The surface of natural stone may be finished in a wide variety of ways. It is important to choose natural stone finishes suitable for an intended use. Using different techniques and mechanical processes, natural stone can be adapted to interior and exterior applications. These are the most popular stone finishes:
The natural finish is basically the absence of treatment. The stone is sold as extracted from the quarry, once cut into the desired format. The final look depends entirely on the characteristics of the stone and its exploitation. This finish is appropriated for cladding and cobblestones.
Stones are polished by repeated application of abrasive treatments. This technique produces a shiny surface, with almost zero porosity, while improving resistance. Polished finish highlights the color and properties of the natural stone. It is commonly used as interior wall and floor dressing, as well as bench tops and in kitchen countertops. It is not recommended for outdoor paving, since it reduces slip resistance.
This is an aging process similar to the one applied to achieve an antique finish. In this case, natural stone is introduced in a vibrating drum-like machine with smaller, more resistant stones that wear the tile completely. Tumbled finish simulates aging and generates soft surfaces and edges
This finish is created by hitting the material, manually or mechanically, with a masonry tool called a bush hammer. Bush hammered generates uniformly distributed craters of different sizes over the surface of natural stone. The surface becomes non-slip, ideal for high traffic external areas.
