If you're trying to accomplish a rustic decor in your home, you should look into travertine wall tiles. Travertine is a natural stone just like marble or granite but one that has a particularly rustic look and feel. The colors are warm and earthy in these tiles that give you the same great variegation and natural look as other stones. People use travertine tiles for walls, floors and countertops to achieve that earthy and elegant look. Colors range from soft ivory to the pale cream, all the wayt to rich shades of golden honey and silvery greens to deep mocha browns depending on where they were formed. Travertine never appears as one solid color. The color tones vary and veins or bands of contrasting color run throughout the stone. No two stones or tiles are alike.

Travertine for Floors or Walls

Travertine floor tiles take some special care as do tiles on any flat surface like a countertop or vanity. When the tiles are used on a floor or flat surface, the opportunity for stains is there. Any natural material can be damaged and stained usually easier than man-made materials like ceramic tile. And stone, because it's porous, has the potential to be stained even more. When travertine is used on a countertop or floor it really needs to be sealed to prevent moisture and dirt from soaking into the natural stone. Cleaning travertine tiles is easy when the tiles have been finished porperly.

There's much less worry about this problem when travertine wall tiles are used. If the room is a damp one like a bathroom, it might still be advisable to seal the tiles to prevent them from absorbing moisture. But there's far less worry about stains and scratches as there would be if it were used on the floor.

Smooth or Rough Travertine Wall Tiles

Travertine is a very rough and pitted type of stone. On the walls, this uneven surface gives a particularly beautiful, rustic look. On the floor it can be problematic so many people opt to have the stone filled in with similar colors. A special filling material is applied to the stones give it a smooth surface while not detracting from its beauty. Many people opt to leave their travertine wall tiles natural without this filler to add even more character and interest.

You can also choose between honed or tumbled travertine wall tiles. Honed tiles have a matte finish as all shininess has been removed by the finishing process. Tumbled tiles have a very aged appearance as if they've been weathered for years. This is also often called an antiqued travertine finish. You can use whichever type you prefer as travertine wall tiles and you can opt to seal the tiles as well which will make them last even longer without fear of absorbing moisture or appearing dull and stained.  Travertines for floors or for walls are available on line as well as some local stores.

Travertine is a sedimentary stone, relative to marble but less expensive. It is used widely in homes for indoor tiling as well as outdoors.

It has been used for thousands of years with great success and durability. Some of the monuments built with travertine, by the Romans, are still standing.

So what are the uses you can find in your home for this great, yet inexpensive material?

Travertine for Outdoors

Travertine is used in a rough or polished state to lay out paths or steps in the garden, or to finish a patio or terrace. It is well suited to the outdoors as weather will not damage it. You can use small tiles or large outdoor travertine pavers. as shown here.

It makes a wonderful surface around pools, but be careful not to choose a polished travertine tile as it could be very slippery.

You can also find travertine bird baths or water fountains, stores like Home Depot and Amazon offer these and other outdoor accessories made from travertine, like outdoor dining tables, planters, benches or balusters.

This bench can be used outdoors or indoors.

Travertine for Indoors

In the bath, the kitchen and any room you like you can use travertine floor tiles. If your house is build on a slab and you live in a colder climate travertine floor could be colder and require some area rugs in living rooms or bedrooms. But it will add the warmth of it appealing colors and glow.

Dining tables or coffee tables made of travertine are found in any design you can imagine.

Fireplace mantles can sport an old world look or a modern face.

Sinks, tubs, walls or tiles it enhances any bath.

Travertine bathroom tiles are frequently used but the stone can also be used for sinks tubs, and showers, for walls and counter tops, as well as countless accessories even as a light switch plate.

Travertine tiles are cut from travertine a sedimentary rock with colors that vary from white to light beige to brown, including some pink, red or brown hues. Travertine tiles have been used for thousands of years and monuments made with travertine during the antiquity are still proof of this great material.

Travertine tiles are very effective in home decor because they are of extraordinary durability, warm to the senses and the eye. It is even said that they have air purifying qualities when used indoors. Whether you use Travertine floor tiles indoors or outdoors for you home decorating, you will find that the cost is not as hight as what you might expect for a quality material. Often sold as marble because both travertine and marble belong to the same category of rocks, it is much less expensive.

One of the distinctive trait of travertine is its texture that offers little irregular cavities visible after the rock is cut. These texture enhancing little holes can either be filled or left open, depending on how you plan to use your tiles. Among the possible finishes you will find:

Matte finish also called honed is a natural finish with slight imperfections. It keeps nature's little holes intact.

satin matte finish tile

Polished or shiny, is sometimes also referred to as honed and filled. It is a natural finish but the little cavities caused by natural process are filled to give the stone a smoother look and feel.

brushed travertine

Brushed finish is a good compromise between keeping some of the texture yet having the benefit of a flat surface

Tumbled travertine

Tumbled finish is a finishing process that is used on hard stones, where the stones are placed in a barrel with some abrasives, and rotated slowly, to gradually polish and smooth the stone. It is a more rustic appearance than polished, but a good finish for rooms that receive a lot of sunlight, as it does not reflect light as much as some of the other finishes. Tumbled travertine floor tiles have a unique appearance that bring a special touch to any home.

Travertine tile is cut from genuine quarried slabs of stone and not made from ceramic or porcelain and therefore, naturally, have veins and grains and flaws.

Within the same piece of stone there can be a range of colors and natural textures that are then enhanced or slightly altered by the finishes they have been given. There are textured and pitted travertine that is quite rustic and then here are other types that have been honed and now have a polished marble-like finish with a slight ivory vein.

Travertine floor tiles are some of the most versatile natural stone flooring because installing in an elegant mansion with porches and columns using tumbled travertine can give an elegant feel, while installation in a small cottage or rustic home that has potholed surface or eroded pit marks and natural or rustic edges and no polishing can add to its rustic appeal. Tumbled travertine wall tiles can also make a home look aged in an antique way, and to top it off requires little care after being properly sealed.

Travertine Mosaic And Bathroom Tiles

Travertine mosaic tiles can be rustic or totally sleek, filled and polished to a shine, for a totally modern almost glass-like look and not just in browns and cream colors, but soft peach and reds and earth tones and even almost pure white. Shower pieces are often highly hones or brushed or polished and then meticulously sealed to guard against water and mildew and mold.

The wonderful thing about travertine versus other materials is that it can it can have a matted look or a shiny mirror smoothness and can mimic the look of marble or be darker quartz colored and textured. Flooring natural stones tiles are also cut in different sizes and shapes that can be mixed and matched to create unique patterns and yet remain smooth. Travertine wall tile can also be staggered and have raised or uneven areas to appear as if it were ancient chunks of stone.