Day 9:

Making a mountain out of a mole hill.

The crew came back today to install the concrete board on the floor.

According to the installer, there is a mountain under our house. The floors aren't level. Three different contractors have told me the same thing. However, each of them pointed to different places where the floor rises. Evidently there is a mountain range under our Florida home. Funny thing, I never noticed any dips or raises on the kitchen floor. 

I asked the installer if the boards would make the floors level for the travertine. Travertine is a soft stone and can crack and chip easily. He said there is no way to make that floor level. And he left it there and walked away. After my initial freak out of "OMG, why are we installing travertine on a lumpy floor", he explained to me that the boards will make it flat. Which will be fine for travertine. So evidently there is a difference between flat and level in contractor language.
I asked him if the travertine needed to be sealed. He said, yes, travertine needs to be sealed initially and redone once a year forever. But, he didn't factor sealing the travertine into the estimate. WTF!!!!

Tips for Travertine: Don't drop anything heavy on it, no stilletto heels, and don't install near an airport.

These floors will be the death of me.