Limestone vs. Travertine | What to Choose and Why

In this article, we answer an FAQ about the differences and similarities between two of the most popular natural stones in architecture and interior design, Limestone and Travertine.

In this article, we discuss the differences in material, durability, use, cost, maintenance, and design between Limestone and Travertine.

Pool Coping 101

Pool Coping is used around the edge of in-ground pools and other swimming pools. If you are in the water and holding the side of the pool you will be holding on to the coping tiles or pavers. Likewise if you are dangling your feet in the water chances are you are sitting on the pool coping.

Natural Stone Finishes 101

When selecting natural stone for your project, consideration and understanding of the product and surface finish are paramount, as this will determine the most suitable option to use.

When selecting natural stone for your project, consideration and understanding of the product and surface finish are paramount, as this will determine the most suitable option to use.

Outdoor Retreat Design Style

The alfresco area in a retreat design style is an extension of the living space, and serves as the tranquil weekend getaway destination. You are transported into your ultimate retreat as you step into your outdoor living space.

Australians love living outdoors as much as possible, and the outdoor living spaces in our homes are so precious. We want to make the most of the space, no matter how big or small.

Whether it’s for lazing around by the pool in summer or snuggling up by the fire pit in the colder months, we love to enjoy good food, a glass of wine and time with family and friends outdoors.

There is a growing design trend right now to transform your backyard into an outdoor retreat. As many of us have now worked and studied from home, we’ve started looking at our space differently, and need somewhere to unwind and relax, which is only a few steps away from our home office.

The alfresco area in a retreat design style is an extension of the living space and serves as a tranquil weekend getaway destination. You are transported into your ultimate retreat as you step into your outdoor living space.

But how can you recreate the feeling you get when you spend a day on holiday in your own home? Read on to find out the design elements which can transform your garden into a private sanctuary.

Pool Inspiration and Ideas

Natural stone pavers and pool coping can enhance your pool design, and provide functional benefits, such as a safer environment around the pool. There are a variety of natural stone products with a suitable finish that can be used outdoors and around pools, including Limestone, Travertine, Granite, Sandstone, or porcelain.

Natural stone pavers and pool coping can enhance your pool design, and also provide functional benefits, such as a safer environment around the pool.

There are a variety of natural stone products with a suitable finish that can be used outdoors and around pools, including Limestone, Travertine, Granite, Sandstone, or porcelain.

Select from our pool copings, skimmer lids, glass mosaics or Wall Cladding to complete your outdoor oasis.

Natural Stone for Feature Wall Ideas

Use Natural Stone in Wall Cladding to create a unique feature wall for your garden, eye-catching exterior entrance, resort-style addition to your pool design, or a one-of-a-kind touch to your interiors. Alternatively, natural stone tiles add an organic look and a visual interest with natural variation to your feature walls.

Use natural stone for wall cladding to create a unique feature wall for your garden, an eye-catching exterior entrance, resort-style addition to your pool design, or a one-of-a-kind touch to your interiors.

Or select natural stone tiles to add an organic look and a visual interest with natural variation to your feature walls.

Create Bespoke Exteriors with Wall Cladding

Wall Cladding is a layer of natural stone applied to an outdoor or indoor wall as a part of architectural design.

Loose random-sized Wall Cladding is made up of unique natural stone pieces that allow you to create a one-of-a-kind finish.

Hotham Limestone Wall Cladding

Random-sized split finish stone wall cladding with light to mid-grey notes and warm highlights that can add a dominant but still refreshing look to your design.

Cotswold Wall Granite Cladding

Cotswold Wall Cladding consists of sesame and dark earthy coloured granite pieces that can create a traditional European look but also fit into a modern architectural style.

Cotswold looks especially stunning when installed replicating a traditional dry stack stone wall and compliments the landscape. Mosman project in collaboration with Joanne Green Landscape & Interior.

Montenegro Granite Wall Cladding

Rectangular pieces of flamed granite tiles with light to mid-grey tones and warm highlights featuring stunning markings of grey, ivory, and charcoal colours and natural variation of the stone that looks beautiful contrasting with the green landscape.

Himalayan Sandstone Wall Cladding

The pale sandy colours of this Himalayan split face wall cladding bring muted colours to your walls and add an unexpected softness as well as structural interest to your design.

Add Texture To Your Interior Walls

Wall Cladding doesn’t only add an original look but also texture to your walls, creating dimension, reflecting light, and adding style to your space.

Cascade Cream Limestone Wall Cladding

Warm and soft textured Crema Alpenia Limestone cladding comes in a set size with a textured finish, that has a warm tone without being too yellow and adds texture to the space while still remaining soft to the touch.

The interior designer, Allie, from Ampersand Studio, used this Wall Cladding throughout the interiors in the Freshwater project and said: “The original concept included a traditional Sandstone, but we changed to the Cascade Cream Limestone cladding for something more contemporary.”

