18x18 travertine bathroom

cortlynn · April 4, 2008, 06:30 PM

We are going to tile our bathroom floor and walls with 18x18 travertine. It will be installed on a terrazo florida home slab. We plan on 1/16 grout lines over cement backerboard on the walls using the special tape with thinset (as I just read about here). We have a free standing enclosed steam room jacuzzi/shower going in as well. Should we use the 1/2 inch trowel to morter the the walls or would it be better to apply it to the tiles themselves? Any tips from the pros here would be greatly appreciated. TIA

Concerned about MOISTURE.

Cort

Stan · April 4, 2008, 08:00 PM

Trowel the wall and backbutter the tile. Nothing worse than just troweleing 1 or the other and having to attempt to lift the tile off the wall to add more mortar only to have it break. Much easier to push the tile into the wall to squeeze out the excess mortar when needed. Currently installing 18x18 on floors and walls in a masterbathroom and the customer doesn't understand why I needed her to order more than 10 percent waste

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April 25, 2008, 04:39 PM

You need to take special precautions for steam rooms before you start troweling.

rusty baker · April 25, 2008, 05:30 PM

Is travertine really a good idea with so much moisture?

David Jones · April 26, 2008, 04:28 PM

I think Travertine is a good choice not the best but ok . As long as it doesn't freeze you will be alright. The down side Travertine is porus if soap, hard water or other minerals get on the stone cleaning will be a problem.

Lazarus · October 2, 2008, 01:46 PM

Cort~ a 1/2 inch trowel is fine. Having done one recently, I take this approach: Back-Burn the morter on the tile, (that is, use the flat side of the trowel to put a skim coat on the material.) I like John Bridge's technique for walls....which is to put about 6 "golf ball " size lumps of morter on the tile and press it into the wall. This is especially good for walls that are not perfectly "plumb." It gives you quite a bit of "adjustment" so that a vertical level can be used to get the walls perfect............well, as perfect as you can. Remember, you ain't walking on them...

I ought to add that a sixteenth inch grout line is pretty small. You need those puppies to be REAL flat & plumb to make it work out. Personally, I'd go an eighth of an inch, at least.

Travertine is fine, as long as you do proper maintenance. Towell dry the shower when finished and use only liquid soap to shower with. Bar soap uses animal fat or (fillers) as a bonding agent....that is where the shower scum comes from.

Bud Cline · October 3, 2008, 11:57 AM

My-O-my how time flys when you aren't paying attention.

David Jones · October 3, 2008, 05:39 PM

Time in my part of the world is going slow, thanks be to a small population and great weather. have a great day and keep those trowels moving

MrTwinPhx · October 3, 2008, 10:02 PM

Would not a nice large body porcelain tile (they are water proof), that looks like travertine be a really good if not a better alternative? Never requires sealing either.
Larry

cproader · October 4, 2008, 12:23 AM

Well let me be the first to welcome ya MrTwin, If yer not wantin the luxury of stone, then yer right. But there is just somethin about stone that draws my attraction......some may argue the validity of Travertine bein a true stone, but hey it works fer me......