavers should only be wet cut with a tile saw equipped with a wet cut porcelain blade.

• NEVER install porcelain pavers without the required 4mm spacing between them. The porcelain pavers should never be installed with a porcelain to porcelain contact. Plastic 4mm spacers should be used on Sand Set and Permeable installations. This versatility will permit your porcelain pavers to be installed in a stack bond pattern, a running bond patterns as well as a flush installation against another structure. 

Mortar-set/ Concrete sub-base / Exterior rated stone thin-set mortar/ Stone paving 

Overlay-Concrete sub-base/ ½”-1” Angular/Concrete sand dry mixed with Portland cement (6:1) / Stone paving 

Joints: A cement-based mortar mix or a polymeric can be used for sealing the joints. 

Sands/ Grouts we like Riccobene Eco-Grout and Azpect Easy Grout. 

Sealing is a personal choice of the Installer/ some sealers can create a wet look and make the stone look darker, always spot check a small section first. Savannah Surfaces is not responsible for any coatings or the performance od coatings on stone, read the directions.

Maintenance & Sealers Regular maintenance is required to keep the overall appearance of the product in pristine condition. Kindly note some natural stone pieces may contain small iron content and when in contact with water can oxidize causing rust marks to the surface of paving. There are numerous proprietary stain/rust removal products on the market that can be used with Natural Stone. When using these products always follow manufacturer's application, instructions, and safety advice. When using cleaner/sealers consult with manufacturers recommendation and applications methods.

Benefits:

Benefits of Natural Stone over colored concrete and native stone

· Options of colors and sizes 

· Pre-cut and Pre-packaged 

· Choice of installation Techniques 

· Long Lasting

· More attractive then concrete 

· Aggregate can become exposed in concrete after a few years 

· Can be laid similar to concrete 

· Add greater value to your property

· Gets better with age 

  Information on Exterior Porcelain Pavers 

Benefits:

*Resist Fading 

*Slip Resistant 

*Easy to clean/ stain resistant 

*Scratch and Abrasion resistant 

*Little to no moisture absorption 

*Frost/ Salt resistant due to its minimal absorption rate 

*High breakage loads of up to 3400 lbs. per foot. 

*Always use a ¼”-3/8” joint when laying porcelain, do not butt joint as chipping will occur. 

*Water-Fed Tile Bridge Saw works best for cutting with an appropriate blade made for porcelain ¾” thick. 

*You should have a sub-base of 2-4” thick of crushed rock aggregate, compacted down. 

*Apply a slurry primer (mixing cement powder, water, and an outdoor based SBR bonding agent) to the back of each tile before it is laid. 

*Paint each tile with the Primer, must be wet when laid down.

*Lay on a full wet bed of mortar, do not use a spot method. 

*Make sure you are rotating or mixing pallets to avoid a look of repetition. 

*Tap pavers with a rubber mallet. 

*Warm water and soap are generally all that is needed to clean porcelain.

*It is not necessary to seal porcelain pavers. 

  INSTALLATION INFORMATION: • NEVER compact porcelain pavers with a plate compactor. 

• ALWAYS pre-compact and strike off your sand leveling course before installing your porcelain pavers in sand set installations.

• Porcelain pavers should only be wet cut with a tile saw equipped with a wet cut porcelain blade.

• NEVER install porcelain pavers without the required 4mm spacing between them. The porcelain pavers should never be installed with a porcelain to porcelain contact. Plastic 4mm spacers should be used on Sand Set and Permeable installations. This versatility will permit your porcelain pavers to be installed in a stack bond pattern, a running bond patterns as well as a flush installation against another structure. 

  Sand Set Installation of Pavers

1. Preparing the ground 

. Mark your project area with wooden stakes and string lines where you would like the top of your pavers. Remove sod and dig out area at least 7 3/8” below string line ( if installing a residential driveway or parking area, you need to dig out at least 9 3/8”)

2. Making the Bed 

. Bring in crushed rock for your sub base. Bring the crushed rock up to 3 1/2 “ below your string line- the rock should be at least 4” deep in all places (if installing a residential driveway or parking area, the rock should be at least 6” deep in all places). Level and compact crushed rock using a manual compactor. This procedure provides a level surface upon which the pavers are laid, and is very important to the quality of the finished pavement.

3. Preparing Sand Bed

. Screed the bedding sand in place by using two pieces of 1” PVC pipe for spacing. Place them parallel to one another on the base rock. Remove pipe conduct and fill in voids ( do not compact or walk on sand). Screed only as much sand as you can cover with pavers in one day. Sand left overnight or longer can become unleveled or wet.

4. Lay Layers 

. Lay Pavers in your desired pattern. Start laying pavers outward in a staggered pattern. If cut pavers are necessary, you can use a masonry saw, or a hammer and chisel. Measure over to your string line every few feet to make sure that you are staying on track.

5. Compacting 

. Sweep sand diagonally across pavement into the joints. Use a hand tamp or rubber mallet to set the pavers. Work from the perimeter inward, going over the surface at least twice, until the surface is level to your satisfaction.

6. Sand Joints 

. Spread more sand over the surface of the pavement and sweep it diagonally into the joints to finish filling them. Save any extra sand – you may want to sweep sand into your pavement again later to refill joints that wind or rain may empty.