Travertine in Reunion, FL
The short version for Reunion
A travertine pool deck in Reunion runs $20.00–$36.00 per sq ft installed (Q3 2026 Cost Index) in 1¼-inch tumbled pavers or ½-inch tile thin-set over a sound existing deck, with matching bullnose coping. It is the surface Reunion owners ask for by name because it stays cooler barefoot than concrete pavers and reads as stone on an estate lot. Approval goes through your section's management company; the county treats the work as flatwork.
Travertine on Reunion's lots
Estate homes on the golf courses use tumbled ivory or silver travertine in the French pattern on the deck and the lanai, often continued to a summer kitchen and a seat wall; rental villas use the same material in a tighter pattern with an anti-slip sealer. Over a sound 2005 paver or concrete deck we thin-set ½-inch tile; on a rebuilt deck we sand-set 1¼-inch pavers on compacted base. Coping is mortar-set bullnose on the bond beam with an expansion joint to the field. Sealer: penetrating and breathable only; film sealers haze white on stone over bedding sand within a year (Sealer Types Compared). Rust from irrigation shows fast on ivory stone; Reunion is on utility water, so the usual culprit is a well-fed irrigation zone on an estate lot (Rust Stains From Well-Water Irrigation: Identify, Remove, Prevent).
Approval and permit
Artemis Lifestyles (407-705-2190) for single-family and most condo sections, Greystone (407-645-4945) for the Villas, Southwest Property Management (407-656-1081) for the Terraces; the packet includes a stone sample, pattern, coping profile and drainage note (HOA / ARC Packet Checklist). Osceola County: flatwork outside setbacks; a deck tied to the pool or cage structure is confirmed with the Building Office (407-742-0200). Unincorporated Osceola County; the full material page is Travertine.
An estate-lot travertine deck and lanai
1,100 square feet of deck and lanai around a 16-by-36 pool, plus 40 linear feet of seat wall. Tumbled ivory travertine in the French pattern, sand-set on a rebuilt base, mortar-set bullnose coping, channel drain at the cage line, travertine-capped seat wall. Deck at $20.00–$36.00 per sq ft: $22,000 to $39,600; coping $28 to $55 per linear foot; seat wall $75 to $130 per linear foot. Ten days. Ranges from the Q3 2026 index.
Does travertine get too hot for a Reunion pool deck in July?
Warm, not scorching. Published installer measurements put light travertine at 105 to 120 °F on a 95-degree afternoon, versus 130 to 145 for dark concrete pavers; ivory and silver grades are the coolest of the travertine range. We cite those numbers rather than our own until we measure decks here in July, and we publish the method when we do.
Straight-line distance from downtown Kissimmee: 13 miles; drive estimate about 30 minutes. Source for distance: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal point.
Why travertine suits this particular market
Reunion's homes are at the upper end of the vacation rental market, competing on photographs and on guest experience, and travertine does well on both counts. It photographs as stone rather than as concrete, it stays noticeably cooler underfoot than grey concrete pavers at two in the afternoon in July, and tumbled travertine has good wet grip, which matters when the deck is full of children.
The trade-offs are real and worth stating. It costs more, roughly twenty to thirty-six dollars a square foot installed against fifteen to twenty-four for a concrete paver overlay. It is a calcareous stone, so acidic cleaners and acidic pool chemistry etch it and muriatic acid destroys it. And it wants a penetrating sealer every two to three years on a deck in full sun, never a film-forming one.
Set on sand or thin-set on the existing deck
| Sand-set travertine | Thin-set over existing concrete | |
|---|---|---|
| Base | Compacted limerock plus bedding course | The existing slab, which must be sound |
| Height added | Set to the design elevation | About an inch, which has to clear thresholds |
| If the ground moves later | Lift and relay the affected area | The stone has to be broken out |
| Suits | Rebuilds, new decks, decks with drainage problems | Sound, well-drained decks with no hollow areas |
| Cost | Higher, includes excavation and base | Lower, no excavation |
| Deciding test | Not applicable | Tap test and string line across the coping |
Ordering stone for a large deck
A six or eight hundred square foot travertine deck is a large enough order that lot variation becomes visible. Natural stone changes between quarry lots in colour range, void pattern and sometimes thickness, and a deck finished from two lots can show a line where the second one started.
Where the quantity allows it we order the whole deck from a single lot and confirm that with the supplier in writing rather than assuming. Where it does not, we blend across the field from all pallets as we lay rather than working one pallet at a time, which distributes the variation instead of concentrating it. On a French pattern the blending has to be planned with the repeat, which is one more reason the layout is set out on paper first.
Finished travertine from our crews
Job photos from our crews around Central Florida. Every lot gets its own base, slope and drainage plan, so use these for finish and pattern ideas rather than as a template.
See the full gallery, with real photos and renderings labelled →
Questions we get about this
Sand-set or thin-set?
Thin-set tile over a sound existing deck; sand-set pavers on a rebuilt base. The proposal states which and why.
Which sealer?
Penetrating, breathable, with an anti-slip additive on rentals. Never a film-forming acrylic on stone.
Who approves?
Your section's management company; we submit the packet.
How much for a 600 sq ft deck?
About $12,000 to $21,600 plus coping in the current index.
Is travertine worth it on a rental?
It is cooler underfoot and photographs as stone, both of which matter in this market. It also costs more and needs a penetrating sealer every two to three years.
Can travertine be laid over my existing pool deck?
Only if the deck is sound. Thin-set stone over a slab that later moves has to be broken out, and the stone rarely survives removal.
Get a written estimate for your project in Reunion
Tell us the size, the surface you have now and where the lot is. We visit, measure, check access and drainage, and send a written proposal. No pressure calls.
What changed in this update: 2026-09-11 — first published