Clairvaux Limestone Wall Cladding

Varied pieces of white Sandstone that we originally sourced for a custom project in a tumbled finish to produce a relaxed and welcoming look to your wall design. It is now a standard product in our range.

Clairvaux Wall Cladding offers two distinct looks for your feature wall.

Combine it with dark-coloured grout to make the light stone pop out within the design, as it was used for the Vaucluse project in collaboration with Maxine Scalabrino-Fine Architect and Green Coast Landscapes as illustrated in the image below.

For completely different aesthetics, use lighter-colored grout to create a softer more seamless design for your wall.

Get Creative With Your Pool Design with Summit Wall Cladding

Add a unique feature wall to your pool to create a resort-style feel and enhance the design.

Using Summit Wall Cladding in a design reminiscent of those found around large open fires in the ski fields can add character and charm.

Use Natural Stone Tiles as Wall Cladding

Creating feature walls is not limited to using our Wall Cladding range. Natural stone tiles are suitable to use for walls showcase natural variation and provide visual interest for your wall.

Manhattan Limestone for Wall Cladding

Our best-selling Manhattan Limestone is a common choice to use as Wall Cladding, giving an opportunity to showcase the white and grey hues elegantly interwoven together, which can create a stunning entrance, as is the case in this project in Mosman.

Noce Travertine Laid In A French Pattern

Noce Travertine displays a variation of light and darker brown, beige and earthy notes that provide a strong backdrop and a touch of character to the dining area in this project by Vienna Design. Selecting a French pattern adds further interest to the feature wall.

First Choice Classic Travertine

Combine your Classic Travertine floors with a feature wall that organically connects the design.

Silver Ash Premium Travertine

Silver Ash Travertine features the natural brown and ash tones interwoven into its silver surface can create a strong character for your feature wall.

Vein Cut Travertine

A vein cut tile is when the slab is cut parallel to the natural bedding and the mineral vein runs along the tile, showing off the natural beauty of the stone, contributing to your one-of-a-kind design.

Marble for Sophisicated Wall Design

Using Marble for your wall design can add elegance and style to your interiors. Marble is tactile, strong and features subtle veining. The Marble look adds a sense of exclusivity, evokes emotion and cultural relevance.

Ideas and Inspiration for Cobblestone Driveways

Cobblestones remain a popular choice for driveways due to their high compressive strength, ability to withstand heavy traffic and the test of time. Since the 3rd Century, Cobblestones have been used to pave the piazzas and streets of Europe and their magic survives today.

Cobblestone is a natural building material that has been used for centuries to create durable and attractive streets, roads, and other forms of paving. The term “cobblestone” refers to small, rounded stones that were traditionally used to create the surface of roads and other paved areas. The stones were typically cobbled together by hand, using a technique called “setts,” to create a smooth, flat surface.

Bathroom Ideas and Inspiration with Natural Stone

The selected tiles are the key design element of any bathroom, determining the overall look.

Natural stone is a suitable product, despite the wet environment and if the product is properly sealed and maintained, it provides an everlasting look.

While Marble is a classic choice for bathrooms, you can get creative and use Travertine, Limestone, or Granite for your own unique design. The porcelain tiles from our range offer an array of options, eye-catching colours, natural stone lookalikes and streamlined maintenance.

Natural Stone in Commercial Spaces

Working in direct partnership with architects, interior designers, landscape architects and builders on commercial projects, we supply natural stone and other materials for office spaces, hospitality venues, retail spaces, schools, recreational resorts and hotels.

Working in direct partnership with architects, interior designers, landscape architects, and builders on commercial projects, we supply natural stone and other materials for office spaces, hospitality venues, retail spaces, schools, recreational resorts, and hotels.

Our expert staff can help you select the right natural stone material for your project requirements and ensure it meets the required standards.

Outdoor Living Ideas with Limestone, Travertine & Granite

Turning your backyard into a personal oasis can transform your home. Natural stone is a popular choice for gardens and landscaping projects and the selection will depend on your requirements and design style.

Turning your backyard into a personal oasis can transform your home. Depending on your preferences and lifestyle, you can tailor your alfresco area to be a place to relax with family, entertain friends and wind down on warm summer nights.

Natural stone is a popular choice for gardens and landscaping projects with many options available, including LimestoneTravertineSandstone, or Granite.

The selection of stone will depend on your project requirements and design style. Our range of natural stones suitable for your alfresco area is produced with an anti-slip finish suited to outdoor environments.

Lighten Up Your Backyard with Calming Limestone 

Limestone is a popular choice for coastal locations and with its calming colours and non-slip alfresco finish, it can add a relaxing atmosphere and a sense of tranquillity to your outdoor area.

