Practical Guide
The same stone,
six different surfaces
Finish changes more than appearance — it changes porosity, slip resistance, and how forgiving a surface is of everyday wear. Here's what each technique actually does, and when to choose it.
Stone Knowledge
6 min read
Victoria Stone Gallery
Every finish starts with the same raw slab — the difference comes entirely from how the surface is mechanically treated afterward. That treatment changes three things that matter in practice: how reflective the surface looks, how porous it is (and therefore how it needs to be sealed and cared for), and how slip-resistant it is underfoot. Choosing a finish is really choosing a balance between those three.
Indoor · Reflective
Polished
A full sequence of diamond abrasives followed by polishing powders, finishing in a glossy, mirror-like surface. Polishing intensifies colour and pattern more than any other finish, and also closes the surface — meaning a polished stone is less porous than the same stone left honed.
The same diamond abrasive process as polishing, minus the final polishing stage. The result is smooth but non-reflective — a soft, matte surface that hides scratches and everyday wear noticeably better than a high polish. Being more open, honed surfaces are also more porous, so sealing well matters more here.
Indoor · Textured
Leather & Satin
Diamond abrasives followed by a series of abrasive brushes that wear away a stone's softer minerals, leaving the harder minerals standing slightly proud. The result is a gentle, tactile texture with a soft sheen — much less shiny than polished, but with real depth. Leather works best on stones with a genuine mix of hard and soft minerals, hides marks and water spots well, and is naturally more slip-resistant.
Indoor / Outdoor · Aged
Acid-Wash / Antique
A chemical treatment that distresses the surface to simulate genuine age and wear, deliberately dulling the colour, followed by a mechanical wire brushing that smooths the texture and slightly restores tone. The result reads as authentically aged rather than artificially worn.
Outdoor · Maximum Grip
Flamed
A high-temperature flame applied directly to the surface creates thermal shock, fracturing the stone's surface crystals into a deeply textured finish. Mainly used on granite, flamed surfaces deliver excellent slip resistance and conveniently hide minor surface imperfections and tone variation — a strong choice for exterior paving and steps.
Outdoor · Maximum Grip
Bush-Hammered
A specialised hammer with pointed metal teeth strikes the surface to create small, shallow craters across the stone. This rough, deliberately textured finish is particularly well suited to limestone and other comparatively softer stones, where it builds in genuine slip resistance for outdoor paving and steps.
Sandblasted — a seventh option worth knowing
Sandblasting joins flamed and bush-hammered as a third outdoor-focused texture, achieved by blasting the surface with sand or other abrasive material to create a rough, pitted finish. It's commonly used on granite and limestone alike, and like the other textured finishes, trades some of polished stone's reflective depth for genuine, dependable grip underfoot.
Comparing finishes at a glance
| Finish | Look | Porosity | Best for |
|---|
| Polished | Glossy, reflective | Lowest | Feature benchtops, statement pieces |
| Honed | Smooth, matte | Higher — seal well | Busy kitchens, contemporary interiors |
| Leather | Soft sheen, textured | Moderate | Hides marks, slip-resistant surfaces |
| Acid-Wash / Antique | Aged, muted tone | Moderate | Heritage or rustic aesthetics |
| Flamed | Deeply textured | Higher | Outdoor paving, steps (mainly granite) |
| Bush-Hammered | Rough, cratered | Higher | Outdoor paving, softer stones |
| Sandblasted | Rough, pitted | Higher | Outdoor paving, granite & limestone |
A note on sealing
Whatever finish you choose, sealing remains important — the more open, textured finishes simply benefit from a little more attention. See our full care and maintenance guide for the complete sealing and cleaning routine.
See Finishes In Person
Touch and compare before you decide
Photography can only show so much of how a finish actually feels. Visit our Dandenong South gallery to see and feel the full range across our current stock.
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