Polished, Honed, Flamed and Sawcut

Polishes on stone are a change in the surface of the stone itself, not anything applied to the surface. A polished stone is 100% stone, and nothing else.

Only crystallized stone can take a polish. Essentially, at a microscopic level, the factory is putting a facet on each crystal, much as a jeweler puts a facet on a diamond. The result is the same; a surface which allows light to reflect in and out of the stone in a parallel way, which enhances the visible light and color, and gives the appearance of depth.

A polished finish does not affect the porosity of the stone. Honed finishes are smooth, like a polish, but are non‐reflective. This can be achieved in three ways:

• Using a stone which cannot polish, no matter what you do.
• Grinding a stone until it is smooth, but stopping just before each crystal achieves a perfect surface
• Removing an existing polish by applying acid to corrode the surface.

Stones are polished by diamond studded pads which are applied with pressure and usually water and some thick compound to keep the stone cool. The amount of pressure, the type of pad, the grain count of the diamonds (like the grain count of sandpaper), and the liquid mediums all depend on the particular characteristics of the stone. For instance, GRANIREX must be kept very cool when polishing, or the epoxy will burn, and the color will disappear.

Flamed or sometimes called thermal, is a molten surface which is the result of applying direct flame at high temperatures (a blow torch). This usually is seen in granites and some lime stones. Most stones cannot withstand this treatment. GRANIREX simulates the surface, and calls it "textured".

Saw cut finishes are the most unfinished, since this is the surface of the stone when it is first cut, without any treatment. It is a slightly rough surface, usually with circular saw cut marks. Most tumbled marble is made from saw cut material, and if not tumbled quite enough, will still show a bit of this finish. One rarely seas saw cut material sold directly to the consumer.