I am curious about the answers to these questions as well. My contractor include a "tumbled marble" backsplash in his quote, but I have no idea what that is, lol!

Mine is travertine. I do not have any behind a range (my cooktop is in the island). So far they are easy to keep clean. They are sealed,they are fairly smooth. I bought them at the Tile Shop. I spent a about $600 on the tile for 26 sf. That included pencil edging around all edges and stone enhancing sealer and tile outlet covers. I did receive a 20% contractor's discount. I paid $350 for installation, which I thought was a real bargain.
Here's a picture of the beverage bar.

nancyjn: Would you mind telling us the name and where you purchased the tiles you used? They look great with your kitchen. I am STILL looking for a backsplash and this could be a possibility. Thanks!

The tiles are called redding brick and I got them at The Tile Shop in Burnsville, MN. I think you can order from them online. When I picked them up, they looked much more white and gray than the sample. I used a stone enhancer and that brought out the brown tones.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Tile Shop

Nancyjn, I love your backsplash, and everything about your kitchen! Did the stone enhancer you used have a color? Do you recall the brand?

I chose travertine also and they are installing tomorrow. Nancyjn - yours are beautiful!!! If I had seen that before I ordered, I would have ordered that.
If I call it travertine, my friends look at me like they have never heard of it so I say "tumbled marble". I thought it was the same thing. Oh well, I'll keep pretending that I know what I'm talking about. I will post pictures of mine tomorrow.

morton5: The stone enhancer I used was the one sold at The Tile Shop, the company name on the box is Superior Adhesives and Chemicals. It was ridicously expensive, I think over $90. But I have enough to do every backsplash on this forum! LOL! I have seen cheaper ones, had I been more aware I might have looked around for a better deal or at least a smaller amount. Anyway it really made a difference, thought you might enjoy these before and after pictures. I applied it before grouting and then again after grouting. When my tiles were first up, I felt kinda sick at how white and gray they looked, but after I got the enhancer and applied it, they became the warm color tones that I wanted. Apparently if you wet your tile, that is the look it will have when you apply an enhancer.
Before

Here is my 7 year old tumbled marble backsplash - over the range.

This is unsealed and has held up just fine!

{{!gwi}}

We are in the middle of our DIY tumbled travertine backsplash, so no pics yet. We are using 4x4 tumbled travertine Durango cream and 2x2 glass gold leaf inserts. Our pattern is 1/2 tile for the bottom row, pencil rail (mocha color), then travertine on the diagonal for the field tile, with the glass inserts every 2-1/2' or so (depending on the outlets). We plan on using the Lutron Desert Stone outlets/switches/wallplates. We hare about 90% done, DH is cutting tile as we speak. So far very happy with it! Can't wait to see it with the enhancer/sealer, then grout it! We were able to purchase the tumbled travertine in Anaheim, CA for $5/sq. ft. Good Luck!

Mine's tumbled marble.

Thanks for the info, everybody. Chiefneil, your marble is beautiful-- as is your pool :-). Is your countertop marble, too?

Also, can somebody say definitively if tumbled marble and travertine are two different materials?

Thanks morton! Yes, marble and travertine are definitely different materials - although I couldn't tell you exactly what the difference is.

My counters are granite. That's bianco romano. I actually chose the tumbled marble because it was the closest match I could find. If I could've found bianco romano tiles I probably would've used that instead.

Yes, marble and travertine are definitely different materials - although I couldn't tell you exactly what the difference is.

In about another 10,000 years, travertine, as with any other limestone, will be marble. :-)

Found this on a FAQ About Using Stone in Your Home:

TRAVERTINE Â Travertine is marble, except it is filled with "holes." To understand what causes the holes, think of it this wayÂwherever a river or stream was prior to the marble being quarried is where you will find travertine. Because of the holes, people can be scared off because travertine is generally thought to be more porous and not suitable for residential use. This is not the case, as all of those holes become filled in with grout during installation, giving it a very unique look. The same travertine can be used in two separate areas but appear another way just by using two different grout colors! Travertine can be purchased with the holes pre-filled, but in my experience with it, I don't recommend it. In general, the epoxy fill that is used has a color to it that does not look natural to the stone and it has a tendency to come out after a short amount of time in high traffic areas. Expect to pay anywhere from $5.00 Â $15.00 per square foot.

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's the link