Slab Finishes

We offer the following surface finishes for stone: polished, honed, leathered, caress, bush-hammered, tuscan, flamed, raked, washboard, chainlink/wave, and slab staining. Please refer to the definitions below for more information on each finish. Also available for download is our finishes (2.3MB) brochure highlighting our six original finishes, all on Ubatuab granite.

Polished:: This is the standard factory finish for most granites and marbles. A polished surface is glossy and highly reflective and the least porous of the finishes available. Polished marbles can be etched with many household acids and cleaners. We can polish (or re-polish) your slabs or pieces (minimum size of 2'x3'). We can NOT polish tiles.
Honed:: This is the standard factory finish for schists and most limestones (many of which will not take a polish). Honing a polished material opens the pores of the stone, making it more susceptible to staining than the same material in a polished finish. Honing produces a smooth, matte finish and mutes the color of the stone considerably. A color enhancing sealer is available and may be used to restore the color (if desired). Also note that honing is not recommended on very dark or black stones because it often results in an uneven finish. We can hone tiles (minimum of 30ft.²)
Leathered:: Leathering starts with a honed surface and adds texture. Additionally, it closes the pores of the stone (compared to honing) and retains the color better than honing. A leathered finish has a soft sheen but is not as reflective as a polished surface. The amount of texture produced varies from stone to stone and some extremely uniform stones will not leather at all. On a very dark material such as Absolute Black granite, leathering is preferred to honing because the resulting finish is very uniform, preserves the majority of the stone's color, and is much easier to maintain than a porous honed surface. We can leather tiles (minimum of 30ft.²)
Caress: Imagine a Leather finish with a high polish and luxurious, saturated color. After Leathering "digs" out the softer areas of the stone, the Caress process then polishes the high spots of the slab and leaves the lower areas to a "high hone" similar to the Leather finish. Caress finish gives a lustrous look to the softer Leather finish and is an excellent choice for any application other than exterior paving subject to wet, slippery conditions. We can NOT caress tiles.
Bush hammered:: A highly textured finish best used for external applications such as paving or walkways. Bush hammering will "grey out" or fade the color of the stone to an even greater extent than honing. The feel is rougher than leathering and more uniform. A bush hammered finish can be applied to virtually any stone (2cm or thicker). We can NOT bush hammer tiles.
Tuscan: Similar in texture to the original "River Washed" finish in that it is a rough or stippled surface. That is where the similarity ends. The River Washed finish opened the pores of the stone making it more susceptible to staining and washed all of the color out of the stone, while in contrast the Tuscan closes the pores of the stone similar to a honed finish and retains more of the stone's color. It can be used for countertops though we recommend it for tops with limited usage i.e.. bar tops, powder room tops, etc. The deep texture would require more maintenance for kitchen surfaces. It also lends itself well to fireplaces and accents. The Tuscan is a brushed version of the Bush hammered finish and can only be applied to materials that can be bush hammered. We can NOT do a Tuscan finish on tiles.
Flamed: This conventional textured thermal finish is now available from Percoco Stone Finishing. Suitable for exterior and interior commercial flooring it has been desirable for many years because of it's well known slip resistance. It is similar to a Bush Hammered finish but has a more random textured surface that can be different for each type of granite depending on the crystalline make up of the stone. Most all granites can be flamed along with certain Limestones and Marbles. Right now we are flaming slabs with granite tiles soon to come.
Raked: This is a very unique architectural finish that has the appearance of a split face look. The scored lines in the surface can be applied at many widths apart altering the finished look.
Washboard: Imagine a scored and brushed finish with softened edges. Like the Raked Finish, this is suitable for vertical applications and water features.
Chainlink/Wave: Numerous design applications can be achieved with several different versions of this pattern. Can be used for backsplashes or wall features.
Slab Staining: We are now able to take your black colored granite slabs and enrichen the color by staining and repolishing. Works excellent for Black Absolute and Black Galaxy. Add value to some less than desirable materials.