French Pattern

French pattern, also called Versailles or Ashlar pattern, is a four-size module that repeats across the deck so the joints never line up in a straight run. It has been the default travertine pool deck look for two decades, and the same set is now cut in marble and limestone. Everything in this collection is 1-1/4" thick, which suits the mortar-set-on-slab installation most of these decks use. If you want a single-size field instead, start from the main paver collection.

What is in a set

One pattern module is made of four pieces: 8x8, 8x16, 16x16 and 16x24. A pallet is packed in the ratio that lets the module repeat without leftovers, and the product page lists total square feet per pallet. Because the pieces are all multiples of 8", the pattern also butts cleanly to straight-run borders such as 6x12 pavers or a 16x24 coping course.

One module covers a little over 13 square feet. Lay out one or two full modules dry on the slab first, then repeat; do not try to freelance the layout, or the joints drift. Our French pattern layout guide has a diagram of the repeat.

Materials and finishes

Tumbled travertine sets come in Ivory, Walnut, Noce, Silver, Silver River, Silver Alaska, Country Classic, Autumn Blend and Leonardo; the full travertine range lives on the travertine page. Marble sets are leather or sandblasted in Ibiza White, Ice White, Bursa White, Corsica Cream, Tundra Grey, Diane Royal, Crema Pearl, Moon Cream and Ocean Blue. Limestone sets, tumbled, come in Lymra, Myra, Symra, Pistachio, Sandy Beige and Serpeggiante. Marble and limestone pattern sets are less common in the trade, so they give a familiar layout a different look.

Pairing with coping and borders

The pattern is busy, so the pool edge usually looks best in a single-size coping in the same stone: 12x24 or 16x24 pool coping in bullnose or eased edge are the common picks, since 16x24 shares a dimension with the largest pattern piece. A one-course border in 6x12 or 8x16 around the perimeter gives you a straight line to cut the pattern against.

Ordering

Measure the net deck area, add roughly ten to fifteen percent for cuts (French pattern wastes a little more at edges than a single-size layout), and round up to whole pallets. Pallets ship curbside by LTL freight; details are in the freight guide. Request a quote through the quote form if you need coping and pattern sets matched from the same lot.

Also called a Versailles pattern. Distributors sell this same four-piece module (8x8, 8x16, 16x16, 16x24) as a "Versailles pattern kit". Ours is the same layout in travertine, marble and limestone, in 1-1/4" and 2"; if you priced a Versailles kit elsewhere, the distributor name cross-reference shows which of our colors to sample.