I don't have pics right now but will try to get some.

In our previous home, we had travertine on the floor and Jerusalem limestone for the countertops. According to the stoneyard, it was the only limestone they recommend for countertops. It looked great with the travertine.

We also have travertine floors in current home. Countertop on the island is honed black granite. Countertop and backsplash on the wall run are polished Bourdeaux granite -- it has both a bit of cream to match the floor and some black to tie in the other granite, but the dominant color is bourdeaux red, which coordinates with the mahogany-stained cabinets. But it's definitely too busy for you, if you are looking for a calmer look.

I'd love to see your pictures! I know something is going to have to give. I may have to go with a granite with more movement in order to find something that matches the floor or go with a different floor in order to use the calm countertop I like. That's why I want to see pictures of what others have used to see which way I'm swayed :)
I love the look of limestone, but I wasn't sure how it would do as a countertop. I do want something that doesn't have to be babied.

I just want to tell you how much I hate my porcelain floor tiles. It is the worst mistake I made in my kitchen. My legs ache after standing there cooking for awhile. Everything I drop smashes to smithereens or is damaged in some other way. If a glass jar of something fall out of the fridge, it breaks and the contents are sent flying. One time I dropped a glass coffee carafe and I found shards in the next room. It literally exploded upon contact.

Most of my good Wusthof knives have the tips broken off from being dropped in the floor. I've had the floor ten years and over that time have dropped most of my knives.

One of the tiles has fissures where it has cracked. The grout also cracked on one place. I have to get on my hands and knees and scrub the grout periodically to get it clean. I use Oxy-Clean. I reseal it every time I scrub it but it still gets dirty. I have to vacuum the floor rather than sweep with a broom, because dirt sits down in the granite.

Can you tell how much I hate this floor? I REALLY recommend that you don't get a hard tile kitchen floor. I also live in fear that one of my grandnieces will fall and split her head on that floor.

That said, the color is very similar to your samples and I have Verde Peacock granite. I like the granite although I think a lighter color might show smeary spots less. Things that are dark and shiny are often high maintenance -- but not like that damn floor.

We have those floors in much of our two story large house.. we do love them. We are in SoCal where stone floors are desirable. The granite is Venetian Gold, not the most exciting of granites but I found the back splash first and was going with something to go with that (WZ Alhambra). Also, the way you walk into the room, I did not want to have the granite to stand out, it is not the main feature of the area. Our flooring is "dark walnut", the darker (but not gold) variety....I think Alison's is lighter, perhaps more like you are going to use. Due to the shape of the house, there are several areas of the flooring that end up being on the diagonal...

We get a lot of natural sunlight from the other side of the room so it is hard to get pictures to really represent the colors well....the walls are really not that yellow, it all goes together much better in person. Could be the photographer.... ;-)

I posted the living room and entry way in another post in September about floors, I just looked back to see if that was you (it was) and see that the pictures were really tiny. So same house, don't mean to overkill you on our floors.

Good luck with your project.....always fun to look at the pictures of before and afters.

Have you considered any of the quartz composites? There are some alternatives that would look great with your floor and could offer a less busy look than stone. I love them in a kitchen because they don't have to be sealed, but are as durable as or maybe more durable than stone.

We have a lot of travertine flooring on our main level, including the kitchen. Both the kitchen and laundry have Golden Leaf granite, and the kitchen also has antique pine. A hutch between the two rooms has a new pine counter.

We also have the flooring in our bathrooms and used limestone counters.

Here is a link that might be useful: my kitchen

lv_r_golden, gorgeous kitchen!!

lv_r_golden, I like your white backsplash! Are the tiles a matte finish or shiny? I just live white -- so classic! Beautiful kitchen all around. Thanks for sharing.

I was starting to convince myself that maybe I should just go with wood, but now that I see both of your pictures, I'm not sure. They're both beautiful. I also have stained cabinets, which looks great with the travertine. Oh, I'm so confused! Can you both tell me what paint colors you used with your floors? I'm still worried about not being able to go with any paint color{{gwi:807}} I like if I have the warm toned floors. The floor I posted is walnut, so I wonder if dark walnut is a darker version of it or if they're both the same. Allison, do you remember what yours was called?

lv_r_golden - Did you post under a different name before? I don't see your pictures on my other post. Obviously, I've been struggling with this issue for awhile :)

Fun2Bhere - I was looking at some of the quartz online yesterday, but I really would like to see some in person and it doesn't seem like they are widely available in my area. I didn't check all of them, but I know I checked one or two. I was surprised they weren't as common around here as I thought they would be.

