Limestone vs Travertine: Differences and How to Choose

Limestone vs Travertine: The Short Answer

• Limestone: fine-grained, even and calm. Often cream, beige or gray, with a soft matte face.
• Travertine: warm and textured, with linear bands and natural pits. Often ivory, walnut, gold or silver.
• Both: softer than granite, porous, and best sealed.

Read the full stone background in what is travertine and the Stone Encyclopedia.

What Is the Difference Between Travertine and Limestone?

Both stones form from calcium carbonate, but they form differently. Limestone builds up in layers, often from marine sediment, and ends up dense and uniform. Travertine forms around mineral springs, which leaves natural holes and a banded, linear pattern. That origin is why travertine feels more rustic and limestone feels more refined and quiet.

Travertine vs Limestone: Look and Texture

Limestone has a smooth, consistent surface with subtle clouding. Travertine shows bold bands, color shifts and small voids. In filled vs unfilled travertine we explain how holes are filled for a smooth floor or left open for a rustic look. Browse the textures in tumbled travertine tile, honed travertine tile and filled and honed travertine.

Limestone or Travertine: Color Options

Limestone tends toward neutral cream, beige and gray. Travertine covers a warmer range. Try Ivory travertine for a light sandy tone, Noce and Walnut for deeper brown, Gold for sunny warmth, and Silver Pewter for cooler gray. Mixed blends live in Ivory, Noce and Gold. See color guides for ivory travertine and silver travertine.

Durability and Hardness

Limestone and travertine are both soft natural stones, in the same general range as marble and softer than granite. Neither is a tough-as-nails surface. Both can scratch, and both react with acids such as lemon juice, vinegar and some cleaners. Sealing and stone-safe cleaning are the key. Read travertine care, the travertine sealing guide and natural stone care.

Which Is Better for Floors, Showers and Outdoors?

Both stones can be used on floors, walls and showers when sealed and installed correctly. Travertine has a long track record outdoors, especially around pools. See travertine floor tile, travertine shower tile, travertine bathroom tile and travertine pavers and pool coping. In wet areas, natural stone needs sealing and a proper waterproofing system, so follow your installer's advice.

Backsplashes and Mosaics

For a kitchen, travertine gives warm texture. Browse travertine mosaic tile and read travertine backsplash tile. Compare it with marble in travertine vs marble, and see more stones in stone types.

How to Choose Between Limestone and Travertine

Choose the quiet, even look of limestone if you want a calm, uniform surface. Choose travertine if you like warmth, bands and character. Our catalog is focused on travertine, marble, dolomite and onyx; for a pale, even alternative, look at dolomite and dolomite tile. Finish choices are covered in stone tile finishes.

Cleaning and Sealing: Same Rules for Both

Whichever you choose, the care routine is almost identical. Seal the stone when it is installed, wipe spills quickly and use a pH-neutral stone cleaner instead of vinegar or harsh sprays. Honed and tumbled finishes tend to hide wear better than polished. If a surface looks dull or marked, our travertine polishing guide and stone tile grout guide explain the next steps.

Grout, Setting and Installation

Travertine and limestone both want a flexible, stone-safe setting bed and a grout that suits the tile's texture. Unfilled travertine is often grouted to fill the pits as well as the joints. Your installer will choose the right products; our installation guide and thinset guide give a helpful overview before you start.

Patterns That Suit Each Look

Travertine looks wonderful in a French or Versailles pattern, laid in mixed sizes for an old-world floor. See stone tile patterns and the Versailles mosaic guide. For a more even look, a single-size field tile in a honed, filled finish keeps the surface quiet.

Which One Should You Start With?

If you love texture and warm color, start with a few travertine samples in different finishes. If you want something quieter, compare honed and filled travertine with dolomite and marble. Looking for more? Read the buying guide or find a matching tile.

Quick Comparison Checklist

Choose travertine if you want warm color, visible bands, a lived-in feel and a stone that has been used on patios and pool decks for a long time. Choose a smooth, even stone if you want a quiet surface with little pattern. In both cases, plan on sealing, using stone-safe cleaners and testing a sample in your own light first. Travertine's natural variation is part of its charm, so expect color and pit differences between tiles, and mix tiles from several boxes when you lay them.

Think about the finish as well as the stone. Honed and filled travertine is smooth and good for indoor floors. Tumbled travertine has softened edges and suits patios and old-world rooms. Brushed and chiseled edges give a rustic border. When you are ready to plan quantities, the tile calculator and our quantity and layout review make it simple.

Natural stone varies from tile to tile, so see it in person. Any 5 samples are $25 and ship free; order sample tiles or pick up in Anaheim. Use the tile calculator and project planning guide, or contact us.

Common questions