Natural Stone Surface Finishes and Where to Use Them
Polished
Polishing closes the surface and brings the colour up. It is the standard for interior floors, counters and feature walls, and it shows scratches and etching most clearly.
Honed
A honed surface is flat and matte. It hides etching and fingerprints better than polish, which makes it a common choice for marble vanity tops and busy floors.
Flamed
Flaming opens the surface of granite with heat, leaving a rough non-slip face. It is used for external paving, stair treads and cladding where grip matters.
Natural and brushed faces
Sandstone and travertine are often supplied with a matte natural face or brushed finish for facades and garden walls, where a reflective surface would look wrong.
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