Friday, May 15, 2009

Installing Travertine without inexpert

First, love your style! I bought a bunch of the dreaded, Home Depot Travertine, looks lovely to me does seem a bit brittle and crumbly.  Anyway I have set ceramic tile and slate, even some picture inlays, when it came to the travertine, I felt incompetent. I was told to get a professional because it needs to be set very flat and the surface should be level.  I didn't even know about the grout lines, should they really not be ¼ inch( living room, kitchen, entry & hall)?  I told these guys, whom are supposed to be tile setters and "love travertine" the reason I needed them was about not feeling I knew how to level and room and get a perfectly flat surface when I was through.  Not only did they not level the floor they didn't even use a level at all to make a flat surface. The first three rows(long rows appx ¼ of the room) already are disappointing, but are they salvageable?  They screwed down 1/4 inch Hardie Backer, I thought it should have been ½ inch and let them talk me out of it.  The sub floor is ¾ inch plywood, built on post and piers, in the tropics on lava.  Seems that it could move to me, do I have to rip it up and start over?  Will the big fat grout lines compensate for the ¼ inch backer? Help!  Please Advise.

Nancy Buckley.

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