Just like one slab of granite differs from the next, you can further differentiate your granite countertops with the finish. Granite finishes offer as varied as a look as the rainbow of colors that the slabs feature, as well as the edging. The finish is one more way to express your unique style in the granite countertops.
Here are some of the finishes from which you can choose:
- Polished. This shiny finish creates an almost mirrored look on the granite slab. The surface results in a highly reflective look. As a result, the slab’s best features come out, such as its color, crystalline structure and depth. This finish, like any other, also ensures a durable surface upon which you can safely, and without worry, go about your daily activities.
- Honed. The honed finish is just as smooth and glossy as the polished finish, but think of it as being a step down from the polished look. Lacking a reflection, the smooth finish will still ensure that the color of the stone is adequately highlighted. In technical terms, a honed finish is achieved as the fabricator reaches the buffing stage. In a polished finish, the fabricator goes a step further to gain the reflective element.
- Diamond eight. A finish that especially enhances darker granite counters, this type of treatment combines the processed used to achieve the honed look, but it applies an additional finish to really showcase the slab’s color and depth. In addition, the treatment removes the tiny crystals on the surface of the slab, which often cause granite counters have a hazy look.
- Thermal. As the name implies, this finish employs a high temperature treatment directly on the stone’s surface. When the heat hits the granite, it essentially breaks the bonds that hold the crystals together. Basically, the heat leaves a rougher finish on the slab, making the granite resistant to slipping. As a result, this finish is most often selected for granite tile flooring.
- Diamond 10. Another unique finish, in this treatment, fabricators use water at a high pressure, beating the granite with the safe but strong liquid. Hitting the surface of the stone, the pressured water highlights the slab’s various colors and brings a unique look to its appearance. Similar to the diamond eight finish, diamond 10 is most appropriate for darker shades of granite.
- Antique. A combination of the thermal finish, where heat roughs up the exterior, and a final treatment, this process ends with a final brushing, which basically smooths out the slab’s appearance.
- Leathered. Another finish that’s ideal for dark granite slabs, the leathered finish process leaves the granite in a roughed-up condition. Similar to what you’d get from a river-washed look, the finish leaves the granite looking very much like leather — hence, the name. It won’t have any shine, and like leather, it easily hides smudges, dirt and fingerprints.
No matter which finish you choose for your countertops, the treatment will ensure that the granite’s beauty lasts forever. Each finish adds to the natural look of the granite slab and enhances hidden elements. It can even highlight a contrast in the slab. Work with your granite fabricator or kitchen designer to select a finish that suits your kitchen’s style, the granite’s color and veining, as well as other factors.