Homeowners who value aesthetics often opt for honed stone finishes in their interiors. A honed finish refers to a particular kind of stone surface where you would experience the rustic and natural beauty of the stone. Commonly, the honed finish looks visually appealing in slate, granite, and especially marble.
Whether it comes to your staircase, floors, or hallway, a honed stone finish can incredibly elevate their visual appeal. In this article, you will get to know everything about a honed stone finish.
As a homeowner, you own the liberty to customize the finish in different chambers of your home. When you choose from natural stones, you have a wide range of personalization options.
Polished and honed finishes continue to dominate the market. Choosing between these two finishes may land you in a dilemma. Experts at Caesarstone can comprehensively guide you over this choice. Visit this site to have a consultation with the professionals in this regard.
Benefits Of A Honed Stone Finish
A honed finish indicates the stone surface where the manufacturers use abrasive pads to grind the surface. This gives the stone a consistent, flat, and smooth touch. In the process, you get a beautiful matte finish. This soft finish has a resemblance to slate tiles. Some stones like marble and granite also possess natural shine. Honed stones have a warmer and more natural finish as compared to polished stone surfaces. In smaller environments, the latter can look too rich.
While honing, the manufacturers remove the sheen from the stone surface. This gives it a matte finish. Moreover, it is ideal for flooring, as it makes the surface non-slippery. This explains why honed stone finishes are ideal for stairways and floors, particularly places that may be slippery.
In stones with a honed finish, you will get a satin-like feel. The surface is smooth to touch and feels like velvet. The surfaces are not shiny and reflective like their polished counterparts. Visually, they are scratch-resistant and go well with areas that are used frequently. However, these stones lack the natural barriers that are present in polished stones. Therefore, they tend to absorb fluids readily.
What Are The Characteristics Of Honed Finish Stones?
Have a look at the prime characteristics of honed finish stones.
- The surface retains its natural look in honed finish stones since it is made consistent and smooth artificially.
- Through honing, you can elicit the stone’s natural shades to a greater extent.
- With granite and marble, you can obtain a matte and non-reflective finish. Honing the surface removes the shine or polish.
- With a honed finish, the stone carries its unique characteristics. The surface becomes porous when the stone is honed.
- It is easy to handle such stones, as they are shaped in the form of tiles. One can easily carry them from one place to another.
- In kitchens, many households opt for granite counters with honed finishes. This imparts an antique look to the interiors. The installers polish the granite before buffing it. In the process, they eliminate the reflective look from the surface.
- Considering the anti-slip feature of honed stones, they are extensively used in passages, staircases, and outdoor areas.
Comparison Between Honed Stone And Polished Stone
If you are confused between honed stone and polished stone, here is all you need to know.
- Polished stones are ideal for countertops, powder rooms, fireplaces, and walls. On the other hand, honed stones go well with high-traffic areas. These include bathroom floors, foyer floors, passages, and living area floors.
- Polished stone surfaces become hazardous to walk on when they become wet. As they become slippery, one can easily fall on such surfaces. For flooring, the honed stone is a much safer alternative. These surfaces are not slippery, and you can walk on them safely.
- Polished stone surfaces are reflective. The outer surface has a barrier that keeps away stains from affecting the looks. However, honed stones are porous and may need proper maintenance.
- In polished surfaces, the actual sheen of the stone is retained. The surface looks reflective and shiny. In honed stone surfaces, you get a soft and velvety feel.
What Makes Honed Stone Finishes So Attractive?
The natural colours present inherently in honed stones make them aesthetically appealing. If you are someone who loves to elicit the actual charm of marble or granite in your home, you should go for a honed stone finish. With a polished surface, you have the shine. However, these surfaces lack a natural matte finish and artistic appeal. This makes honed stone finishes so alluring to homeowners.
Moreover, people want their passages, hallways, staircases, and floors to be non-slippery and safe. This is yet another reason for which they opt for honed stone finishes rather than polished stone.
Lastly, honed stone surfaces tactically hide scratches for a longer time. Since these surfaces are not glossy, it is difficult to detect scratches. Considering these benefits, it is logical to go with honed stone finishes at your home.
Where Are Honed Stone Finishes Used?
These stones are ideal for the excessively used and heavy traffic parts of your home. These include hallways and worktops. People tend to use honed stones rather than polished stones on such surfaces. The stone can seamlessly disguise etching and scratches. This implies that the damages remain unnoticed for longer spans.
You may also use honed stones on your kitchen countertops. However, this calls for proper maintenance as the surface is porous.
Endnote
Before we wind up this article, here’s a valuable tip for you. Honed stone surfaces are porous, allowing stains to settle quickly. Therefore, you need to take care against spills like fruit juice, alcoholic beverages, tea, coffee, mustard, or vinegar.
If you are using them as your kitchen countertop, you should take guard against staining. Tomato products, salad dressings, butter, and carbonated beverages can mar the look of the surface.
Before you proceed, it would be wise to consult the professionals. The experts can guide you over the ideal stone and the kind of finish that would suit your interiors.