Add an elegant touch to your kitchen or bath!
Nothing adds class and beauty to your kitchen or bathroom like natural stone countertops. They look beautiful and create a one-of-a-kind showpiece for your room. And if you want your new countertops to be even more unique, you can personalize them with a different finish. However, not all stone countertop materials have the same properties, so the additional finish will depend in large part on the characteristics of the stone of your choice.
Today we want to share some insight on the subject for you to have an idea of what can be done, and you can stop by our showroom in Denver to talk with one of our professional kitchen & bath designers for more details and to start planning your new, dreamed kitchen or bathroom!
Types of Stone Surface Finishes
We offer the following surface finishes for stone in addition to the factory finish: polished, honed, leathered, and caressed. It is crucial to note that for countertop use, only those finishes are recommended!
Some finishes are only available as factory finishes, which is put on the slab at the processing facility before being exported. It is generally polished for most marbles and granites and honed for most schists and limestones. Slates mostly come as a cleft face.
POLISHED
A polished finish is created when a stone surface reaches its most refined stage, and it is the standard factory finish for most granites and marbles. A polished surface is highly reflective and the least porous of the finishes available. This finish gives the stone a very elegant and rich look, providing it with a pinnacle depth of color.
HONED
This is the standard factory finish for schists and most limestones, most of which can’t take a polish. A honed finish refers to any level that is less than polished and therefore “grays out” or fades the color and shine of the stone, and it is more noticeable on darker materials than on lighter ones. Also, honing a polished material opens up the pore, making it more susceptible to staining than the same material in a polished finish.
LEATHERED
This finish starts with a honed surface and then adds texture and closes the pores, retaining the color better than honing but still making it less glossy than polished. The process amplifies the natural characteristics of granite or marble, resulting in an exquisite surface. It is easy to clean and maintain, as well as, pleasing to the touch. Leathering is preferred to honing for blacks and other very dark materials.
CARESSED
This finish adds gloss to the leathered finish above by starting with a leathered finish and then “polishing” the high spots. This process closes the pores more than the leathered finish, but not as much as a polished one.
The Kitchen Showcase helps you make the right choice
Still not sure which stone finish to choose for your countertop? We invite you to stop by our beautiful Kitchen and Bathroom Design Showroom, located in Centennial, Colorado and see by yourself with the help of our staff. We are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Evenings and Saturdays by appointment. Also, you can send us your questions through our website.