Have you tried searching the forums? Natural stone requires regular sealing and the installation can be more labor intensive because the tiles can vary in thickness.

With that said, my friend in the flooring buisness would NOT sell me natural stone. She knows my family (2 kids), our lifestyle and my personality... she said we would be very disappointed at some point. She wouldn't install it in her own home and she doesn't have any kids!

I recently stayed at a hotel that had a travertine shower area and right inside the doorway, where the carpet transitioned to tile, there was an obvious stained area. The little coffee pot is right there... I bet someone spilled. It wasn't the end of the world but it was very obvious.

Maybe something like that would bother you... kids can be really messy, though, and putting something high maintenance in there could be bad.

How old are your kids? My daughter is just starting to wear make-up and some liquid eye-liner or one of the new lip stains could ruin it.

Thank you for your response! I have two girls (6 and 4) so i am sure that make-up will be playing a huge factor in the near future!! I never even thought of that! So you think porcelain is best for at least their bath? I did find a travertine looking porcelain that would be just as nice. I just love the textures of it, but I suppose I can get beyond that and maybe just use it in the powder-room since I love it so much!

We're in the exact same position... trying to decide on tiling for our master bath and the children's bathroom (toddlers). I too love travertine, mu husband likes slate so looks like we should start exploring other tiles.

JustJulie... what tiles did you end up deciding on for your bathrooms? And, what about your friend who sells tiles?

The confusing thing for me though is that our current bathrooms have a cream colored travertine on the floor and in the shower and we've had no issues with it- I don't squeegie in the shower and, as for the floor, we've had all sorts of spills (including potty-training!) I, of course, clean up after all spills but who doesn't.

It depends on the quality of the tile as well as sealing.... heck, if your lighting isn't too bright, spills and damage might not be noticeable. People here have travertine with no issues whatsoever yet my BFF won't sell it to me at her cost. It depends on what you're comfortable dealing with and able to spend.

The place where I get my hair cut has beautiful stone floors but they are constantly filling holes. Women's heels get stuck in them. They have them in the coloring area... I'm assuming they seal the poop out of them there!

We bought a stone look-alike: Panaria Ceramica, Navona Dorato.

Well, there's the bath, and then there's The Bath.... I'm not sure I'd want it anywhere near my vanity (I color my own hair, and have wiped many a splatter off my old Corian vanity top; not to mention nail polish remover!). But in the bathing area, I don't know if it's that bad.

Of course, with coloring hair goes rinsing, so personally, I am looking at porcelain tiles. But unless you use chemicals, I think most everything else can be cleaned up. Perhaps choosing a filled-hole travertine (sure there's a more technical term for it!) would help with cleaning.

Also depends on your cleaning style, or if you have a cleaning person. I regret the porcelain floor tiles in my kitchen because they have so much texture that I have to scrub on hands and knees like scullery maid! Would be a different story if we didn't have 2 dogs, 2 kids, 2 cats....

Very personal decision....

I'm debating bath flooring now. If I weren't a very neat person or if I had kids I would not consider travertine for a moment. And if I do go with travertine (and I'm leaning that way), I'm okay with potentially staining it. I know how to replace a tile and realize I might have to replace the floor sooner than I would with tile.

If you are not with those kind of compromises... run from travertine.

Marymt, get a steamer. My old house had porcelain tile throughout that had never really been cleaned well. I didn't get everything on the first pass or even the 10th, but eventually it got all that crud out of the floor and then I was in maintenance mode. Well worth the cost and a lot easier than a mop or a scrub brush. Although sometimes you just have to get down and scrub something, but at least it wasn't the whole floor.

If you folks really like the look of slate and travertine, look into the rectified porcelains. They do a great job of imitating the stones they're meant to replicate, and they're cut to tight tolerances so they can be set tight like stone. The following two pictures are examples of rectified porcelain:

Thank you Bill for your pictures!! I have read a lot of posts with your input and really appreciate your professional opinions!!! I am wondering if you have a good recommendation for a mud-room tile. Obviously not travertine- I live in New England (south of Boston) so we need something pretty durable ( I know this is not the correct forum but no-one responded to that question on flooring..

Sorry-- I stayed away from it because I saw it as an opinion question, that could have a whole slew of different answers, and mine is obviously biased. But you can bet my answer is tile, whether that be conventional ceramic or porcelain-- either one will work just as well. Sheet vinyl is also a good option, but it wears out way too quickly. I would NOT go with any kind of wood products or engineered wood flooring. I just won't stand up, especially if you've got kids or pets.

I re-did my master bath and put in travertine with heat pads underneath. It has a mottled tan surface with various colors in the stone. I opted against porcelain because it is often way too slippery. A danger in the bathroom. I had porcelain before the re-model and I have slipped numerous times because of wet feet. I have never slipped yet on the travertine. My travertine tiles are set so close together you cannot even see any grout. It looks and feels great. Of course, I had a top drawer tile installer who really knew what he was doing.

