Travertine is a Natural Stone as you know, but did you know most of it is filled with grout?

If you look at most Travertine Tile you will see that it is very porous on the unfinished side and that is because that is how most of it looks. They simple match the color and fill it with grout then polish the surface.

Travertine is a sophisticated name for Limestone. This material is soft and very porous and is made from the calcium carbonate laden strata from ancient mineral hot springs.

Travertine comes from all over the world. From the US to Italy, Turkey, Croatia, and other places. Travertine is found in different colors and physical structures. The mining and production of Travertine Tile is varied.

After it is mined or quarried it is cut into slabs and one side is finished. Some of it is honed and smoothed. Some Travertine Tile is worth a couple bucks a square foot and some is upwards of $11 a square foot. This Natural stone has some of the traits of Marble Tile being very soft and can be difficult to work with because it is brittle. Installation costs more because every piece that requires a cut has to be done on a wet saw and not with a hand tile cutter.

As you can see this tile from a major box store on the left the voids visible in the top picture have been filled with a grout.
Some of this stone tile I have installed was a select material, very thick, and had no visible voids that were filled. This Travertine was also very expensive.

Travertine is not something I would advise for the shower. Nor would I suggest Marble. I think it would be fine for a design element for Architectural purposes for it's texture and color. Installing this Natural Stone in your shower will require more maintenance.

You will need to clean it more often with not very harsh compounds to keep the mold at bay that really loves Travertine Tile.

Again, ask yourself this question, As an installer, what type of tile would you suggest for a shower? To answer that I would suggest porcelain or ceramic with a tile size no less than 6x6 but preferably larger to eliminate as many grout lines as possible.

Of course, I have installed a lot of this in showers and tub surrounds. It looks good and as a Natural Stone will not break the bank. Just know that it will need to be sealed and cleaned with moderate techniques because any cleaner with an  acidic base can etch the surface.