Travertine in nature
Known as a beautiful material used to adorn homes, businesses, and even civic buildings, travertine offers a design quality that radiates a “worn” appearance. The color variations are just the beginning of the story that these wonderful and expressive stones contain within many layers.
Where can you find travertine in nature? In a variety of settings. A remarkable environment that many have seen in this incredible rock are the caves. Stalagmites and stalactites often consist of travertine; The cave walls, ceilings, and even floors are made of stone. In fact, many caverns are environments that offer the same conditions under which travertine forms.
How is travertine formed
As mentioned above, one of the reasons travertine is found in caves is because of the atmosphere found in them. Summing up the information to prevent it from getting too technical, travertine is a kind of limestone. It is formed through a process in which water and organisms interact with limestone. The result is a limestone-like rock with noticeable “voids” or pockets throughout the material.
The voids created in the stone during the forming process result in highly creative looking design materials that are used in various locations and projects. However, much of the travertine used in houses and other architectural designs is processed to “enhance” or alter its appearance from its natural state.
Natural Raw Travertine Smoothing
As mentioned above, raw travertine has distinctive holes throughout the material that are visually interesting. However, these empty areas of the stone mean that the material may be weak. As a result, travertine is often filled with grout or epoxy. Travertine filler is used to strengthen the stone by filling the gaps in the material. Thus, the material becomes strong enough for purposes that it might otherwise be too weak to use.
Travertine fillings come in many colors that complement the natural look of the rock. In addition, transparent fills are available. These clear fillings allow you to capture the natural look as the stone is filled to strengthen it.
Travertine color variations
Most of the time, when you see travertine ready to buy, it will be in shades of gray, tan, or brown. However, it forms in virtually all colors and some travertine formations even sport a rainbow of colors including:
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Oxide
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Orange
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peach
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Yellow
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Purple
However, most of the time you will find travertine tiles in a gray or beige shade.
There you go; some basic facts that contribute to the wonderful nature of the natural stone known as travertine. As we have considered, it is a distinctive rock. The way travertine is formed involves a particular process that produces cavities or holes in the stone. Additionally, it is padded or processed so that it can withstand the architecture and design for which it is intended to be used.
If you have the opportunity to use this rustic and intriguing natural stone in your project, don’t dismiss the option without seriously considering it.
