CONTACTTravertine Patio Tile
in Calabasas, California
600 Sq Ft Travertine
- LOCATION
- Calabasas, CA
This project was at a modern home tucked into the hills of Calabasas. Out back was the existing cement slab patio: lifeless, and not really part of the house it sat against. The goal was to transform it into a more functional space, integrated with the rest of the home.
Before installing any tile, we prepared the slab with multiple coats of a crack isolation membrane, so that any cracks in the cement slab don't transfer up into the tile. This is essential any time you tile directly on a slab, and especially in an area like California that's prone to seismic activity.
Over it we set a natural 18×18 travertine, honed and filled, sourced from Floor & Decor. Honed means the face of the stone is ground to a smooth matte finish instead of polished to a shine, and filled means the natural holes in the travertine are filled before it ships. The warm stone ties the patio back to the house, so it reads as part of the home instead of a slab out back.
Tiling 600 square feet of patio in the hot summer sun. We took this one on later in the year than we would have liked, and temperatures were touching the high 90s every day: brutal, difficult conditions to be setting tile in. Any surface that gets up to 100 degrees becomes impossible to work on, because the setting material dries out before it can bond. So we worked at specific times of day, in the areas covered by shade, to make sure our setting materials got proper adhesion.
Questions about
this project.
Can you tile directly over an existing concrete patio slab?
A sound slab, yes. That is what we did here: the travertine went directly over the existing cement slab. The step that makes it last is a crack isolation membrane, applied in multiple coats before any tile goes down, so a crack in the slab doesn't transfer up into the tile.What is a crack isolation membrane?
A layer applied over the slab before the tile, so that if the concrete underneath cracks, the crack stays in the concrete instead of showing up in the tile. We put down multiple coats on this patio. In California, where seismic activity keeps slabs moving, we treat it as essential any time we tile directly on a slab.What does honed and filled travertine mean?
Honed is the finish: the face of the stone is ground smooth and matte rather than polished to a shine. Filled means the natural holes in the travertine have been filled, so the surface is closed. This patio is natural 18×18 travertine, honed and filled, from Floor & Decor.Can tile be installed outdoors in hot weather?
Yes, but not at any hour. This patio went in during a stretch of high-90s days, and once a surface gets up to 100 degrees it becomes impossible to set tile on, because the setting material won't bond properly. We worked at specific times of day, in the areas covered by shade, to make sure every tile got proper adhesion.
More on this kind of work: standalone tile installation.
Similar projects: Highland Park Tile, Malibu Craftsman Entry.
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