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Countertop Finishes: Polished, Honed, or Leather?

Updated: Apr 11, 2018



Luxury Granite has a large variety of granite available with many offered in either honed or leathered finishes in addition to polished. Polished, honed, or leathered, any granite finish will bring a more sophisticated look and feel to your home or business.




Polished

The most popular granite finish is the traditional polished finish. Polished granite A glossy finish that brings out the full colour and character of the stone with a smooth, flat finish, that is shiny and quite reflective. Polished granite will retain its shine for a very long time so this makes it relatively easy to clean and care for.


The reflective properties of polished finishes give rooms a traditional and elegant look.

This reflective property also compliments less lusturous surfaces such as wood floors, cabinets, and trim.


Honed

A satin smooth finish with little or no shine. The look of the finish varies depending on the stone type, from a matte appearance to a low sheen. Honed surfaces are always smooth with no ridges or bumps. This finish can make the stone look lighter or “greyed out”, especially if applied to dark surfaces. Honed finishes need to be resealed more often than polished finishes, but because of the lack of shine flaws can be concealed more easily.

The less reflective properties of honed finishes may be well suited to areas with a lot of sunlight as it creates a less intense shine and no glare.

A honed finish is best for low maintenance, high traffic applications. Often used for flooring, stairs or other areas where water might make a surface too slippery for a polished finish to be safe. Also used for interior wall covering, table tops, vanities and countertops.


Leather

A newer style of stone finish that has become more popular in recent years. It is most commonly seen on darker granites and gives the stone a textured appearance while retaining its natural colour. A leathered surface usually has a soft sheen to it, but is much less shiny than the glossy look of a polished slab. Leathered granite hides fingerprints, water spots and smudges well. A leathered finish is most often used for countertops, vanities and outdoor applications.


Leathered finishes create a unique and sophisticated look while offering texture that is pleasing to the touch.

Since blemishes, dirt, and water don't show much on leathered granite, it is an excelent choice for outdoor granite applications.


No matter what finish you choose, granite will make any space more elegant while offering a durable surface for any application!

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