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Marble pavers vs Travertine - pool deck in FL

2 years ago

My husband and i are in the middle of building a pool and picking out stone for the pool deck. we live in st petersburg, fl and have narrowed it down to Travertine pavers or leathered marble. im worried about rusting and worried about red wine spilling and staining (im being realistic since we like to entertain). the color marble we like is Akoya which is essentially pearl / white. does anyone have any feedback on their pool deck? we want elegance yet easy to maintain any feedback is greatly appreciated

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Chris

2 years ago

This is what the protected portion looks like

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Comments (11)

Chris
2 years ago
Hi. We have travertine outdoors ( not even near a pool) and wherever it gets damp… it’s grown mold and mildew like crazy. Where it’s protected from the weather, it looks brand new. There’s a lot of cleaning involved keeping it look nice. Just a little fyi. (Ours was installed 3 years ago)
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Today we go an e-mail from our PB that they want an extra $3,500 in addition to the sizable amount in our contract to cover unexpected cost associated with the travertine paver patio install that we selected. The PB also informed us that they did not secure the 6X12" pavers we selected and fell in love with (even though on multiple occasions they said the material had been secured). The supplier no longer has sufficient stock to complete our job so we are going to have to select a different (12X12") paver from a different company. We were presented with the following options: 1) Install pavers on a standard sand bed base with no poly (NOT RECOMMENDED) 2) Install the Travertine pavers on an enhanced cement-stabilized sand bed base with a polymetric screed additive. +$3,275.00 3) Install the Travertine pavers on a concrete subbase. +$3,700.00 4) Remove decking from our contract and refund deck allowances altogether. What would you do? I am not willing to pay the requested amounts and feel the PB should complete the job specified in our contract (it does not specify type of sub base).
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Cameron Dobbs
Original Author
2 years ago
Chris, thank you SO much for your response and pictures that is so helpful. Quick question, do you seal your travertine every so often? And do you pressure wash? I’m wondering if maybe I should look at limestone or marble. Your travertine is beautiful I just need low maintenance
Chris
2 years ago
We do! It’s been a year though… I felt like the cleaning solution they use was a bit harsh for this natural stone and might erode it. Installer said to use bleach as well😮. This is my first experience using travertine so we are still figuring it all out. We bought an electric pressure washer and have been using that. It works for a while then it comes back because of rain and sprinkler overspray. What ever you decide on make sure they don’t have any low areas that catch water and that it is angled to drain well. If I did it again, I’d take a water hose to it and see where they needed to adjust.
Cameron Dobbs
Original Author
2 years ago
That’s a great thought. Thank you!
Chris
2 years ago
I imagine that many natural stones will have similar issues. My main concern would probably be finding one that can stand up to the wear and tear of maintenance. I’m sure you’ve googled away on all the different choices out there. It’s really about being prepared for how to care for them I guess and picking the one that looks lovely in the end. Everything seems to need so much maintenance these days!🙃
Cameron Dobbs
Original Author
2 years ago
Well said! I guess I’ll lean on my pool contractor for this one. Too many decisions and options for me. Ha!
chispa
2 years ago
Any natural stone in FL that is exposed to the outside will require regular maintenance to keep it looking perfect. I didn't want to deal with that level of maintenance and used Shellock pavers from Artistic Pavers for our lanai and pool deck in the house we just built.

https://artisticpavers.com/steplock
Byron Mata
2 years ago
Hi Cameron, we are building our pool too and I like marble pavers Akoya, I would like to know if this kind of floor is slippery. I have three kids , What do you know about this floor?
sbbanks1
last year
Can I ask what you went with? We are looking at sandblasted or leathered marble as an option for around our pool. Main concern is getting something that won’t be slippery when wet
pbasnet
last year
Hello, sbbanks1, did you go with marble? If so, is it functional and non-slippery?

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