Travertine Stone Pavers
Differences Between Honed, Filled and Tumbled

Which type of travertine stone should I buy?

Travertine stone is a natural stone mined in many countries. Depending on where the stone comes from, the quality may be better or worse. In addition, there are certain things that a re sometimes performed to improve the look.

If you are interested in travertine pavers and have been doing any research (or if this is your first stop), there are various terms you might have come across. It can be quite confusing as to what the differences.

What is the best type of travertine stone? The answer to this is that it really depends on the look you want.

Here is an explanation of various types and terms in hopes of clarifying the confusion.

Honed (Polished)

When you hear the term honed, this refers to polishing or sanding the pavers. If it is a good quality stone, just a minimal amount of this is needed. The appearance of lower grade travertine will improve by polishing more layers, resulting in a smoother looking travertine stone where holes, nooks and crannies are reduced. Honed stone may or may not be filled.

Filled

Existing holes are filled, often with a grout. Can you see the fillings? Yes, if you look closely, but basically it is not noticeable, unless there are lots and lots of holes or they are on the large size. Filling the holes creates a smoother look. So you can have stone that is just filled (not honed), or perhaps honed slightly and filled.

Tumbled Travertine

Natural travertine, typically not honed or filled, is tumbled in a similar way that tumbled pavers are. Many holes are present. The edges and corners are rough and/or wavy. The travertine has an overall "rough" look.

Different companies perform different amounts of sanding. This is why travertine pavers from no two companies are the same, and you must know what you are buying. This is often why there are often price differences. That being said, starting with select travertine pavers is the best avenue to take.

So which is best and which should you look for? The following is a guide:

If you like the look of unfinished stone, consider the tumbled pavers. Be aware that the holes that are there will be numerous. Polymeric sand should be swept into the joints, but this will be more noticeable than when installing travertine pavers that are not tumbled, due to the uneven edges.

Some people are concerned with the holes filling with dirt over time if they install a travertine patio or pool decking. I would not worry about this as it shouldn't be that noticeable and the travertine can be power washed. The holes will, however, fill with water after a rain.

If you like a smoother more finished look, honed alone or honed and filled would be what you want. The holes are minimal, the edges are smoother, and the corners are squared off. Very little, if any, of the sand swept in between the stones will be seen.

My Recommendation

Both types were used on projects of mine. The stones that were not tumbled (from the Andes Collection) gave a more elegant, but still rustic, appearance and were quite special and unique. No...they were absolutely beautiful!

Travertine pavers from the Andes Collction need no filling due to their superb quality. In addition, the honing that is done is minimal because that is all that is necessary.

You can see pictures Of beautiful travertine projects on my travertine paving page.

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