Greg

Bill-Thank you for your recommendations.. I am pretty sure I will be doing a rectified porcelain for the mud-room and may do the travertine for the powder room.

Greg-Could you please show pics. of your travertine? Sounds beautiful!
Thanks!

We just did a floor to ceiling travertine tile bathroom. I'm in love with it. We had an excellent tiler. We don't have any kids,so I can't speak to that, but so far so good. We have promised each other--no red wine, coffee, acidic drinks...etc in the new bathroom, and it has been fine so far. Pics in link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Travertine bathroom

Annie63- That is beautiful! Thanks for the photo!!

Annie63--Not to hijack this thread, but what are your bathroom's dimensions and how wide is your vanity? It looks very much like ours is/will be (after we do some re-configuring and do our reno).

You can email the details through GW if you'd like.

Thanks!

Thanks Ladies! Cat Mom-No problem! The room was 5' x 8' and is a few inches less on all sides now, due to the thickness of the tile and adhesive. The vanity is 31" wide total with top. For more info, I have my own thread somewhere on this forum, as well.

After living 4 years in a house with travertine everywhere, I am putting in mostly rectified porcelain in our new build. I have three children 8&under and will only put rp in their bathrooms. I will be putting travertine on the floor in the master, but rp in the shower. The rp in sooo much easier to keep clean and will not absorb the urine odor like the travertine (I have 6 year-old boy). The guest bath will also be rp. Goodluck!

Thanks Annie! I found your thread after I'd posted! Our bathrooms will both end up being 5X7 or 5X8 (5X6???). We will be "stealing" space from the hall bath (making it about 12" shorter) in order to widen the MB by a foot. Our vanities will be 24" wide.

FWIW, we used travertine floor tile in our guest bathroom downstairs. It looks beautiful, and the bathroom does not see daily use no kids, either), but it will "patina." I can already see small etched spots where the TB cleaner dripped off the brush onto the floor while cleaning the TB. If they're not wiped up immediately, if not sooner, it'll happen, sealed or not (I believe). It is what it is, and eventually it'll all "blend" anyway. :-)

Thank you for all of your responses.. I think I have figured it all out.. Travertine in powder room and rectified porcelain in the kids bath.. I am making my master suite entirely in slate.. i can't wait to have pics to post!!! (with any luck that will be in december but i do live in New England so the weather is ALWAYS a factor!!!)
Thanks again!!!

Where abouts in New England?

Ok I have travertine in both my son's bath (he's 4) and my own. So here's my experience after a year and a half.

I color my hair (ok you have to in alaska...the darkness fades it if you aren't black haired) and I color it red :oP (that is my real color) Ok i'm talking about that too much LOL Anyhoo, I'm not a tidy colorer and I shower to rinse it out. I have travertine in the room and have slopped color on the floor. It takes a swipe to clean it, and if it leaves a spot, I've once used an alchol pad to swipe over that (I think it was a stridex face cleaner). I have no stains on the travertine on the main floor, nor on the marble counters nor on the travertine shower floor or ceiling.

My son's bath is travertine and granite. Not a stain on it and he's not a tidy child :) Grape cough syrup, benedryl, a very nasty cherry medicine (he's not well) and they all wipe up. No stains at all.

Travertine is not uneven, nor should any stone be if you buy gauged tile (the most common if you're not buying 99 cent tile). A tile guy should have no issues but ask if they've done stone. I have no stains on the grout either :) And it's just grout (not epoxy).

We don't baby our home...I haven't even resealed though I was thinking maybe it's time since we're moving for the winter, but our travertine looks as fab as the day we put it in and I'd use it again in a new york second :)

Thanks for your input on your experiences igloochic. I am definitley going to be putting it in my half bath, still debating on the kids bath (I have two girls 6 &4).

Bill I live in Canton, MA about 20 mn. south of Boston.. do you do any work down there? I noticed you are in ME.

An idea -- pick up a few pieces, place them strategically (next to toilet, sink, etc.) and see how they do for a few weeks. You can even seal one and not the other. We got a stain on our grout in the kitchen floor, so it' definitely possible. My problem with hair dye is that when you splatter it, it's white. It isn't for a half hour or so that it shows brown. It has stained the door, the wall ....

Come to think of it, I think I would purposely spill some stuff on sample tiles and see how they do. Seal one, not the other. See what happens with red wine, nail polish remover, hair dye, toothpaste, whitener strips, etc. Granted, this won't show you how it would wear over time. But if a sealed tile stains when in contact with something you use frequently, better to find out now.

gillylilly-- I have, but you might be better off money wise with someone local, because I'd have to charge you for hotel as well as per diem for my stepson and myself. If you can't find anyone else you feel comfortable with, though, it's always an option.