Travertine is the stone most Valley homeowners end up choosing for a pool deck or patio, and the questions are almost always the same three: what is it, what does it cost, and how do I keep it clean. The Hardworkers sets travertine across Mesa and the East Valley under ROC #332299, and this guide answers those three in the order they come up.
What travertine pavers are
Travertine is a natural stone, formed over thousands of years where mineral-rich springs deposit calcium carbonate in layers. It is quarried in blocks and cut into pavers — softer and more porous than granite, which is exactly why it works so well around a pool in Arizona. It stays comfortable underfoot, it can be reset if something underground has to be opened, and it does not fade the way a stained concrete slab does after a few Valley summers.
Two cuts come out of the quarry and they look nothing alike. Vein-cut travertine is sliced across the bedding planes and shows a linear, wood-grain movement. Cross-cut travertine is sliced through them for a flat, cloudy face that reads even across a large patio.
- Vein-cut: linear grain, warm and natural under a border course.
- Cross-cut: even cloudy face that hides joints in a big field.
- Honed: smooth and refined, typically for covered patios.
- Tumbled or brushed: lightly textured, the right pick for a wet pool deck.
- Standard thickness is 1¼ inch for patios and walkways, 2 inch for pool coping.
What travertine pavers cost in the Valley
Our current installed travertine rate is $12.89 per square foot, and sealing adds $1.89 per square foot. That number covers excavation, a compacted base, the stone, cutting, edge restraint and joint sand — the parts of the job that decide whether a deck is still flat and tight at year ten. Belgrad pavers run $10.89 and Phoenix Pavers $8.89, so travertine sits at the top of our hardscape range because the material arrives from a quarry rather than a block plant.
Square footage is only half of the price. The rest moves with the site: tearing out and hauling off an old cool-deck or slab, caliche or rock in the excavation, steps, landings and elevation changes, mitered borders and custom cuts, replacing pool coping, tight side-yard access where a wheelbarrow replaces a machine, and how demanding the pattern is — a French pattern takes more cutting and setting time than a running bond. The color and size you choose matter too, since premium select and 16x24 sizing cost more than a standard 12x12.
This is also the honest answer to why pavers cost more than a concrete slab. Roughly half of a paver install is invisible — excavation, base, compaction, restraint — and the rest is laid by hand, unit by unit. Concrete goes down faster and looks cheaper on day one, then charges you back the first time it cracks or a utility has to open a trench through it.
- Travertine
- $12.89 / sq ft
- Phoenix Pavers
- $8.89 / sq ft
- Belgrad pavers
- $10.89 / sq ft
- Travertine sealing
- $1.89 / sq ft
Laying travertine outdoors, including walkways
Every travertine deck we build starts under the stone. We excavate, compact a graded aggregate base in lifts, then set the pavers over a leveling bed with a slight fall away from the house — about one inch per eight feet, more where the yard drains to the street. That base and slope are what keep the stone from rocking, settling or holding water after the first monsoon. Edges are held by a concrete curb or aluminum restraint, and the joints are filled with polymeric sand so they stay tight through the summer.
Pattern is chosen for how the surface is used. Herringbone locks the units together, which is why it suits driveways and motor courts. The four-piece French pattern fills a patio with movement and hides cuts at the perimeter. Running bond keeps a walkway calm and pulls the eye toward the door. Pool edges get 2-inch coping set over the shell, with expansion joints where the deck meets the house and the pool so the stone can move without cracking.
- Walkways: running bond, 1% slope, restraint on both sides.
- Patios: French pattern with a border course and mitered corners.
- Pool decks: 2-inch coping, tumbled finish, drained away from the shell.
- Driveways: herringbone on a deeper compacted base.
- Steps and landings: set on formed footings, never on the paver field alone.
Cleaning and caring for travertine, including pool decks
Travertine is easy to live with as long as acid stays away from it. Sweep or blow off the dust, wash with water and a mild neutral-pH soap, then rinse. Never use muriatic acid, vinegar, citrus cleaners or an acid-based tile wash — they etch the surface and leave a dull, rough patch that no scrubbing brings back. Go easy with a pressure washer too: a wide fan tip at low pressure lifts dirt without eroding the face or blowing out the joint sand.
On a pool deck most staining is chemistry rather than dirt. Rinse the deck with fresh water after shocking the pool or after any acid wash nearby, and keep the pool's pH and alkalinity balanced so scale and metals settle in the filter instead of the stone. Blot oil or rust with an absorbent poultice rather than scrubbing it deeper. White powdery streaks along the base of a wall are efflorescence — salts pushing out of the mortar — and they brush away once the wall is dry.
A penetrating sealer buys you time. It slows water and oil from soaking into the pores, keeps stains on the surface where they can be lifted, and holds the stone's color through the sun. We price sealing as its own line, currently $1.89 per square foot, and recommend reapplying every two to three years or whenever water stops beading on the surface.
Travertine pavers, answered
- How much do travertine pavers cost per square foot in Arizona?
- Our installed rate is $12.89 per square foot, with sealing at $1.89. That covers excavation, compacted base, the stone, cutting, edge restraint and joint sand. Small patios, tight access and complex layouts price higher per foot than a large open field. You can run your own square footage through our estimator for a starting number.
- Are travertine pavers worth it compared to concrete?
- Travertine costs more up front, but it stays cooler underfoot, holds its color through the sun, and can be lifted and reset if a section settles or a line has to be dug. A concrete slab is cheaper and faster to pour, then cracks, stains and has to be cut open for repairs.
- Do travertine pavers get too hot to walk on in Arizona?
- Travertine reads cooler than poured concrete or asphalt because of its lighter color and open pore structure, but July afternoon sun is hot on any surface. Lighter colors and a tumbled finish are the most comfortable choice for a barefoot pool deck.
- How do you clean a travertine pool deck?
- Sweep or blow it off, wash with water and a mild neutral-pH soap, and rinse. Keep acid products away — no muriatic acid, vinegar or citrus — and use low pressure with a wide fan tip if you power wash. Rinse the deck after shocking the pool, and reseal every two to three years.
- How often does travertine need to be sealed?
- Every two to three years for an exposed pool deck or patio, or sooner if water stops beading. A penetrating sealer is better than a film-forming coating in Arizona, because it lets the stone breathe instead of trapping moisture under a film.
- Can travertine be installed over an existing concrete patio?
- Sometimes. If the slab is sound, pitched correctly and drains, pavers can be bonded over it with a crack-isolation membrane. Most Valley installs we do remove the old deck and build on a new compacted base, because that is the only way to fix grade, drainage and settled sections at the same time.
- How long does a travertine patio take to install?
- Most patios and pool decks run one to four weeks depending on square footage, demolition of the old surface, steps and how many cuts the pattern needs. We give you a sequence and a completion window in writing before the crew starts.
Enter your square footage in the estimator for a starting number, or walk the finishes with us before anything is ordered.