Taht will cost as much as a new floor and make that tile even harder to take care of since honed stone stains fast and white washed stone on a floor just not a good idea. After all that $$$$ you will still hate it. Bite the bullet now or later after you spent $$$ trying to make it work and still change it. Maybe just change the main living space for now and do the rest when budget allows .

Honing the floor will leave you with a lighter floor. I have no idea what stone guy charges to hone a floor. I'm sure it's not inexpensive because it's so time consuming.

This isn't exactly what you asked, but, when I moved into my current house, I very much disliked the orange-colored stain on my hardwood floors, but I was worried about money and the inconvenience of having the floors done at that time - and I am now finally refinishing them 14 years later. It is even more of an inconvenience now that I actually live in the house, and I wish I would have done them years ago before I moved in. So, if you have the time and money to undertake this project now, you will be happy later when you don't have to deal with the huge inconvenience of having to move out of your house to get all the floors done. But, you should definitely do what you really want the first time, so if that means saving money and waiting to do this project the right way in a few years - then wait and do it when you can do what you truly want.

Drwass~ totally agree with you on all levels. Also, just in the planning stages and what to prioritize what is most important for the first phase of the project. Also, Trying to get the biggest bang for my buck. . Thanks for the feedback.

Honed and whitewashed is going to damage and compromise the floor and make it difficult to maintain. Demoing a house full of tile (or any amount of tile) is not fun.

If you posted pictures of the house, it would be easier to understand the situation.

With the mass of travertine that is there, I think I would learn to love it- even if I didn’t love it.

Is your travertine filled or not filled (pitted)? Pictures would help.

Hone finish will cost less than a high polish. There are less steps involved, usually ends at 200 grit resins. There are low sheen finishes you can apply after the honing grit is reached to help seal it. If, you want a nice even sheen. Do a grout fill process. That will fill in all your pitting, chips and cracks. White finishes are not available for stones. The lightest you will find is clear water base finishes.

The first question to determine if it's real travertine as opposed to a porcelain version. You won't be able to hone porcelain.

Get three quotes for replacement. See how the costs square with your budget. If you cannot afford replacement, I'd save the money and use as many large and strategic area rugs as possible. Wait until you can afford to replace it all. It surely will be a major PITA but you will eventually get what you want instead of a pricey compromise.

I had LVT installed over my ceramic tile and it worked out well. Avoided the total mess of removing tile.