Granite countertops are a popular choice for both homeowners and designers due to their strength and elegance. The chosen finish has an impact on the stone’s shelf life and upkeep in addition to enhancing the space’s attractiveness and aesthetics. As a result, picking the appropriate finish for your home’s design is crucial.
Because there are so many different finishing options available, we have chosen the three most common types: leathered, honed, and polished. We have thoroughly evaluated the features and advantages of all three finishes in this blog.
What is a Polished Granite Finish?
A polished finish is the most demanding finish for granite countertops. A polished finish is obtained by grinding and buffing the granite stone until it has a shiny and smooth surface. The result has a glossy appearance, having a reflective quality as a mirror. This finish makes the granite stone appear slightly darker in color and richer in tone.
Advantages of Polished Finish:
- Splendid Appearance: Polished granite countertops have a shiny and glossy appearance, which enhances the natural color tone and patterns of the granite stone.
- Stain Resistance: Granite stone is porous in nature, but a polished finish makes the surface resistant to stains in case of any food or chemical spills. Hence, it becomes easy to clean and maintain the polished surface.
- Strong & Durable: Being a natural stone, granite is highly durable and hence prevents the surface from any kind of chips or cracks.
Care and Maintenance of Polished Finish:
When it comes to the maintenance of the polished finish countertops, you just need regular cleaning because their glossy surface makes the fingerprints, and anything look more visible. Polished finishes are slippery in nature due to glossy surfaces. So, it is advised to be careful while walking or doing stuff on a polished surface.
What is a Honed Granite Finish?
A honed finish has a satin or matte-like appearance, which is obtained through the sanding process. It has a smooth texture with no bumps, but it is different than a polished surface. It doesn’t have a mirror-like reflective appearance.
Advantages of Honed Finish
- Elegant Appearance: A honed finish is most suitable for contemporary spaces due to its sophisticated look. The matte surface makes the darker granite colors look lighter or grayer.
- Scratch Concealment: Honed surfaces can easily handle daily wear and tear or minor scratches in comparison to polished finishes.
- Non-Slippery Surface: The honed finish doesn’t have a glossy, shiny surface; therefore, the honed finished surface doesn’t have a slippery effect, which is a safe option.
Care and Maintenance of Honed Finish:
Honed finishes require a bit more maintenance than polished finishes. This is because the Honed finish is more porous than polished granite, making it prone to staining. Therefore, it is advised to seal the surface once or twice a year as per the requirement. And speaking of regular cleaning, honed surfaces are quite difficult to take care of due to dulling over time.
What is Leathered Granite Finish?
A leather finish is a textured surface that combines the benefits of both polished and honed finishes. It is created by brushing the granite with diamond-tipped brushes, resulting in a unique texture that feels slightly rough but retains some of the stone’s natural sheen.
Advantages of Leathered Finish:
- Unique Appearance: The tactile quality of a leather finish adds depth and character to granite, giving it a more natural, organic look.
- Concealed Wear: Leather finish granite is excellent at hiding fingerprints, smudges, and minor scratches, making it practical for high-use areas.
- Extreme Durability: This finish can be more forgiving than both polished and honed surfaces when it comes to showing wear and tear.
Care and Maintenance of Leathered Finish:
To keep its beauty, leathered granite needs to be cleaned and sealed on a regular basis. Compared to a polished finish, the textured surface is more likely to collect dirt and grime.
A leathered surface gives granite a unique appearance, but it cannot bring out the colors and patterns as much as a polished finish.
Conclusion
Your lifestyle requirements, maintenance attitude, and aesthetic choices will all play a role in selecting the ideal finish for your granite countertops. A polished surface looks advanced and high gloss, but it needs constant maintenance. A polished finish offers a matte, contemporary look that takes wear and tear into consideration. A leather finish offers a distinct look and feel by blending toughness and texture.
Think about the things that are most important to you—texture, visual impact, or simplicity of maintenance—and select a finish that complements both your personal style and practical requirements. Whatever finish you decide on, granite countertops will always be a classic option for boosting your home’s appeal and usefulness.
If you want more insights on the market value of different finishing, you can approach Stone Depot USA. Stone Depot is a leading quartz & natural stone slab supplier in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, USA. We have a wide variety of colors and patterns in both natural and engineered stones with multiple finishes. Click here to Contact Us to help you pick the right choice in a price range that suits your pockets.
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