Different surface treatments for stone slabs cater to various customer needs. Stone is highly workable, versatile, and offers excellent decorative effects. The main surface finishing techniques include polished, flamed, honed, natural, axed, bush-hammered, sawn, mushroom, pineapple, and brushed finishes.
1. Polished Finish
Polished stone surfaces are smooth and shiny after being ground and polished. Some white marbles can even achieve a mirror-like effect. Most stones sold in the market are polished, as this is a standard finish. Stones like granite, marble, and limestone have crystalline grains that reflect light, giving the surface its gloss after polishing.
2. Flamed Finish
This finish is achieved by heating the stone with high temperatures, causing the crystals to crack and form a rough, textured surface upon rapid cooling. It is commonly used for granite but not for marble, as marble has lower hardness and may crack under high heat.
3. Honed Finish
Honed surfaces are smoother than sawn finishes but have a low gloss, typically with a sheen level below 10 degrees.
4. Natural Finish
A natural finish retains the stone’s rough texture but is less coarse than a flamed finish. It refers to surfaces that are naturally formed without any processing, such as slate cleavage or granite joints. However, in the market, “natural finish” often describes surfaces created by splitting or chiseling, resulting in irregular textures, also called split natural finishes.
5. Axed Finish
Also known as a dragon-scale or stippled finish, this is created by striking the stone surface with an axe or hammer, forming dense, striped patterns resembling dragon scales. The roughness can be adjusted, and it is commonly used in traditional Chinese gardens.
6. Bush-Hammered Finish
This finish features a rough, uneven surface with small indentations made by chiseling densely across the surface. It mimics the effect of water droplets eroding stone over time.
7. Sawn Finish
This finish is achieved directly by cutting the stone with equipment like circular saws, sand saws, or bridge saws. The surface is rough with visible saw marks and has a lower gloss than honed finishes.
8. Mushroom Finish
Typically achieved manually, this finish resembles a natural split surface but with a raised center and recessed edges, creating a plateau-like appearance.
9. Pineapple Finish
The pineapple finish is rougher and more uneven than the bush-hammered finish, resembling the texture of a pineapple’s skin.
10. Brushed Finish
Also known as a machined finish, this technique involves carving grooves of specific depth and width into the stone surface. It is a specialized process that provides anti-slip properties and a unique textured appearance.