Travertine Pool Tile | Cultured Stone For Spa

Hi,
I am putting in a pool and spa in Florida and am trying to select materials. I have selected a tumbled travertine for my decking and will probably use an enhancing sealer to enhance the stone's color. I am trying to decide on the water line tile and have been getting so many mixed reviews on using travertine as a choice for this.

Should I stay away from this as an option? I also wanted to use a cultured stone on the outside of my spa but was also told that was not a wise choice. HELP!! thanks for your input. The sealer I am going with is made by Dupont and it isn't slippery and goes deep into the stone instead of just sitting on the top. Thanks!
Sherri

ANSWER

Hi Sherri,
From what I have read, there is no problem using travertine tile at the water line in the pool. It's even used in salt water pools as long as the correct glue is used. That being said, you might like the contrast of a regular tile. There are so many colors and types that I am sure you would find one to go great with the rest of your travertine. Actually, it would probably be more interesting in my opinion.

As far as cultured stone goes, I have never used that to face a spa. It might be ok, but on the other hand, why not use actually face stone? Face stone is natural stone that is not thick so that it can be mortared onto any concrete surface. Here is a page that shows what it looks like on a fountain pool retaining wall and the other walls too. As a matter of fact, this stone was used right next to travertine!
Stone and Travertine


If you are going with the beauty of travertine which is a natural stone, unless the cost difference is too large, I would recommend using natural stone on the spa. You might visit a stone yard to see what is available and bring a sample of your travertine with you. This way you can see what both the stone and the travertine look like together.

It looks like you are on the right path for choosing a sealer. For some more info, visit my page on Travertine Sealers.