Tavira Limestone

Our lightly-coloured Tavira Limestone is popular for alfresco areas and pool surrounds because of its elegant and relaxing fresh look that resembles the sand at the beach.

Its lightly textured finish and consistent colour scheme make it ideal for coastal locations as well as comfortable underfoot.

In the Cobbittee Project in Mosman with Get Smart Landscaping, our Tavira Limestone was used in indoor and outdoor areas creating a seamless look inspired by Byron Bay and the iconic Raffles Hotel in Singapore.

Cathedral Limestone

Our Cathedral Limestone comes in a large format which with its sandy colours and lightly textured finish looks stunning in outdoor areas.

Reminiscent of European cathedral floors with a tumbled finish, it conveys a classic, sophisticated and ageless look that will suit modern and traditional designs.

Luna Chiaro Limestone

The consistent light grey colours with soft, muted tones and subtle markings of the Luna Chiaro Limestone make it an attractive choice for contemporary design.

The colour notes of this Limestone look exceptionally beautiful when set against the green colours of the surrounding landscape. Also available in a Honed finish, the combination of the two can create a seamless flow from the inside out.

Crema Vialle Limestone

An elegant cream-coloured Limestone that creates a calming atmosphere and soft undertones.

The honed finish is available in the same large format, creating a smooth transition from your indoor to outdoor space.

In this project at Macmasters Beach, in collaboration with Balanced Building, our Crema Vialle Limestone was used both indoors and outdoors around the pool area, winning the “Concrete Pools” category at the MBA Awards in 2021.

Classic Look with Versatile Travertine

Travertine, a building material that has been used in Italy for centuries, is one of the most commonly used natural stones in contemporary architecture and design.

Naturally occurring in a variety of white, beige and cream colours, it is loved for its beautiful natural variation, classic look and design.

 

First Choice Premium Classic Travertine 

Suited for any design vision, our Classic Travertine is a popular choice for residential projects because of the versatility of its neutral beige colour scheme.

This light and natural Travertine works well when complemented by blue, green, and peacock colours often present in pool areas and mosaics where they create an interesting contrast.

At Sareen Stone, we only import first-choice quality Travertine with minimal holes, colour consistency and free from unwanted inclusions.

Silver Ash Premium Travertine

This mid-tone grey Travertine with soft patterns of brown and dark ash tones interwoven into its surface with a spectacular natural variation that can add a dominant backdrop to your design.

In this project with Mallinger Contructions, our Silver Ash Travertine was used for the alfresco as well as indoor areas, creating a fresh contemporary design and completely transforming the space.

Bring the Beach to Your Doorstep with Sandstone 

Perfect for the harsh Australian environment, the Himalayan Sandstone offers a warm, yet distinguished look with neutral colouring that can add a “beachy” feel to your outdoor area.

Add Character with Sophisticated Granite

Being one of the strongest natural stones available, Granite is ideal for high-traffic areas. The signature coarse-grained texture and slight sparkle due to its mineral composition make it a popular choice for alfresco areas, especially in industrial and urban designs.

Silhouette Grey Granite Flamed

One of our trending Granites due to its consistent light grey colour notes offers a neutral palette and eye-catching contrast to blue, green and white colours within the alfresco design.

This Granite is low-maintenance and offers extreme durability in high-traffic areas.

Outside Indulgence selected our Silhouette Grey Granite for the transformation of the alfresco area in Project Lowry.

Get Creative with Our Custom Stone

Can’t find the natural stone that fits your unique landscape or design vision? We work closely with our quarries and can source natural stone in a different finish, custom-cut pieces for your landscape, or a product outside our range.

Curved Custom-cut Silhouette Granite

In the Cove House project, originally designed by renowned architect Reuben Lane, the client paid respect to the original design with rich use of curves and we sourced our Silhouette Granite custom-cut to fit the curved landscape.

In collaboration with Secret Gardens. Photography by Nick Watt.

Custom Sourced Azul Limestone

For the Grove project with Pacific Plus Constructions and Corben Architects, we’ve sourced Azul Limestone characterised by light grey tones with minimal variation and solid colour consistency, which makes it perfect for a contemporary architectural design.

The project was featured in multiple publications such as the Local Project and the House & Garden.

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Custom Sourced Concha Bonita Limestone 

For the project in Killara with Toki Constructions and Jorge Hrdina Architects, the client desired a natural stone reminiscent of French Limestone with delicate textures. We’ve sourced the Concha Bonita in a unique “waterjet” finish. Photo by Anson Smart.

Custom Sourced Santa Fe Limestone 

In the beachside location of Byron Bay, the client had a vision of a calming Limestone reminiscent of the sand at the beach and we sourced Santa Fe Limestone outside of our range.

Burch House project in collaboration with Those Architects and captured by Luc Remond.