Property owners across the globe love travertine for exterior flooring applications because of its subtle and elegant aesthetic appeal. One of the most timeless and classic stone choices, it’s a popular option across all climates, design styles and application types.

But did you know that porcelain outdoor tiles can replicate the appearance of natural travertine with greater functional benefits and a lessened cost? Tile Tech’s Travertine Series of porcelain pavers perfectly replicates the sophisticated appearance of a natural travertine deck with a price tag that accommodates any budget.

If you’re debating between travertine pavers and travertine-style porcelain deck tiles, here are four major differences that can help you decide which material is right for your paver deck.

1. Appearance

Porcelain outdoor tiles are engineered to perfectly replicate the appearance of natural travertine so that you can achieve the same light and creamy color scheme with both types of pavers. However, since porcelain pavers are synthetically engineered, you can achieve virtually endless color and style customizations that suit any landscape design.

At Tile Tech, we currently have five travertine styles: Travertine Pearl, Travertine Tan, Travertine Cross Silver, Travertine Cross Shell, and Travertine Cross Walnut. With these, you can achieve something light, dark, warm, cool or monochromatic. You can even use them as pool coping and pool decking, so your imagination can run wild with the possibilities of travertine porcelain pavers.

2. Durability

One of the most significant differences between travertine and porcelain deck tiles is their durability. Travertine is one of the more durable types of natural stone, but it’s still no match for porcelain pavers.

Travertine can crack or break over time, and its porous nature makes it susceptible to water damage, staining and other forms of wear and tear. By contrast, porcelain pavers have a water absorption rate of less than 0.01 percent, so they’re incredibly resistant to staining and freeze-thaw cracking.

3. Maintenance Requirements

Since porcelain paving tiles are much more durable than travertine pavers, they are also lower maintenance. Since real travertine is liable to crack or break, you’ll need to account for long-term repair and replacement costs, and they’ll likely need to be re-sealed annually to stay pristine.

Porcelain pavers, on the other hand, never need to be sealed. Our travertine porcelain pavers are resistant to frost, fire, thermal shock, color fading, and water damage. They’re nonporous to resist staining, and they have extremely high slip resistance. In the unlikely event that a tile breaks, you can easily pop it out and replace it using our innovative adjustable pedestal system — no intensive construction project is required.

4. Lifespan

Lifespan is where natural travertine gains an advantage over travertine porcelain pavers. While porcelain pavers can last up to 100 years when well taken care of, real travertine stone can last centuries if maintained properly.

However, if you have a commercial property with high foot traffic or don’t want to worry about the intensive maintenance process that real travertine requires, travertine-style porcelain pavers are the superior choice for residential and commercial properties around the country.

When contractors or property managers seek industry-leading deck tiles for their latest renovation, they know to turn to the experts at Tile Tech Pavers. We have hundreds of unique paver varieties, including porcelain pavers, concrete pavers, roof pavers and more. With the Tile Tech paver system, you can create an elegant and elevated outdoor space that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of you or your company. To learn more about our product options, give Tile Tech a call at (888) 380-5575 or fill out our online contact form today.