Mannington ADURA APEX Rapolano travertine-look vinyl tile

Travertine without the sealing

Rapolano captures the look of natural travertine, the stone quarried around the Tuscan town of the same name: cloudy, earth-toned figure rather than sharp veining, drawn at a large scale so each 18 x 36 inch tile holds together as one stone. The TumbledEdge bevel is shaped like the softened edge of tumbled stone. Ivory is a warm cream, Stone a sandy beige and Marble a cooler pale grey. As a vinyl tile it needs none of the sealing that natural travertine asks for.

Large tiles, fewer joints

Big tiles mean fewer joints across a bathroom or mudroom floor, which is much of what makes stone look like stone. Under the surface is the same 8 mm waterproof HydroLoc WPC core and attached pad as the ADURA APEX planks, so the floor is warmer and quieter than porcelain and floats instead of setting in mortar. Microban surface protection, ScratchResist and Mannington's fade and stain resistance claim come standard.

Being straight about materials

Rapolano is vinyl and contains PVC. It is FloorScore certified for indoor emissions, made in Vietnam, and Mannington's sheet lists no recycled content. If you want a stone look without PVC, compare Wicanders Stone Natural, a stone print on a cork-based floor, or natural linoleum in the Marmoleum range.

Bathrooms and entries

The core is waterproof but the joints of a floating floor are not sealed, so in a full bathroom we seal the perimeter. Bathrooms in DC rowhouses often sit on old joists that have settled, and a large tile shows every dip, so we check flatness before layout. See subfloor preparation and waterproof flooring installation.