Featured Image: Biano Venatino Honed White Marble Tile Bathroom Floor From Arizona Tile

You’re shopping for tile for your upcoming remodel or home project, and you’ve narrowed down the options to a few of your favorites. Now, you’re trying to decide what tile finish will suit your home’s design and your personal tastes. The choices are plentiful: from polished and glazed to matte and natural. Then there’s another popular finish—honed. You may be wondering, “What does honed mean?”

Let’s take a look at some examples of honed tile to help you make your decision.

What is Honed Finish?

Simply put, honed means that a stone’s surface has been ground down slightly to achieve a consistent, smooth texture and flat, matte finish. For some natural stone types that are naturally polished, like marble and granite, honing removes the reflective surface in favor of a matte appearance. Other stones have an inconsistent, bumpy or ridged surface, and honing grinds those down to create a uniform texture.

As a result of this process, honed tile or slab is not shiny. However, some honed surfaces can appear more reflective after installation if certain sealants are applied.

Most natural stones are available in honed finishes. Travertine, marble, limestone, granite and soapstone are a few stones that you can find with a honed finish. Certain varieties of porcelain, quartz and other engineered surfaces can also be produced with a matte finish for a honed look.

Honed vs. Polished Tile and Slab

Before you decide between honed, polished or other stone finishes, there are a few factors to consider. Let’s take a look at how they stack up to one another.

Image: Black Mist Honed Granite Stone Kitchen Counter From Arizona Tile

Appearance: In general, polished slab and tile will appear shiny, slick and reflective, while honed tile is matte and satiny. This stunning Black Mist Honed granite, is an excellent example of a honed slab—it reflects very little light compared to the classic polished granite varieties.

Featured Image: Bianco Carrara Honed White Marble Bathroom Floor From Arizona Tile

Slip Resistance: Honed marble and granite are more slip-resistant than polished stone, making honed finish a good choice for areas that are likely to get wet. Bianco Carrara Honed is beautiful and practical on this bathroom floor.

High Traffic: Honed tile is often a better option for floors that get a lot of foot traffic. A polished surface can become dull with everyday wear and tear, while a honed finish is less likely to show wear.

Image: Montpelier Gray Honed Vein Cut Limestone Bathroom Counter From Arizona Tile

Scratch Resistance: Because less light reflects on honed surfaces, scratches are not as visible on honed tile as they are on a polished surface. This makes honed slab, like the elegant Montpelier Gray, a good choice for countertops.

Stain Resistance: To prevent staining, you must take extra care to clean up spills immediately. Honed and polished slab and tile both require regular maintenance and usually need to be re-sealed every 6-12 months to ensure optimal performance and beauty.

See how beautifully honed tile or stone would adorn your home or business with the Just Imagine Visualizer from Arizona Tile.

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