Travertine tiles

Got turkish travertine tiles for kitchen area from right price tile. E38 per sq yard. Just collected them yesterday and noticed that alot of the tiles are slightly chipped in the corners. Is this normal? Would it be noticeable when they are on floor. Do you put grout inbetween these tiles or place them right next to each other with no gap?
Anyone any experience with this type of tile in terms of maintenance durability? If they are already chipping at the corners is it quite a 'soft' stone that would chip easily? Also will be laying them on top of a cork underlay in an apartment, is this a problem? Sorry for all questions, any help appreciated!
Thanks

Hi,

These previous tiles have some references/details to travertine tiles and you might find them helpful.

They are fairly brittle so you may see some chipping. It shouldn't be noticeable when laid, but then you should plan your cuts to remove bad corners and edges. Yes you do put grout between these tiles. You lay them very close together and you need a fine grout that can be worked between them. They are also very porous so you should be sure to seal and wax them well after laying or they will stain if something like red wine is spilled on them. I got a professional to lay mine and I would suggest it's not job for an amateur - much more complicated than ceramic tiles. Upstairs he put down a plywood underlay to stick the tiles to - make sure this is very securely screwed to the floor (you can't use too many screws) before you tile on top of it. Good luck!