[rmp41]

I will begin by apologizing if these questions have been asked before, so here goes:
We will be installing a 1000SF patio. Travertine pavers are our choice of material. We live in the Midwest, just outside of Chicago, and we have concerns about the effect of the freeze/thaw conditions, and don't want to end up with heaving or broken pavers.
We have consulted several stone yards and each recommended different installations. Generally, the method of preparation is the same but:
One said the base material should be compacted soil, then geotex fabric, the 6" of compacted gravel, the 1" sand to set the pavers, then sand to lock the pavers. Another recommended compacted soil, geotex fabric, 8-10" compacted gravel, sand to set then sand/cement mixture to lock the pavers. Another said use some sort of special polymer sand to lock the pavers.
The next said don't use anything to lock the pavers.
Some say seal the pavers once installed, some say don't seal the pavers.
If this is the accepted installation procedure, what kind of gravel is recommended for the base? Is 10" overkill?
The stone seems to all come from the same place, Turkey.
The distributors are out of New Jersey, Indiana, Ohio, California and Florida.
The pavers seem to all be 3mm or 1 1/4". Are there different grades?
The best price, so far, is Travertine Mart in Miami. Has anyone dealt with them? If so, what has been your experience?
We will be grateful for any help.

[Pelican]

Both answers for the base are correct depending on your subsoil.

Whether to use a polymer sand or not is personal preference, I don't use it in most cases unless the paver job is on a slope. You must be very careful in using polymer sand, making sure the job is extremely clean before watering and that your water is a mist so as not to splash the sand around at all.

Sealing the pavers typically richens the color and preserves the color over time, in most cases it does not add to the durability of the brick.

I'm not familiar with the product you've chosen, and your description doesn't add up. 3mm is not anywhere near 1 1/4", and is this the height of the paver? All the pavers I work with are 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 inches high, I don't know if I'd want to go thinner.

[rmp41]

The 1 1/4" is correct. I'm not so good with metrics.

[Rex Mann]

30 MM is pretty standard for travertine. Every thing that gets laid in the ground has been given the term "pavers". Most of these materials are not pavers. They have taken the known item, pavers, and borrowed it to convey what their product is thought to be.

Travertine does come in different qualitys just like any material. The cheapest ones always have a lot more broken ones per pallet, and they are not cut 90 degrees always. So, that makes it more difficult to lay.

We lay about 50K of travertine a year. I recommend a chisseled edge. It will help conceal any imperfections if the pavers are not perfect squares and/or rectangles.

BTW: regular paver polymeric sand will not work with travertine. They make a special one that has no gradation of sand and the sieve size is around 100.

Peace,

Rex

PAVERSINSTALLED.COM

[GaryLandscapeCont]

Travertine pavers should stand the freezing temperatures as long as they are premium quality. Lower quality travertine pavers, if they have holes in them, could create problems.

As for your question about Travertine Mart. I have researched travertine paver companies for a while and I have made the decision to work with Travertine Mart. They did exceed my expectations. Their product is premium as they promised and they have the lowest prices in the market for their quality. In addition I have had one of the best experiences in terms of customer service. The delivery arrived in 2 days to New Jersey. I have also received a shipment for a job in New York. It was again premium quality pavers and arrived timely just like the first time. I continue to work with them for all my travertine paver needs.

There are a few other companies in the market, however I have heard that they sell lower quality travertine pavers for cheap. They name their products Roman Blend, Ivory Blend, Romano, etc.. You should beware of those.

As for installation; I have heard they mostly use a gravel (you can use limerock or limestone) and sand base in Florida, in doing so they cement the border then lay the deck on sand. Some prefer a mud-set installation. In New Jersey area we are using the sand method as well and sometimes the mud-set method. The sand installatioin is much cheaper compared to the mud-set method. We do not use the geotex fabric, as far as I know it is used to get points for LEED, US Green Council, developments. It's purpose is to clean run-off water. In my opinion it is not a must have.

Unlike what Rex Mann suggested, I would not suggest a chiseled edge for a pool area. You should use tumbled travertine pavers. Chiseled pavers have a honed surface and they will be too slippery to be used on a pool deck. Your feet can grab onto a tumbled surface but not on a honed surface.

Sealing is not a must either. You can choose to do it to protect your investment from spills such as wine, etc.. Sealing also brings out the characteristics of the travertine, if the travertine has high variation. There is no need if the pavers are consistent and do not have a lot of variation.

I hope this helps.

Let me know if you have other questions.

Gary