Travertine Vs Porcelain Tiles Flooring

With all the hard surfaces and sharp edges in a bathroom slippery tile is the last thing you want.

Travertine vs porcelain tiles flooring.

Porcelain vs travertine cost porcelain tile is slightly cheaper than travertine making it a better option for homeowners on a budget. Similar to travertine each tile would be unique. Porcelain tile is incredibly low maintenance and can take a beating. On the other hand travertine is a natural stone and natural stone is easily one of the most durable flooring materials.

Travertine is a softer material being a natural stone but has all the charm that goes along with it being a natural material. It is almost impervious to anything. Travertine tile is very hard being a natural stone while ceramic tile comes in a range of hardnesses. Porcelain tile is easily one of the most durable types of flooring.

A 3 and above pei value suits all residential applications flooring and cladding. A professional natural stone installer with travertine experience is recommended. The more grout you have the less slippery the floor. Porcelain tile that looks like travertine would usually have a lower pattern variation.

Travertine also has a lot of variation and therefore can be very forgiving when it comes to wear. My bathroom is beautiful. Ease of diy installation. The porcelain enamel institute created a system to measure the hardness of ceramics on a scale of 1 5 with 5 being the highest.

Porcelain durability is ranked by the porcelain pei rating which rates all porcelain and ceramic tile products. The pei rating ranges between 1 5 higher pei denotes higher durability. I used 12 porcelain tiles for my bathroom floor but it has a non shiny slightly textured stone like finish. Tiles with high pei values can be even more durable then slate and travertine.

Porcelain tile typically costs between 5 and 10 per square foot for the materials plus 4 to 14 per square foot for professional installation. I used matching 1 x1 sheet tiles for the shower floor. In fact the average lifespan of high quality porcelain tile when properly maintained is 75 to 100 years.