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How Travertine Tile is Made

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Travertine is a natural stone that can be found in quarries all over the globe. Most of travertine deposits are found in Mexico, Turkey, Peru, Iran and China. Because of the geological characteristics of each area, the tile will have a different appearance in every location from which is extracted. The leader exporters are Italy and Turkey while Mexico and China export the cheapest travertine because of the cheap labor utilized to create it.

How Travertine Tile is Made

Travertine is taken from a quarry, the is selected after its color, quality and plenty other factors. The four main methods used to remove the raw material when taken from quarry are: channeling machines, wire saw, chain saw and water-jet cutting.

-CHANNELING MACHINES: they prevent damage to the nearby stones during removal. The stone is cut out of the surrounding area with a large chise, using natural joints that are present in the stones in order for a no damage removal.

-WIRE SAW: a wire moved by electricity or fuel and coated with water and abrasive materials is used in order to cut the stones in the wanted areas in order to remove it from the surrounding stone. A big amount of wire is required in order to remove the stone as the wire erodes quickly against the durity of the stone.

-CHAIN SAW: Larger than the normal ones, using self propelled track system and carbide or diamond tipped blades for cutting. This technique is used to cut softer stone.

-WATER-JET CUTTING: A high pressure, stream of water is used in order to cut through the stones and make paths for next ones to be cut.

After the removal of the stone from the quarry, at the manufacturer the blocks are sliced similar to a loaf of bread. The equipment that is used is high quality and cuts the slices uniform and neat. After the cutting, the product is polished and finished in order to be ready for fabrication. After the finish applied to the stone, the fabricator will customize the tiles for different types of installations. This is when edges will be cut and rounded and a final polishing will be applied.

Once packaged, it is sent either to a construction site packed only in a pallet, either are sent to a retail outlet, distribution center or wholesaler for which it is packaged in a wooden crate to make it easier for selling in small amounts. There can also be other sorts of packaging such as: cardboard box, styrofoam packed and the most cost effective solution – shrink wrap. However, the first rule in shipping this type of product is never to place the stones one on top of the other in order to protect them from damaging each other.

Plus video links to youtube on how they are made

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