Modern Homes Designs

Travertine floors will help create a trendy, elegant feel within a house or condo and it is because of the timeless yet modern feel to the natural stone it is has become popular during recent times. Yet it is very important to bear in mind the fact that it is a porous material, and will therefore stain easily and permanently if it is not sealed before use and treated carefully.

When fitting travertine flooring particularly all tiles will have to be sealed  prior to the laying of the floor. I also seal the floor once more after grouting, as this ensures the travertine is sealed properly. plus it adds some sealer to grouted joints and can help to stop the grout discoloring. A favorite sealer of mine would be Lithofin Stainstop,  but there are numerous makes that are equally good for the task.

Travertine tiles have become popular for using on walls also, and these need to be sealed too, particularly if used on kitchen walls, as there is clearly enormous possibility for staining the tiles. Travertine is now increasingly a tile used in bathrooms, especially showers and wet rooms, where again there’s high potential for staining plus the added need to render the tiles waterproof, as travertine being porous will allow water to seep through the tiles and this leads to a possibility of moisture damage if left.

The sealing of travertine tiles is most certainly not a one-time procedure, yet neither is re-sealing the tiles much of a labour intensive activity. Nevertheless they will have to be given a further coat of sealer on occasion, and this will mean that with wall tiles then maybe once in every two years should be good enough, but floor tiles will need to be re-sealed more often, most particularly where used in high traffic areas such as hallways.

Here are 4 ideas for walkin showers and beautiful custom wet rooms:

1. Marble – No I’m not about to suggest a marble bathroom in the traditional sense, but I am going to suggest a marble floor that is made from pieces of marble you can get from stone cutters and marble dealers for cheap. The pieces left over after making table tops and counters and tiles are often discarded or sold for very little. They are often already cut in unusual shapes, but can be further smashed to get smaller chunks that can be set with cement into beautiful patterns on the floor or walls of walk in shower designs. You don’t have to a handyman or woman or to do this. You just need to find a place that will give the remains of marble or stone or even tiles and give them to the mason or contractor who will then set the floor. Most mason can follow a pattern if you cut a mosaic design from a magazine or ask for random placement. The stone and the cement can then be sealed and waterproofed with a special stone and cement sealant.

2. Oriental – Flat stones make wonderful floors and walls. They can be purchased through most construction supply companies or can be collected, but it’s best to buy them if they are for a floor because they need to be really smooth and flat. These make great rustic floors when accented with cedar or teak. Wet rooms that have a Japanese or Chinese Spa feeling can be relaxing, especially if you add some low wood benches and a small area in the shower where the stones are slightly raised and they act as a massage for your feet.

3. Morocco – The old mosaic motifs can give inspiration for color and shape in open wet rooms and walkin showers. It takes very little to make a bathroom come alive with a painted Moorish arch over the shower, or sink, a mirror that is arched instead of square, a bright orange and blue or yellow and green tile pattern, or a small area of mosaic under the shower. Omit glass doors and instead use a curved half wall to separate the room a little. Paint with a stencil in a Moroccan motif or add a few mosaic tiles. It need not be a solid tiled wall, it can be painted with waterproof paint and accented with a few decorative tiles.

4. Ultra Modern – Wet rooms lend themselves to being white and sleek if you use ceramic tiles that are glazed for the walls and light colored flooring. A single sheet of glass to act as a barrier for splashes can be anchored to the wall with chrome braces. The fixtures can be modern, tall slender, chrome, the accents can be a single bright color that’s slightly shocking like red or purple. For a less dramatic style, use sage color floor tiles, and accent in the new black, which is chocolate brown. Have at least showerhead installed. The lighting should be bright but subtle with embedded halogen in the ceiling and track lighting over the mirror.