Travertine – beauty of stone

Despite it is “only” a plaster, it perfectly imitates a stone facing. Thus, it is very popular on the market. What are we talking about? About travertine – the material with which we can produce stunning decorative effects. Simple application and unique outcome on the wall are the biggest, but not the only, advantages of this material.

Customers usually think of travertine as a very exclusive material which is used, e.g. in the interiors of luxury boutiques and exclusive hotels. Quite high cost of this decoration also relates to this stereotype with no doubt. However, the interior designers point out that the travertine guarantees so unique decoration, that it is enough to apply it on a single wall only to give a noble character to the entire compartment. Therefore, the material becomes a product which is used more and more often, not only in the public access spaces, but also in private rooms, e.g. in apartments.

Rich variety of possibilities

Travertine is a porous limestone rock, characterized by unique pitting. It is used in the construction industry as a decorative material; it is available in gray, light yellow and beige shades. Nowadays, there are special ready-to-use mixes in use, so one can obtain an effect of travertine on the surface, providing the appropriate application and treatment.

Travertine is a plaster of the appearance of a natural stone. It contains a special marble powder, owing to which the appearance of the finished wall is very unique. Travertine stands out from other decorations because of the effect of natural cracks, veins, cavities or, so-called pitting. Moreover, the plaster can be used in any living compartment. This type of decoration suits ideally not only in the living room, but also in a bedroom or a hallway. Travertine becomes also an interesting alternative to tiles in a kitchen or a bathroom as it is very easy to clean. One of the greatest advantages of this type of decoration is very unconventional surface appearance. It is absolutely certain that a wall finished with travertine will be very much appreciated by the investors and can to next interesting orders in future.

HOW TO USE TRAVERTINE (based on FOX Decorator products):

Travertine effect on the wall is quite easy to form. It can be applied onto any substrate indoors, including concrete, plaster, stone or plaster boards. The application should not cause the provider too much trouble.

1. PREPARATION OF THE SUBSTRATE

– The best way to apply the travertine is to do it directly on unpainted raw plasters containing cement and lime. Only then will it bind to the substrate as an inseparable layer.

– In case of very absorbent, porous limestone and cement-lime plasters we should use a primer which limits and levels the absorption.

– Travertine requires the substrate which is well bonded, dry, cleaned of old, peeling paint, even, without cracks and free of dust and grease.

– Surfaces previously painted with distemper must be carefully cleaned off up to the relevant substrate.

– In the case of non-absorbent surfaces, we need to apply a bonding layer before the application of the travertine.

2. PREPARATION OF THE MATERIAL

– If we use the product in a form of a dry mixture, then it must be mixed with water according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The consistency of the prepared mass should enable easy adhering to the substrate and tools. After we obtain an appropriate consistency, the mass should be sealed in a container and left for maturing for min. 24 hours.

– After maturing we should stir the mass and add a small amount of water if the consistency does not meet our expectations.

– To obtain the effect of travertine of a colour different than white, first we should color the plaster by adding a pigment directly to the prepared mass.

– Remember to color such amount of plaster, which suffices for the entire surface decoration.

3. APPLICATION OF THE FIRST LAYER

– Apply the plaster with a stainless steel float, with a thickness of a single grain and then smooth the mass. Next, leave it for 12 to 24 hours for drying. Turn off the heating to avoid too rapid and uneven drying. The works are preferably performed in closed rooms, free of draughts, in the temperature above 5°C.

– When the first coat dries any unevenness should be grinded with sandpaper. Next, the whole surface should be dusted with a soft brush.

4. APPLICATION OF THE SECOND LAYER

– Before applying the second layer, we need to moisten the entire surface thoroughly with a roller for paints and a brush.

 – Apply the second layer of plaster on the moistened surface and level it. Layer must be of such thickness so the small marble aggregates do not scratch the surface.

– When executing large areas, control the substrate moisture regularly, especially at areas of joints (you can sprinkle them with water) so they do not become visible.

How to form the effect of cavities and pitting?

The second layer should be artistically “defaced” by forming irregular cavities and pits (up to you, either vertical or horizontal).

• We recommend using a spatula to achieve the effect of cavities.
• When shaping defaced structure, we should gently smooth the surface with a float edge at the same time.
• The plaster pores obturate whereas not scratched areas get a characteristic smooth shining effect when the surface is being smoothed.
• If pitting obturates during smoothing, we should reduce the force with which the float is pressed against the wall or wait until the surface dries a little bit more.
• When smoothing, it is essential to keep the float blade perfectly clean (preferably remove any material from the float after each stroke, using paper towels or dry cloth). We do the same over the entire surface.
• When the work is done, wait 12 to 24 hours until the drying process is completed.
• When the surface is dry, we can remove any thickening by grinding with sandpaper.
• Clean the entire surface with a soft brush.

5. VARNISHING THE SURFACE

When the second layer dries, we need to varnish the entire surface. Varnishing should be done in two stages:

A. Firstly, you should use a colorless varnish diluted with water in 1:1 ratio. This stage consists of distributing the varnish over the entire surface with a brush, in the same direction as the previously formed pitting. Next, we wait from 6 up to 12 hours, so the first layer of varnish binds.

B. The final result is obtained by filling the pits with a previously colored varnish. By use of the appropriate colour pigment we obtain the expected colour of the cavity. This process is called varnishing in colour. To do this, we mix the varnish with the selected pigment and apply the mix in accordance with the direction of the existing pits. We perform varnishing from the top to the bottom (if vertical pits prevail) in narrow strips. Immediately after  varnishing, we wash off the colored varnish from smooth and non-scratched areas. We recommend washing off with a sponge, which should be regularly rinsed with water and drained off. As a result, most of the colour remains in pitting and cavities – this provides the right character of the whole decoration.

In order to obtain strongly visible pits and cavities, they should be omitted during the initial varnishing. In addition, we should try to varnish only smooth surfaces (it is the best to use a roller for varnish with very short bristle). With this method we apply the varnish on the entire surface.

Original text: Andrzej Sawicki, ATLAS Group

English text: Piotr Marciniak, ATLAS Group