Are you in the final stages of constructing your home/property or seeking to give it a facelift? Chances are, you have thought about including natural stone in your development.

Given the wide range of stone finishes, choosing the right stone finish for your project can be overwhelming. But it is an important part of your project – it helps maintain the overall theme of your designed space.

Together with stone color and cut, stone finishes inform the aesthetics, durability, and maintenance requirements of natural stone surfaces, floors, and countertops.

Continue reading to learn about five of the most popular stone finishes and how to maintain their appeal.

Polished Stone Finish

To achieve a polished finish, quarry workers polish stones by repeatedly applying abrasive treatments. This repeated polishing yields shiny and resistant surfaces with minimal porosity.

The polished finish enhances the properties and color of natural stone surfaces. For this reason, it is a common choice for interior floor and wall dressing. It is also great for kitchen and bathroom countertops. But its minimal slip resistance disqualifies it from outdoor paving uses.

Polished stone finishes require regular re-polishing to maintain their elegant glassy look.

Honed Stone Finish

Polishing gives marbles and granites a glossy finish, which is aesthetically appealing, but if you want a more rustic look, a honed finish is your best bet.

The honing process removes scratches, etches, and abrasions on natural stone surfaces. This results in a flat, dust-free finish. A honed finish is perfect for lobby floors and other high foot traffic areas. It also works great for soapstone counters.

Depending on the type of stone, your honed surface may require annual resealing with a penetrating sealer to prevent and delay staining. For instance, Granite would require sealing, but soapstone would not.

Leathered Stone Finish

A leathered stone finish is achieved through brushing stone surfaces with various brushes to give them an undulating look and a smooth, warm, and soft texture. A leathered finish is best achieved on darker stones with a non-uniform structure like granite.

A leathered stone finish is good at hiding fingerprints, water spots, and smudges. It is more stain- and slip-resistant and requires minimal maintenance.

Tumbled Stone Finish

A tumbled finish is obtained by tumbling stones in a solution of mild acids, small pebbles, sand, and water to wear and soften them. This process gives their surfaces a scuffed and weathered look.

A tumbled finish is renowned for its decorative purposes and that it does not require any maintenance.

Flamed Stone Finish

A flamed finish results from heating stone intensely followed by cooling it rapidly. Flaming burns most of the stone's carbon content, giving it a gentle rustic coloration.

Apart from regular cleaning, a flamed finish does not need any maintenance. Its toughness makes it a perfect choice for outdoor projects like hallways and entrances.

Stone is a great affordable choice for wall, floor, and countertop finishes. As a reliable stone surface importer and supplier, Francini Inc. offers wide-ranging stone finish choices.

Contact an Expert Stone Importer

Whether you want Limestone, Soapstone, or Granite, we are your go-to supplier.

Contact us today to help you choose the stone finish that accentuates your home's look and matches your personality. Better still, you might find our slab galleries helpful.