Hi friends! You may have seen my Instagram photo recently which showed the basic layout of our small mudroom. Now that cabinets are finalized and into production, it’s time to install flooring. Which means we must decide on flooring!
When trying to decide what material install, Blaine and I been all over the place. Slate, brick, porcelain un-glazed rosette mosaic, checkerboard pattern porcelain, terracotta, etc, but in the end we’ve circled back round and settled on our original intuition: travertine.
The mudroom of a Houston home with limestone floors
Travertine is in the limestone family and is very porous. Left unpolished, like we plan to do, it has a rough matte finish. It has holes in it, which are partially filled with a cement based filler. The stone we chose will have chiseled edges and a brushed finish, so not perfectly straight edges and a textured top.
Travertine floors
Commonplace in Houston homes, where we’ve lived and worked for the past several years, it’s a classic look that became ingrained in my mind. I’m happy to be adding a bit of the “Houston Look” to our forever home here in southern Illinois. Speaking of forever, I think this stone flooring will bring a sense of permanence to our home like no other man-made material could do.
Travertine floors
As for size and layout, we’ve decided on French pattern, also called Versailles pattern, for added interest. It’s not quite random, but may appear that way at first glance.
Example of sizing for French pattern tile
I think it will bring a rustic warmth to the mudroom, which doubles as the back door (main) entry. Additionally, the room will be kept light and bright with the cream colored stone.
Limestone floors at the home office of Brooke Giannetti
I like the example below, showing how stone flooring can really help blend the outdoor environment with the inside of a home. Travertine is often seen on patios, porches, and poolsides, so by also using the material inside, it can tie-in the interior with the exterior landscape.
An interior limestone hallway at Patina Farm
A Houston home in the Memorial neighborhood with steel entry doors and limestone floors
Shiplap walls and ceiling, with French pattern limestone floors
Travertine flooring is very fitting for European design. It’s been used for centuries there. Houston design tends to be very French influenced, hence its appearance all over town there!
Limestone floors of a country home in Provence
French pattern stone floors
I just placed our stone tile order today, so the rush is on to get it here and installed before our cabinets arrive! :/ Hope to share with you more updates soon. We have so many little projects happening these days I can hardly document them all.
~Miranda
I have this type of flooring in one of my bathrooms and in my laundry room. It could not be easier to take care of! When we bought our house, I was told that it was called “Tumbled Mexican stone tile”. I don’t know if natural travertine tile with “raw” edges goes by other descriptors but that is what I have on my floors. I had never seen it before and found the raw tumbled edges very interesting and still do!
My only complaint is that my tile is a little too dark. I prefer the lighter versions in your inspiration photos. Otherwise, I am happy with its durability, uniqueness, easy care, and the visual interest it provides. I get bored with things pretty easily and these tiles keep me interested. I always discover something new to look at when I am in those two rooms. Who knew a floor could be so interesting?
Best wishes,
Karla in (burning) CA
Hi Karla! I hope you are safe from the wildfires! Thanks for the info and reassurance. It’s nice to know that you’ve gone a similar route and have not grown tired of it after some time living with it. We ordered a light cream colored stone, so hopefully it won’t be too dark for our little room. I can’t wait to have it installed! What size grout lines do you have? That is something we are debating.
Take care,
Miranda
Hello Miranda,
The previous owners had the stone tiles installed so I am making a guesstimate on the grout line. It looks to be 3/16″ however due to the tumbled and irregular edges some of the grout lines are quite wide (from 1/4″ to 1″ on one tile, for example). The tiles are 15.5″ x 15.5″ set end to end (no pattern).
If you’d like a photo, just let me know.
I am not in Northern CA but my area was in flames all summer long. The 5 year drought and over 200 million dead trees has been devastating for all of us here. My heart hurts for Northern CA. Santa Rosa is such a nice community.
Thanks for asking. Have a great weekend.
Karla
Thanks Karla! I bet those large tiles with some irregularity to the grout lines is a very pleasant and natural look. One more question: do you find the areas with wider grout lines any easier or harder to keep clean than the areas with skinnier grout lines? We are thinking of going wide, maybe not quite one inch, but my concern was keeping the grout clean.
I can’t imagine living through the wildfires. It is painful to watch on TV from afar!
Kind regards,
Miranda
Miranda,
The irregular and wider grout lines are just as easy to care for as the skinnier ones. The grout was sealed by the previous owners (approximately 8-9 years ago) and I have never needed to reseal them. I just vacuum the floors as needed and extra clean around the toilet. Easy as that. They look great! I am sure you’ll love them, too.
All the best,
Karla
That’s very helpful – thanks again Karla!
~Miranda