General Stone Tile Finishes

1. Honed and Filled – What is honed and filled? Honing is the process using a honing machine with 6-8 abrasive heads. The rough surface of the stone is gradually brought to a smooth, matte finish. Filled means the pores of the stone are filled with a colored cement or epoxy resin, to give the stone a smoother, more consistent, contemporary look. After the filling dries, the tiles are then honed again.

2. Brushed (Patinato) – This finish is obtained by submitting the stone to coarse, rotary type brushes (metal and hard polyester) to obtain the desired amount of surface undulations and patina (the sheen on a surface usually produced by age and use). This process develops the look of a floor that has been down for decades and naturally aged.

3. Distressed Edge – This process is accomplished with a distressing machine. This machine uses chains striking the double thick stone in a downward motion, hence “abusing” the edge of the stone. This process does not take material “away” from the stone, as is done with the chiseling process. One side is distressed first, and then the material is flipped over to distress the other side. The double thick material is then split, calibrated, and honed prior to being selected.

4. Chiseled Edge – This is a process using thickness tiles on a chiseling machine. The machine uses small hooks moving in an upward motion, from underneath the tile, to strike the top edge, hence, chiseling away material from the top edges of the tile. It creates a different edge than distressed.

5. Tumbled – Tiles are placed in a machine that either vibrates, or turns (like a cement mixer) along with other tiles, stones, sand, abrasives, and some water. As these machines vibrate or turn, the tile constantly “rub” against these other abrasives and tiles creating a more weathered, rustic look. The edges are softer and rounder (no hard, sharp edges). Tumbled tiles are always unfilled because the tumbling process would knock most of the filling out of the tile.

6. First Choice or Select – This is stone that has very few pores, small holes, and more continuous, consistent color.

7. Second Choice or Rustico – This is stone that has more pores, larger holes, and more variation in the range and color of the stone.
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