An open flow floor plan with a center kitchen can make a project like this a challenge. Instead of beginning the tile in the center of a room, I had to go with what would work the best with the flow, so the front doors became my starting point. With one section only having wood parquet, removal was easy, but the main rooms all had two layers of tile (the kitchen had linoleum as well) which came as quite a surprise! Prep work took just a little longer than anticipated and included having to grind down the concrete slab. Standard grade travertine will have imperfections that have been filled on the front (but not the back) so always back butter your tiles. Not only does this extra step help with adhesion, but fills in the holes in the back adding stability when the mortar has set. Tile leveling clips are a must have and are far superior to the spacers I once used…perfect spacing and leveling all at the same time, I will never do a project without them again. Last but not least always seal your natural stone prior to using a single component grout (pre mix epoxy/concrete). This stuff is fantastic but unforgiving if allowed to sit for any amount of time on unsealed stone. As with any project, it took longer and was more complicated than planned, but looking at the before and after pics, I am very pleased with the transformation!
An open flow floor plan with a center kitchen can make a project like this a challenge. Instead of beginning the tile in the center of a room, I had to go with what would work the best with the flow, so the front doors became my starting point. With one section only having wood parquet, removal was easy, but the main rooms all had two layers of tile (the kitchen had linoleum as well) which came as quite a surprise! Prep work took just a little longer than anticipated and included having to grind down the concrete slab. Standard grade travertine will have imperfections that have been filled on the front (but not the back) so always back butter your tiles. Not only does this extra step help with adhesion, but fills in the holes in the back adding stability when the mortar has set. Tile leveling clips are a must have and are far superior to the spacers I once used…perfect spacing and leveling all at the same time, I will never do a project without them again. Last but not least always seal your natural stone prior to using a single component grout (pre mix epoxy/concrete). This stuff is fantastic but unforgiving if allowed to sit for any amount of time on unsealed stone. As with any project, it took longer and was more complicated than planned, but looking at the before and after pics, I am very pleased with the transformation!
