Posted by Med on August 14, 19102 at 07:16:10:
In Reply to: travertine vs. porcelain tile posted by Fawn on August 13, 19102 at 04:13:50:
If you do want to go for travertine in a high traffic areas a filled travertine with honed finish will be your best choice. It will not cheap, but it will require proper impregnating with the right type of penetrating stone sealers and it will need routine maintenance.
High gloss polished Travertine, limestone and a number of marble stones are not the right choice for high traffic areas they are reletevely soft stones and will require on-going routine and preventive maintenance if one wants to keep the stone in its original state (as new) at all time.
Granite is the best choice for such applications if one wants to add value to his/her properties. Although it will require routine maintenance, depending on the kind of granite it will not need any preventive maintenance to be done for at least five years under normal conditions.
Porcelains is the most affordable choice. It is a very durable material, pretty cheap and easy to maintain. (By the way I would not seal a porcelain tile floor, unless is a honed one. I will seal the grout only, with penetrating solvent or water-based stone sealer)
As for chipping - travertine will cheap more (if abused) compared to porcelain.
At last.. nothing can replace the look of natural stone and its beauty.
Med
All Stone Solutions
Have you considered a portland matrix terrazzo or 'venetian stone-mosaic', it cost much less that any stone it has higher durability than most marble stones and if done right it looks owesome, it is stone after all