Travertine is a porous, fibrous, sedimentary stone that is derived from limestone. It comes in a variety of off-white shades, and occasionally some rust shades. The name travertine comes from a district near Rome called Tivoli. The travertine stone from this area was used to build the notorious Coliseum in Rome. Other end uses for this stone include wall tiles, facades, patio pavers, garden paths, flooring tiles, countertops, and wall cladding.
This stone is formed when surface and underground waters cause carbonate minerals to precipitate. This process is also known as geothermally heated hot springs. The minerals that are exposed to this precipitation are found in limestone caves, making travertine derived from limestone. Travertine naturally comes with holes in it, and these are filled manually with cement or resin depending on the stone’s desired end use.