Installing Travertine Tile Without Grout Lines

Yes you can install the travertine without a grout joint.

Installing travertine tile without grout lines.

Just talked to a tile guy today and he did his house with travertine without a grout line. I try to use the smallest grout lines the tile will allow. Grout is a necessary and integral part of many tile jobs for several reasons. As long as the travertine tiles are well bonded to the substrate that you cut open the joints so they are about 1 8 inch wide that you clean the joints thoroughly and let them dry and then if you install a polymer modified cementitious grout meeting ansi a118 7 per the manufacturer s directions it should perform well.

Even though you butt the tile together it will still create a very small grout joint. I looked up the idea of no grout lines using travertine and someone said you must have a grout line at least a penny wide. It keeps moisture out of the substrate helps keep tile lines straight and. Still experienced contractors will tell you that this isn t a good option and even the thinnest of grout lines can make a big difference.

There is also the argument that groutless tile installation simply looks better and makes the work seem more compact or put together. Travertine is an outstanding example of tile that can be installed without grout lines. For most granite and marble tile i install i use either 1 32 or 1 16 inch grout lines. It is breath taking when you see the natural beauty of a joint less counter top or shower produced with this veined stone.

Make sure you still grout it to fill all of the voids. Don t do a groutless tile installation. In most other tile i will use 1 16 or 1 8 inch lines. Instead line up the corners of the tiles and use your rubber mallet to gently tap the surface of the marble or travertine until it is butted up tightly against the adjacent piece.

Set the next piece of tile adjacent to the first piece being sure to repeat steps 2 and 3 for every marble or travertine tile you install. Here s why you need grout. This natural stone is cut to size leaving honed flat edges that make great grout less joints. He said that it is no issue and is a cleaner look less of a chance for crap to get in the grout line and discolor.

How to lay tile without grout lines.