All posts tagged stone

During our New Year Sale‬ & Inventory Clearance Event‬, we have a ton of tile we are offering at amazing deals, so we thought we would take the time to explain what types of tile finishes there are.

The most common types of finishes for tile and stone are:
• Acid-washed – shiny with small etched marks. marble and limestone are common acid-washed products
• Flamed – rough, unrefined texture. granite is a common type
• Honed – also called flat, matte or satin finished. very soft look
• Polished – has a glossy shine finish
• Saw-cut refined – similar to matte but not completely honed
• Split-face – rough texture but not as rough as flamed. Slate is commonly done this way
• Tumbled – smooth surface with broken or rounded edges
• Brushed – by brushing the tile, you develop a worn-down look to it

Most common types of tile and natural stone are:
• Granite – igneous stone, very hard and dense, scratch resistant, hundreds of varieties
• Limestone – sedimentary stone, formed by calcite and sediment
• Marble – a type of limestone, metamorphic stone that is usually polished, very easily scratched
• Sandstone – sedimentary stone, rough in texture because of the loose grains of sand
• Slate – metamorphic stone that comes in sheets, composed of quartz and clay
• Manufactured Stone – synthetic stone made from natural stone, very strong, not likely to crack or chip
• Travertine – partially metamorphosed and crystallized limestone that can be honed and filled, similar to marble
• Ceramic Tile – made from clay and has been hardened by heating it, often shiny
• Porcelain Tile – type of ceramic tile that has had more heat applied to it making it more dense with less water absorption

**In case you don’t remember, igneous means it has been formed by the cooling and hardening of molten rock. Sedimentary means it’s been formed by the deposition of material over time. Metamorphic means it’s been formed when other rocks break down from heat and pressure.