{"id":181,"date":"2013-12-03T16:20:24","date_gmt":"2013-12-03T16:20:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/?p=181"},"modified":"2013-12-03T16:22:40","modified_gmt":"2013-12-03T16:22:40","slug":"stone-finishes-which-one-is-right-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/03\/stone-finishes-which-one-is-right-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Stone Finishes \u2013 Which One Is Right For You?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Picture in your mind the limestone that composes the Acropolis in Athens, then think about a shiny sleek Carrera marble kitchen countertop. Both are natural stones, yet both look very different. Stone can endure the passage of time and all sorts of weather conditions, but the finish on the stone, well that\u2019s a different story. The finish of the stone can be manipulated into what you like, whether you like a high polish or rough antique look.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m fairly certain that most people are familiar with a polished finish as well as a semi-polished finish. You mostly see these high and medium polished stone surfaces on stone tops and indoor stone floors.<\/p>\n<p>The Marble Institute of America describes a polished finish as \u201ca glossy surface finish that brings out the full color and character of the stone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These are the finishes that you see on marble surfaces and you can pretty much read the light bulb that shines over the marble.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>You may have also heard of a honed finish. According to the Marble Institute of America, a honed finish is \u201ca satin-smooth surface finish with little or no gloss, recommended for commercial floors. Honed surfaces have become popular recently partially due to the fact that they area easier to maintain than polished stone surfaces.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_182\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-182\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/travertine-half-polish.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-182 \" alt=\"travertine half polish\" src=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/travertine-half-polish-225x300.jpg\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/travertine-half-polish-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/travertine-half-polish.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-182\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Travertine: polished and honed<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Ok, so we understand polished vs. honed, but have you ever heard of these textured stone finishes?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Flamed: The stone surface is textured to a rough finish using fire. You can usually see flamed (also called flamed-cut) floors (typically granite) at the exterior entrances of buildings.<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"line-height: 21px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_183\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-183\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_9251.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-183 \" alt=\"IMG_9251\" src=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_9251-300x265.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"265\" srcset=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_9251-300x265.jpg 300w, http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_9251-1024x904.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_9251.jpg 2034w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-183\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flame-Cutting Natural Stone<br \/>courtesy of Pocai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Brushed: The stone is textured to a rough finish using brushes and water.<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"line-height: 21px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_184\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-184\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_9256.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-184 \" alt=\"IMG_9256\" src=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_9256-300x200.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_9256-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_9256-1024x682.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-184\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brushing Natural Stone<br \/>courtesy of Pocai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Brushed.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Brushed\" src=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Brushed-300x200.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brushed Finish<br \/>courtesy of Pocai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sand Blasted: \u00a0The stone can be textured to a sand blasted, rough finish in two ways:<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"line-height: 21px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"line-height: 18px;\">1. By sand blasting<\/span><\/p>\n<p>2. By shot blasting<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_189\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-189\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Shot-blasted.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-189 \" alt=\"Shot blasted\" src=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Shot-blasted-300x200.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Shot-blasted-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Shot-blasted-1024x682.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-189\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shot Blasted Stone<br \/>courtesy of Pocai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Softer stone such as marble, travertine and onyx can also be \u201cantiqued,\u201d \u201ctumbled\u201d or \u201cbush-hammered.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_190\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-190\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Antiqued.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-190 \" alt=\"Antiqued\" src=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Antiqued-300x200.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Antiqued-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Antiqued-1024x682.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-190\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Antiqued Marble<br \/>courtesy of Pocai<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>All of these finishes are created by craftsmen who understand stone in terms of porosity, abrasion characteristics, mineral composition, etc. These craftsmen achieve the intended finishes by using a variety of sophisticated equipment, which produce the exact finish requested by their customers.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_186\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-186\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Cardoso-finishes-cropped.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-186 \" alt=\"Cardoso finishes cropped\" src=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Cardoso-finishes-cropped-300x175.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"175\" srcset=\"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Cardoso-finishes-cropped-300x175.jpg 300w, http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Cardoso-finishes-cropped-1024x600.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-186\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Various stone finishes of Cardoso stone<br \/>courtesy of Pocai<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>From a restoration standpoint, we can change a polished finish to a honed finish and vice-versa <a title=\"Services\" href=\"http:\/\/www.intlstoneworks.com\/services_texas.htm\">on-site in your building or home<\/a>. However, flamed, brushed, sand blasted, antiqued, tumbled, and bush-hammered finishes are typically done at the fabrication process, in the factory, before installation.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Whether you need advice on which finish is best for you, or if you are interested in honing or polishing your stone surface, International Stoneworks, Inc. is happy to <a title=\"Home\" href=\"http:\/\/www.intlstoneworks.com\/index.html\">help<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Picture in your mind the limestone that composes the Acropolis in Athens, then think about a shiny sleek Carrera marble kitchen countertop. Both are natural stones, yet both look very different. Stone can endure the passage of time and all sorts of weather conditions, but the finish on the stone, well that\u2019s a different story. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":193,"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181\/revisions\/193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/intlstoneworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}