This post was edited by msrose on Sun, Jan 13, 13 at 19:48

Are you talking about on the kitchen cabinetry? If so, the island is F&B French Gray with a black based glaze. I don't know what the stain is on either side of the range and the hutch - it was a custom mix - with a brown based glaze. The fridge section is F&B Cream with a brown based glaze. Walls are SW Moderate White - they are much whiter in photographs than in person.

Our wood floors area stained Special Walnut (I think!) and the doors, windows and trim are all SW Walnut Wainscot. Cedar beams are Minwax Early American.

Thanks, Tinan and Jodokus. The tile is actually a creamy white, Walker Zanger Alambra - kind of a "semi-gloss to egg-shell" finish. It is a hand made red clay body tile - each tile is unique.

msrose - I have always posted under this name (but not very often)...you asked me a ? on someone else's thread - I remembered your name and searched around and found it - incase the link does not work - it was by Northlut - What should I so with this space by the stairs - Aug 26, 2012.

It has been a while - our floors might be "walnut" and not "dark walnut"....we have walnut and dark walnut stain on cabinets and knotty alder doors / trim so I think I had it confused.

Paint colors? the kitchen and all the areas with this stone (liv, dining, kitchen, bfast, family, halls up/down, powders up and down, master, mstr bath, laundry all have Tobacco Road - yes, a paint color name from the past. We have southern and western exposure and a lot of glass - it looks different in every light and room and must be "workin" as we get a lot of inquiries and compliments on it.

I love having the tile, everywhere....it works for us and you see it in many styles of homes and it always looks great.

Picture below is the splash tile as Jodokus commented on it.

Here is a link that might be useful: What should I do with this space by my stairs...

lv_r_golden - Ok, I remember that now. I started a post around that same time asking about travertine floors in the family room, so that's the one I thought you were talking about. I'm so glad you posted again, since this picture shows your floors better.

Thank you allison for all the info.

I have traveortine in my entire house except the master bath which is marble. I had it sealed with a sealer that brings out the color but you can use some that keep the color very pale, the way it looks before you wet it. Here is the kitchen that shows the granite but very little floor, will post the floor in a min. I forgot the name of the granite but it's antigue something and it has a ton of movement (not waht you want) my other home has blue pearl which does not have movement and it's beautiful but when did this house I wanted the movement. Good-luck! Alyx

This is what floors look like in the bedroom with more diffused kight. Next pic will show you what they look in the sunshine of the dining room. It's all the same travertine.

Dining room with more sunshine and light on.

Thank you, Alyx! That's exactly what I'm wanting to do...get rid of my carpet and have floors throughout the house.

lv_r_golden and allison - Are the edges of your travertine chiseled like the picture I posted or straight?

Mine are chiseled.

Mine are chiseled too.

Sorry, I just have one more question for you both. I've heard people say travertine is more high maintenance? Do you think it's harder to take care of than tile and does it stain or damage easily? I'm a low maintenance kind of person, so I just want to know what I'm getting into before I put it all over my house.

Chibimimi - I'd still love to see your pictures also!

DH sealed (not enchanced) with Miracle Sealants 511 Porous Plus. I dropped a stain can lid upside down on the floor, and it beaded/wiped right up.

The areas in less traffic still look like Day 1. The areas in higher traffic (between sink/range and by back hallway/garage door) need steaming and resealing. I'm good about wiping up a coffee drip when I see one, but they don't stand out as much on the travertine as they do on travertine-look tile we have downstairs.

Personally, I think it is easier to take care of than tile. I am a low maintenance person also.

Well, that's certainly good to know. I was wondering if I should look at a travertine-look tile. Thanks!

Just to give you another opinion, I had tile in our previous home and knew that I wanted a travertine in our new build. It is 6 yrs. later and I really do not like it for these reasons. I picked a light color tile and grout. It was sealed twice before we moved in and the grout has never looked good since we moved in, except inside the pantry and closet. I finally started to scrub it with a stiff brush, due to dirt getting stuck In the uneven surface and cleaned the grout and resealed. This is a large area and a lot of work, it once again looks yucky. I can't imagine how much it will cost to replace and don't know what
to replace it with.

lv_r_golden: beautiful kitchen. Thank you for sharing. I am also in the OC and struggling with my cabinet choice. Yours are stunning. Can you share the maker of the cabinets?

msrose: I am curious to know what you ended up choosing for your floor, countertops and cabinets. I am in the same situation and have "paralysis by analysis". I already have the travertine floor, but now must choose a coordinating cabinet color and countertop.

kimmiej - I fell in love with Taj Mahal granite and had it installed about a month ago. I just found a backsplash I like and I have a feeling it may be another month before I get it. I keep going back and forth between travertine or wood, so I'm sure I'll be asking for more advice once my kitchen is done. I'm only doing a partial update to my kitchen since I kept my 12 year old oak cabinets. I'm not sure yet if my countertop and backsplash choices will work with travertine or not.

