Acceptable Travertine Paver Installation?

6 years ago

Just cheked out our almost finished installation of travertine pavers around our new pool and noticed the installers began laying the pavers starting from the house towards the pool where the coping was already installed.

This has left a 1” void where some of the pavers meet the coping which the installer filled with smaller pieces of paver. I have seen many installations of pavers and have never seen the need for this many small cuts to fill gaps. In a 40’ linear span , there are 30 pieces that measure 1”x6” to fill gaps .

I suspect my pool installer is going to tell me this is normal, but is it really? Wouldn’t it have made sense to lay the pavers starting from the pool coping towards the house so that any small cuts or pavers that were needed would almost disappear under the ledge of the house?

Can anyone comment if this seems normal?

Featured Answer

PRO

Mystic Pools, LLC

6 years ago

They should have started at the coping and worked their way out and bury the cuts back towards the house. A string line set as they started and moved as they finished an area, would have given them a chance to adjust to make the patio as square as possible to the house.

The small pieces shown, I feel, is unacceptable.

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Comments (6)

millworkman
6 years ago
Personally I would not be happy about it. I guess he did not offer and you did not ask for a layout to approve (probably would not have shown the slivers anyway)? At this point I don't know what your recourse would be as I doubt you will get him to do it over. You could decide what it is is worth to you as far as that goes.
PRO
Edwards
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks for the response. I did no think to ask for a pattern layout approval. I was, naively I guess, working off the 3d video rendering of the area.

They have not done the final compaction or sanded the joints yet so I could attempt to have this redone.
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ngcurt
6 years ago
As someone who has travertine around their pool, I can tell you those tiny pieces are going to jiggle, sink, rise, etc no matter what they do...and in the area that gets the highest traffic and pressure (jumping, diving, etc). If you can possibly convince them to fix it, you should. Travertine has been a great choice for us, not hot, not very slippery...once you get this resolved you will love it. Good luck.
PRO
Mystic Pools, LLC
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
About 10 years ago on a pool build, a separate contractor installed a travertine patio set dry like a standard brick paver for my client. Over time time the material cracked and was loose in it's base.

It's awful material in the northeast and the thickness is usually no more than an 1 1/4" thick. With that thickness, the stones are very unstable and rock. Standard brick pavers are 2" plus for stability.

I'm not crazy about using them outside either. I would only set them wet (in cement) not dry if someone really wanted them.

We did an indoor pool about 6 years ago in Brooklyn, and the we set the travertine wet. It came out beautiful. No rocking and rolling-or cracks.

The honed and filled stones are best to use.

We have used it for coping jobs on pools/spas without issues.
PRO
Johnson Flooring Co Inc
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Look at all the other edges. If one shifted the pattern over to eliminate the small pieces by the coping, how would it affect cuts on other sides and at other edges?