Identifiying different types of travertine?

[meansmee]

I took delivery today of 40sqm travertine, however it seems a lot darker than the tiles that were on display in the showroom from where i purchased the tiles.

Is it possible to identifiy different types of travertine so i can see if i have been supplied a different type than i ordered?

[Dave]

Displays are deceiving .. Stone is a natural product, hence it can be a different shade / colour to displays.. each tile can differ in shade to the next one..

[kilty55]

you can get lighter and darker stones yes but as said all stones are different and unique,maybe contact your tile supplier

[Phil Hobson]

Natural stone can vary dramatically in shade, even when sourced from the same quarry.

[Dave]

Just to add, Travertine will go from dark walnut to light walnut then to shades of ivory to lightest Light ivory,, inbetweens include wooden travertine.. loads of variations but it will be between dark walnut and light ivory,,

[peckers]

sound advice with all of the above...

[Daz]

When were they quarried?
Are they dark because they are still very wet?
What finish do you have? Matt, honed, polished etc.. Is the finish different from the display as that will affect the appearance.
Sealers will also affect the colour, although this is more likely to darken the tile rather than make it lighter.

[Scott]

You really need to pick what you want from a crate rather than a sample board.

[meansmee]

Thanks for all the replies.
The travertine is honed and polished. I was expecting there to be variations in the shade from tile to tile as it is a natural stone but was not expecting the whole batch to be so much darker. The display was a light ivory colour where as all of the ones i now have are very brown/orange. as for when they were quarried i could not say. I have separated one from the pack and put it in front of the radiator to see if it does need drying out but it has been there all night and still looks the same shade. If the stone is wet would this not be the colour once sealed?

[Alan.P]

If it hasn't dried overnight with heat it won't be damp imho, try taking one or two tiles back to the showroom and compare, if the differences are too much for you, try talking with the manager to see if they will swap, but as has been said, depends on a lot of different variables.

[meansmee]

Will give the supplier a ring and see what they say. Thanks again for the help

[Dave]

Any news..?

[meansmee]

Yep took a few tiles in for them to have a look at and they said the quality of them was very poor. They were most apologetic and took us to their warehouse and let us pick a new pallet which you cold see was far better quality as was loads lighter and loads less filler, so all sorted (well just about still have to take back 40sqm of trav to swap which int the lightest thing ever but better than having a bathroom I don't like

Cheers for all your input

[Larkspur]

Agree with Scottley always pick from stock not display.

[Dan]

Yep took a few tiles in for them to have a look at and they said the quality of them was very poor. They were most apologetic and took us to their warehouse and let us pick a new pallet which you cold see was far better quality as was loads lighter and loads less filler, so all sorted (well just about still have to take back 40sqm of trav to swap which int the lightest thing ever but better than having a bathroom I don't like

Cheers for all your input

Get some before and after shots uploaded to the forum for us! We love pics!

[meansmee]

This one is now still going to be ongoing as I have a mate who is a tiler and was around last night. He said the travertine I have is the worst he has ever seen (the shop told me I was getting first grade) and even though they said I could pick a batch from the warehouse from what he told me and a sample I have now got from another supplier the quality is nowhere near first grade travertine. There are holes the size of a 50p full of filler.
I fell like they have just tried to rip me off as I dint have a clue about the difference in quality when I first ordered so going to give them a ring and see if they will refund me and go buy it from an honest supplier. What do u think my chances are of getting a refund?

Below is a pic of the stuff I was supplied (that int the worst of it just a bit that had broken off ) and a sample I picked up from a different supplier of what they sell as first grade. The sample I got is a few quid a meter more but I don’t mind paying when I am getting a superior product.

trav(Medium).JPG

[tfs]

the one on the right is basicaly a promo tile. The stone is graded during manufacture amd then all left overs are filled with a resin and sold on. Some salesmen will try and say that this adds charachter to a tile but in truth it is poor quality and very vulnerable to breaking.

The variation in each tile can be substantial and the unfilled holes on the back of the tile are excessive in most cases.

