Home > General Info > Surface Finishes

Different types of surface finishes:

Polished - exactly as it sounds. Be aware that different stones have different polish levels based on the mineral composition of the stone, but generally speaking, polished surfaces have a shine when viewed in the light.

Honed - Honed is semi polished or matte finish, with polishing only to a certain level, shy of generating a gloss level on the surface of the stone. Once again, different stone will carry a different level of honing based on the mineral structure.

Tumbled - This process of involves acidic based chemicals at the factory level and/or the use of a tumbling machine that "antiques" the stone to give the appearance of a weathered, antique look in the stone, with softened edges.

Brushed - Buffing heads run over the surface to create a smooth and subtle texture, similar to a honed surface, but slightly less uniform. The end texture has a slightly weathered texture.

Antiqued - Acid washed to create the tumbling effect, then brushed to "smooth" the surface.

Bush-hammered - tiny pins are "hammered" on the surface of the stone to create a coarse, slip resistant texture on the surface.

Sandblasted - This process creates a coarse, but consistent surface often used for slip-resistant applications, or other decorative designs.

Natural Cleft - Most commonly associated with slate, the tiles are cleft naturally from the blocks to create natural ridges in the surface. In most cases, natural cleft slate products will be gauged (or milled) on the underside for easy installation, but the natural cleft will be evident on the exposed surface.

Split Face (or Rock Face) - This process involved splitting stone with a guillotine like machine to create a look as if it was an exposed rock in nature, but processed in dimensions suitable for architectural settings.

Chiseled - Hand or machine chiseled surfaces create a surface similar to the split face stone, but typically leave chisel marks in the surface (not on chiseled edge finishes though)