tannietara- Any stone (bluestone slate), travertine, brick, or concrete will get hot in the sun because of the thermal mass capacity of these dense materials. If you do use these them, you should consider lighter colors as they will reflect more of the solar radiation striking them, rather than absorbing it as will darker colors. Travertine may have the edge here, and by its nature is less dense than bluestone slate. You might also consider separating bluestone pavers with intermediate grids of turf (best), pea gravel, or decomposed granite which will break up the mass of the stone and help allow the stone pavers to cool. Always wanted to see Perth! -Greg

Also, if you take a look under the "Find Pros" tab on Houzz you can search for tradespeople in your area - tilers, landscapers etc.

Hi mluh You've obviously done your research on these products, so it's most likely going to come down to personal preference. As you've mentioned, a natural stone is going to come with an amount of maintenance but the beauty of Travertine is within its variation. Once sealed with a good quality sealer (I recommend Guard Industry), the maintenance is really quite low and most spills are lost within those natural variations. 99% of spills can be cleaned up without too much trouble. Porcelain, on the other hand, can be quite difficult to clean once it's been marked. That said, the external porcelains have a great non-slip texture and are very hardy when used as paving/tiles. I'm personally not a fan of using them as pool coping, but many people love it. Again, both have their advantages and disadvantages so I would recommend using the product that you're happy looking at for the next 10-20 years. - Jordan

We have a really unique wood look product which is non porous and has the highest anti-slip rating of any decking on the market (that includes hardwoods and WPC), so it's ideal for wet areas, such as swimming pools; https://www.forteflooring.co.nz/product/catalogue/millboard-decking https://www.millboard.co.uk/ It's more stable than plastic composites, doesn't fade as much as them, is more realistic, last longer, more stable against the UV, the lighter colours don't heat up as hot as WPC decking. Send email if you would like some samples, and to discuss further: carlo@forteflooring.co.nz 0212284018 Cheers Carlo