[schleng]

Well for those of you who may remember, I was involved in large pool project. I still am and it is still pretty exciting. There were some delays, which is why I haven't posted about it for awhile.

However, it is moving along now. The travertine has now been installed. There were some problems which are being straightened out, but basically the travertine is one of if not THE most beautiful paving material I've ever worked with.

Here are some pics. The stone has not even been washed or sealed but you can still see the variety of the stones, patterns, shades of colors, etc. I think the stone with the swirls is particularly striking. I was told by the owner/importer that this is actually onyx running through the stones.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share this.

By the way, I'll try to post some additional pictures as time goes on. There is the vanishing edge, tanning shelf for placing lounges in shallow water, and a waterfall. In the far distance way down below is a large body of water.

[natural12]

beautiful stuff. Cant wait to see more. Is this laid on a mortar bed?

[schleng]

It's dry laid just like pavers!

[Fine Edge]

Those swirls in the travertine are amazing.
I don't think I've ever seen that in the travertine we get around here.

You can actually count the rings to find out how old the travertine tree was!

[agla]

It is nice and a heck of a lot cooler under the feet by a pool than bluestone. It is available here, but New England tends to stick to traditional stuff, particularly the higher end client.

[Lanelle]

That stone is beautiful and the project sounds like lots of fun -- especially if you get to test out the features......
Now for my questions about using travertine in cold climates.
Are the voids (holes) filled?
What will prevent the freeze/thaw cycles from popping the stone into spalling, cracked pieces?
I would love to use that stone here, but as you can see, I have reservations.

[Stonehenge]

... I was wondering something similar when I saw the "rings" in some of the stone. I could see moisture getting in those and popping layers out. But admittedly, my experience with travertine is limited. However, it is like limestone in that it's a sedimentary stone and can be/is porous, so I'd see Lanelle's worries as valid ones.

[schleng]

Either the stone is filled (honed) or they do something else to minimize the holes. I remember talking to the the sales manager about that, but I can't recall the process. Maybe I'll find out.

The swirls are just a pattern in one or two of the stones and the stone is extremely smooth. So I am not worried about it cracking. In addition, travertine is supposed to resist freeze thaw conditions, even in the colder weather. As a matter of fact, I had someone contact me through my website who lives in Connecticut. She was concerned about that too. After discussion with the company, her contractor ordered from them.

The way I feel, is that I don't expect any cracking. But if one or two did? That's the nice part about dry laid materials.....just make the exchange. Also, these pavers are very thick and heavy.

I saw on another forum that they were opening up a distributor in Massachussettes, so I guess that's another indication of their stability.

If anyone is interested, you can always call them to get more info. I have nothing to do with them except that I was introduced to the product about a year ago and think it is great.

Susan

[schleng]

One more thing....I think there are various types of travertine pavers, depending on where they come from and how they are dealt with. I visited a project recently where they were used, but they were from another company. There were A LOT of holes. The ones from the project I showed the pictures from are pretty smooth with very few holes. Also the edges on the other material were much rougher.
Susan