The Difference Between Honed and Polished Stone

3 min readApr 6, 2021

When it comes to deciding on the finish for your stone, there are a few different options to choose from. However, the most popular finishes are honed and polished, so let’s take a brief view at how each individual finish will affect both the look of your stone and the design of the room.

Polished Finish

Natural stone with a polished finish has a glossy surface that reflects light and emphasizes the color and veins of the stone. The shiny, reflective surface more prominently highlights the details, colors, and vein structure of the stone, placing more emphasis on its natural characteristics. This finish gives the stone a high end appearance that infuses both beauty and luxury, making it a more eye-catching and glamorous addition to a space.

During the finishing process, abrasive pads are first used to hone the stone. Finer polishing pads are then used to bring out the shiny, reflective surface. This extra layer of coating acts as a protectant, making it less susceptible to stains, though spills should still be wiped up quickly. However, the highly reflective surface means more visible scratches, making it a bad choice for high traffic areas like floors or other areas prone to large gatherings or amounts of activity. Overall, the look and style of this finish make it a good choice for kitchen and bathroom countertops. If you’re looking to incorporate an elegant style into your design, a polished finish is the way to go.

Honed Finish

Natural stone with a honed finish has a smooth, flat, and unpolished (matte) appearance to the surface of the stone, giving it a satiny feel that gives off little reflection of light. Generally, the stone colors seem lighter due to the honing process, which involves grounding the stone to a smooth and flat finish and then using abrasive polishing pads to create the matte finish. This process helps the stone become more resistant to scratches, but the porosity makes it more susceptible to stains, so any spills should be cleaned immediately. It’s suggested to re-seal the honed stone over time to keep the look intact. Stone with a honed finish is less slippery when wet, making it a good choice for flooring and other high traffic areas.

Honed Calacatta Gold wall and floor tiles.

To summarize, both polished and honed finishes are suitable for a variety of different spaces, though certain applications should be avoided depending on the amount of traffic and activity in the area you’re planning to install the stone.

Major Takeaways:

Polished Stone:

Has a glossy surface that reflects light.
Puts more emphasis on natural characteristics of the stone.
Has more high end, luxurious appearance.
Less susceptible to stains but more visible scratches.
Suggested applications: kitchen and bathroom countertops and walls.

Honed Stone:

Has a smooth, flat, & matte appearance; little reflection of light.
More resistant to scratches but more susceptible to stains; re-seal over time.
Stone colors generally appear lighter.
Better to install in high traffic areas.
Suggested applications: bathroom & living room floors, countertops.

For more information about the different types of finishes and to see natural stone examples, visit our website or call us at 201–531–0600.