Travertine: Add a Rich Natural Appearance to Your Pool Deck

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When you are looking to get a pool built or maybe time to remodel has struck your existing pool and you want to have a look that will last and will be striking to visitors.

Well look no further, Travertine is an amazing stone that has uses all over the house but within your pool has some amazing qualities! What is a Travertine Pool Deck?

This is a pool deck built with Travertine pavers which looks very high-end along with providing a nice surface that is easy to walk on and holds temperature even when you live in a hot environment, I can tell you that this doesn’t happen with non-Travertine pool decks!

Let us show you and explain what a Travertine pool deck looks like and the advantages and disadvantages that Travertine can cause you.

Then we will explore the actual numbers in cost so that you can figure out how much the cost would be should you choose to make a Travertine pool deck for yourself.

What is Travertine?

Travertine is a very nice-looking stone surface that has been used in homemaking a lot in recent times due to the overall visual appeal of the stone.

It is a very attractive look to the patterns within it and is spoken of highly in regards to how nice it is on bare feet and toes.

Travertine is a totally natural rock and not man-made, it is very similar to limestone or marble. Travertine itself has been used extensively for buildings since ancient Roman times, it’s even used in the coliseum.

While pavers are mainly used in outdoor work travertine is used across the board inside houses from flooring, countertops, and even walls.

One additional cool thing about Travertine which matches up with marble is that it is available in a wide array of different colors: red, ivory, walnut, and more.

When shopping for pavers you may also come across terms like honed or tumbled. These are specific to the roughness of the surface.

You can also buy filled travertine where they have filled in the cavities with grout.

Advantages of Travertine Pavers

Travertine pavers for your pool deck area have a lot of benefits that help you enjoy your pool area much more than you may with another pool decking.

Travertine is very nice looking while being a non-slip surface which makes it excellent for pool safety.

In addition, it is very cost-friendly to install per square foot and is perfect in very hot weather as it resists holding the heat inside, making for nice walking even on super hot days.

Attractiveness

Let’s be honest, travertine tiles have a classy and rich look to them and they blend well with both natural and modern pool designs.

While they provide an amazing amount of advantages their biggest score for most owners is the aesthetic appeal provided.

Since they can come in a wide variety of colors and styles there is a combination for any pool design.

The combinations are what make travertine amazing but also what can make choices difficult, in my case I would possibly bring in a designer to make sure I chose, with their help, the right colors to match my pool.

When you are making this choice you need to think about what color your pool lining is to make sure you choose a color that works together in combination and does not combat each other.

Travertine provides a strong sense of luxury when installed which lends to using it to make your pool deck look unique.

It also features a natural veining that helps keep each install looking unique while also allowing for an overall pattern.

What matters the most is that in the end, the form and the function of travertine make the perfect foundation for any pool patio.

Non-Slip Surface

One thing which stresses out pool owners a lot is whether kids playing on the surface have the possibility to slip, fall, and hurt themselves when the surface gets wet.

Since the outer area of a pool will get wet, this is a core concern.

This is a super strong point for travertine as it is porous by nature it absorbs the water helping to ensure the surface doesn’t get slippery when wet.

These holes in the travertine are naturally occurring and not a man-made change to the stone.

This allows them to easily retain the water that comes out of the pool and onto the surface while you enjoy the pool time.

This absorption also helps to protect places that receive large volumes of rain as the pool deck will help prevent as much runoff and flooding.

Easily Repaired

The large benefit to building with pavers is the ability to replace them as you can pull a single paver out which helps speed repairs.

Travertine is known for holding its color well over time so finding matching colored pavers should be easier than with other materials.

If you should somehow manage to crack your travertine stone in your pool decking you will just need to remove any mortar and grout to pull up the stone.

If you aren’t skilled in this work you can always call in your local pool company who may be able to give assistance or point you to a good local resource.