Taj Mahal granite

Backsplash tile grouted

Backsplash next to granite

msrose: the Taj majal is gorgeous and right in line with everything I am drawn to for my countertops (I am also remodeling my powder room which also has the travertine floors). So, I think my travertine is the same as the one you are considering. We installed it about a year ago. I absolutely loved it until I started planning my kitchen and powder room remodel. I, too, considered wood as my alternative, but ended up with travertine because of 1) cost and 2) pool. The kids are constantly running in the house dripping wet. Regardless, at this point, I honestly wish I had chosen wood. It is sooo much easier to coordinate countertops, paint, and backsplash tiles with. In addition, I have read on numerous design blogs that the travertine is associated with the tuscany look which is trending out. I am not a trendy person, but we will likely only be in our house for another 8 or so years and need to be considering resale value. With all this said, I love the warmth of travertine and still think mine is beautiful. I will post a link for you in a mintue from a color expert regarding travertine that you might find helpful. Best of luck!

msrose: Here is a link I referenced in my last post to you regarding travertine and color:

http://www.mariakillam.com/2010/02/is-travertine-pink-or-yellow.html/

Also, if you do choose to go with the travertine, be careful with the grout choice. My sister and I have the exact same travertine but different grout. The floors look incredibly different.

That's my exact dilemma. I won't have to worry about matching colors if I go with wood, but I think travertine fits in more with my lifestyle. Do you have any pictures of your floors?

msrose: Here is a picture of my travertine. My grout is darker than the one i your sample. I like the look more of the lighter one, but the practical side of me went with the darker grout as it hides dirt better. One more thing you should consider is that the little holes & divets in travertine get filled with debris. You have to actually vaccuum it in order to get it out.

mrsrose, can you share the name/brand/color of the backsplash sample shown on the right side in your photo? It looks great with the granite

I have a few bathrooms to do first before I tackle replacing a perfectly functional, but way too dark, kitchen granite and backsplash. Your choices look like they would work in my space ... always great to have a starting point when going to the tile store! Thanks

kimmiej - Thanks for the picture. The practical side of me would probably go with dark grout also.

chispa - Here's a link to the tile. You can check the website for places that carry it. It was hard to find in my area, but I finally tracked it down.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vihara Annica Silk

This post was edited by msrose on Mon, May 6, 13 at 20:28

msrose: How's your kitchen remodel going? Please post your "after" photos. I can't wait to see it!

kimmiej - I still haven't done anything, because I still can't decide between travertine or wood. I keep thinking that one day I'll wake up and all of a sudden know which one I want. I'm leaning towards wood right now. I've been looking online and even ordered a few samples. I found one I like, but then read it's better to use engineered wood on a concrete slab than solid wood and the sample I like is solid wood.

kimmiej - Do you have a wider picture of your room that shows the furniture and the floors? It looks like I see a rug, so that would keep it from looking too cold. What paint colors did you use in your house? That's still one of my dilemma's with travertine is being limited on my paint choices. What did you end up choosing for your cabinets and countertop? This is my backsplash installed. I had to touch up the paint around it, so it looks better now, but I don't have a recent picture.

msrose: Your countertop and backsplash are gorgeous! I would love to put that quartize in my kitchen. I laughed when I got your earlier post about still not being able to make a decision on your floor. I am having the same problem choosing my cabinet color. I finally ordered off white for the perimeter and dark brown for my island, but went back and forth for months. I am still not 100% sure I am making the best choice!

I can't figure out how to add more than one picture at a time, but here is a picture of one corner in my house. I have a very deep red on two walls in my dining room. The other wall is a custom color we mixed with the designer. When the sun moves later today, I'll be able to get a few more pics and post them. I really like lighter greens, rust browns, and reds with my travertine so far, but I've read that most neutral colors work well. You just have to be careful about the yellow tones in some travertine.