I put Travertine tile in my laundry room/mudroom/office. I absolutely love the look and feel of this tile. I can now recognize it immediately and was in a high end remodeled home with Travertine all over the place. The homeowner said she loved it. They had a pool in the back and kids were traipsing in and out with wet feet...a dog...etc...

What I like about it is I think it is timeless. I chose a tumbled travertine, with rough looking edges and plenty of pock marks I chose not to fill with grout (You can do that if you don't like the crevices). I wanted it to look like an old European patio. It is an unusual floor that catches peoples' eyes. Almost everyone stops at my mudroom/laundry/office and comments about how nice it is. I credit the floor for that. It looks really cool and unlike anything that can be recreated with porcelain or ceramic tiles.

However, it is a fussy floor. I had to have it sealed before living on it and was told it needs this redone every two years. Maybe more. I noticed the rollers on my office chair affected the floor in less than a year of use. I have a hard time cleaning it because acidic cleaners are supposed to be damaging. I've been warned about acidic spills (that may happen in a kitchen)....ketchup, wine, vinegar. I typically clean my floors with vinegar and water, and am afraid to use that on my travertine. I am afraid whatever I used on it (still figuring that out), probably caused more damage. I swear there are more crevices and pock marks, which I don't mind, but it sounds like it could be a concern for you.

It is still my favorite floor in the house, and my flooring guy who replaced all of my first floor carpet/vinyl with hardwood, travertine and porcelain tile said that travertine stone floor would outlive the house.

As for where to buy it, I am a big on buying local. Visit local flooring dealers for their advice and counsel on the subject.

My friend has this through out her large first floor kitchen, dining room and foyer. I asked her how she liked it and how it held up (when I was considering it for my bath), and she said great. She got hers from The Tile Shop but she couldn't remember what the name was. I never noticed anything wrong (scratched, stained) but I never looked for it. It is pretty.

You should get a sample before you purchase. Then you can test it out for staining and etching and see how much fill it has. It's a holey stone and the pits are filled in, but some more than others.

I had some in a bathroom. We toilet trained a kid in there. An ancient cat had accidents in there. It held up fine to many cleanings. It was a honed surface on the floor (and polished on counter and shower). The polished would not have held up to prolonged adult (or teen) use, probably, but the matte stuff on the floor was great.

It feels nice underfoot.