Heat Resistant

I can vouch for Texas heat and when it becomes nearly impossible in the heat to continue to stand on most pool surfaces.

Most of the time you end up running as fast as you can to jump into the pool to spare your feet from the fire of the pool deck.

This is why I am highly interested in replacing my current pool deck with a travertine pool deck instead of the poured concrete version I purchased with the house.

You see, travertine is very heat resistant which means that it doesn’t get as hot as other materials even when left in direct sunlight for extended periods of time.

Travertine is able to transfer the cool, lower temperatures from the ground underneath the tile while also reflecting the sun’s rays.

The movement of cool air allows across the top of the tiles allows the surface remains cool to the touch.

This cool temperature is awesome when you want to have group activities like a BBQ or have people over to play in the pool during the day without people burning their feet.

Affordable

While travertine will cost you more than a concrete deck the costs are definitely less than you would pay for higher-end surfaces like marble or granite.

Additionally, a travertine surface can easily last 15 to 25 years with professional installation and sealing, you can finish the pool in your yard without paying much more to do it.

Durable

No matter the impact from rocks, spills, shoes, or other objects it is tough and long living. No matter what you want to move around by the pool it won’t do damage to your travertine decking.

This durability makes travertine an easy choice when you want to enjoy your backyard.

The fact that it won’t get ruined when you have parties, BBQ, or move patio furniture near the surface is just another strong benefit.

Large Disadvantage of Travertine Pavers

While travertine is impressive in its list of benefits and the costs are favorable it does have a hard downside.

While it looks pretty, won’t get ruined easily, can withstand heat, is great for slip safety, and is extremely functional when it comes to design its one core issue when used for pool decking is that travertine is porous by nature.

This porous nature is perfect for a pool where you have excess water and it can just wick away.

The issues really come from everything else that can get into the pores and make it look less than outstanding.

Do You Need to Seal Travertine Pool Decks?

To cut this out you can keep your travertine pool decking looking beautiful year-round by sealing it once every 3-5 years.

Sealing your travertine pool deck is not required. Most installers though will seal the stone to ensure you enjoy the look of the natural travertine for years to come.

How Much Does a Travertine Pool Deck Cost?

Over the last few years, travertine has dropped significantly in price as it used to be sourced from Italy and came at a high cost which made it hard to choose.

Recently America started to import travertine from more countries which has helped balance out the pricing and make it far more affordable to everyone and not just people who had large sums of money to spend.

This drop in price is definitely what has spurred on the big rise recently in the use of travertine in pool decks as a material that is possible for more people.

Please note: Installing pavers is a labor-intensive project, you can save a lot by doing it yourself if you have the time, tools, and skills of course.

Overall, travertine costs in the vicinity of $15 per square foot with some being able to get it for a little more or less depending on location and contractors.

The exact cost to install will vary also depending on your location as well as your pool layout and design.

Travertine Tile and Salt Water Pools

There are a great many people who experience issues with their stone corroding when used with a saltwater pool.

While this is shocking for some people it can be solved when you use a commercial sealant on the installed tiles.

If you have a saltwater pool DON’T skip sealing the travertine and pay the extra to extend the life of the stone for yourself. This isn’t something you can skip if you have a saltwater pool.

Looking around I was able to see the average around me cost of sealing a Travertine patio was around $1.25 to $1.50 per square foot and the sealer should be applied every 2-5 years depending on sunlight.

This may depend on the contractors in your area, I would highly recommend finding someone to do the job professionally.

Final Thoughts on a Travertine Pool Deck

When it comes to a nice and classical-looking pool the travertine is a nice and timeless look that is both stunning visually and in usability.

If you are looking to build your pool or to refinish aged-looking pool travertine is definitely a direction I would heavily lean towards.

Obviously, you plan to spend a large amount of time on your pool deck area and this would support the need to invest the additional funds to get high-grade travertine.

If you can afford the change in your budget you and your feet will not regret the purchase!