Over time all the resin is very likely to become loose and although this is common in travertine it is more extreme with low grade trav.

You were not given top grade, unfortunatly you were given scrap and if it was me I would have asked for a refund and taken my money elsewhere as if what you say is true, they ahve been dishonest and tried to take advantage of you.

Sorry if I come across as negative but, I think your supplier has tried yto pull a fast one if they told you the tile on the left was first grade.

Im glad you got it sorted!

[tfs]

I have also noticed that looking at the pics you uploaded, both are honed but neither appears to be polished.

[meansmee]

Ye sorry it is honed not polished. Its not sorted yet they keep telling me to ring back as the manager int in. Today they say he is ill but will be in tomorrow (he must have an amazing doctor to be able to tell him he will be better by tomorrow). Take it you meant the one on the right is not first grade not the left?

[tfs]

Yes, the one on the right is a promo tile, which realy means it should be sold as a promotion of some sort due to inferior quality.

To determine the quality of travertine you are looking at the level of fillers used in the stone, this includes the colour too. When fillers are used they should realy be as close to the colour of the stone as possible in better grades. Transparent/ brownish types of filler dont look great in most travertine.

You should also look at the pits/ holes in the back of the tile. The less, the better. These holes get filled with you adhesive when installing the tile, your tiler will skim the back of all tiles to ensure that they are filled and fit them on to a bed of adhesive. It is reccomended to use white adhesive for this to help eliminate the chances of darker adhesives coming through the stone.

Although it is very true to say that shade will be different in natural products I would reccomend that you look out for excessive shade variation as this can be an indication of low grade tiles.

Hope this helps

hope you get it all sorted out

[Stewart]

I quite like the look of the darker one...... it's got a bit of character about it.


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[Dave]

Not heard of this promotion grade..

That off cut/broken piece is a Low grade classic travertine.. Eco grade is the term and as tfs stated full of filler.. and will wear quickly on floors..

A good quality honed travertine should have minimal filler and if any , then it should be no bigger than a small finger nail in size .. the less filler the better the quality..


Too many company's are selling stones and passing them off as premium grades when they are NOT!!.. Some customers see a nice cheap price and think stone is stone and higher prices are just ripping them off etc.. then when they get problems with popping filler then the tiler gets the blame.... Cheap means Cheap..

My stone supplier will not sell lower grades to try and compete with these online sellers who push what ever they can buy cheap and pass on quickly.. Always try and use a reputable supplier or best of all a recommended one..

Good luck on getting this refund and choosing a better grade..

[Dave]

I quite like the look of the darker one...... it's got a bit of character about it.


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The amount of customers who say that.. oo i like it, it has character..... it is cheap crap that's what it is..

[Stewart]

The amount of customers who say that.. oo i like it, it has character..... it is cheap crap that's what it is..

Won't disagree with you there......

One of our top stone suppliers constantly puts the prices up of the cheap stuff and tells the customer it's better quality if it has been filled, as it's now stronger.


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[Dave]

Won't disagree with you there......

One of our top stone suppliers constantly puts the prices up of the cheap stuff and

tells the customer it's better quality if it has been filled, as it's now stronger.

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That is shocking...

[tfs]

[QUOTE=Dave;438999]Not heard of this promotion grade..

. Thats not a technical term used by manufacturers im sure but the shops usualy sell it as Promo trav.

I have heard loads of people say that the resin adds character too but, I think its the retailers that put this in most of their heads.

[Dave]

More than likely.. IMO it looks pooooooo

[meansmee]

I ended up ringing their head office as felt i was been messed about and they have agreed to refund. Taking it back tomorrow or sunday so will let u know how it goes. Thanks for all the advice. At least i now know what i am looking for when i buy my next lot.

[meansmee]

All sorted take it back and full refund. Hopefully get my First grade stuff this week. Cant wait to get started on the bathroom again. Will post some pics when its all finished (hopefully will be done B4 christmas . Cheers

[Dave]

Great news.. look forward to the pics..