'Styles of Granite Finishing'

With Slab granite counter tops still ranking as the number one choice for our clients today, many people come into our showroom unaware of all the different finish options they have besides just selecting the color, style or edge detail of granite that they want. In addition, consumers today have several choices in the way their granite surface is finished. I will focus on the three most common types of options or treatments used for kitchen counter tops today which effects how the stone looks, feels and performs.

Polished Granite Finish: The standard, most traditional and still most common choice of surface finishing today is the polished counter top. The high polished, glossy mirror like finish reflects light and brings out the full depth of color and beauty of any stone. Depending of the type of granite used (some are more porous than others) the polished finish can also help repel moisture since the technique somewhat closes the pores of the stone. No matter what stone you do select, sealing your stone is always recommended to help buy you time from stains

Honed Granite Finish: Although polished granite is currently our client’s number one choice in surface finishing, a honed granite finish has been gaining popularity. Similar to the polished finish, the honed finish is also smooth and can show finger prints. What makes the honed finish different is its matte like appearance with no reflection. In addition, honing will create a more natural or “grayed out” appearance on the surface somewhat to what the stone would look like in its original state. When removing the polish off of your stone, this technique will remove the factory resin on the stone and opens up the pores making the granite more susceptible to surface staining (again it is always recommended to seal your granite).

Leathered Granite Finish: Leathering is a technique that creates texture to the surface of granite creating a subtle amount of sheen but no where near a polished finished. The amount of texture will vary depending on the type of stone used and in fact extremely consistent stones may not even leather. In contrast to honing, the process closes the pores of the stone making it less susceptible to surface staining.