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A numerous varieties of stones are available in the market
nowadays. There are two basic criterion on which the various
stones are distinguished from each other. First is the class
of the stone, i.e., whether the stone is a granite, marble,
sandstone, or slate-stone. Second criterion is to see the
texture of the stone. Various stones of a particular class
are distinguished among the same class by the different
textures they possess. This texture maybe naturally present
in that particular variety or it can be fabricated manually.
Following is the list of the seven main types of stone
textures or surfaces that are usually found:
Natural
Natural texture as the name suggests, is found naturally in
the stones. This texture is the result of the natural clefts
in the rocks. Nowadays natural textures are also manually
made by imitating the natural patterns found on the stones.
To achieve this, the stone is slashed along its line of
rift. The resulting texture is quite similar to the natural
in both feel and appearance.
Honed
Honed texture of a stone is created by pulverizing its
surface with the help of a high grit material at a uniform
rate. While grinding the surface, care should be taken not
to turn the surface into a reflective one. The stones with
this type of texture are widely used in high traffic areas,
buildings, etc. The stones with a honed texture are porous
in nature, thus should be protected through protective
materials like stoneguard penetrating sealer. However, the
colors of honed stones are not as vivid as those of polished
stones.
Polished
Just opposite to the honed texture, the polished texture
stones are quite glossy in appearance. These stones are also
nonporous in nature and available in various vibrant colors.
The shiny surface of these stones is the result of polishing
the crystals by polishing bricks and powders at the time of
manufacturing, and not of any kind of shiny coating. But,
the polished surface may also wear away in time due to heavy
foot traffic, or can corrode owing to the use of improper
chemicals for cleaning.
Flamed
Flamed texture is the one which is quite rough. The
roughness is due to the heating of the stone at extreme
temperatures. Actually, when the stone is heated at a high
temperature, the natural crystals present in it began to
burst due to excessive pressure from inside. This results in
a rough surface of the stone. The flamed surface is very
porous in nature, hence require stoneguard protection.
Tumbled
TTumbled texture stone is the outcome of tumbling different
types of natural stones like marble, limestone, and granite.
These three stones can be found with a tumbled texture
almost effortlessly. Tumbled surface stones are perfectly
suitable for those who prefer a classic appearance. The
color of these stones is not so vibrant and requires the
application of stone-color enhancer.
Sandblasted
Sandblasted stone texture is the result of a technique known
as sandblasting. In this process, the pressurized flow of
sand and water or coarse-grained grit is used for providing
a matte gloss or sandblasted texture to the stone. The
process of sandblasting is also used nowadays to engrave
pictures and designs on the natural stone.
Bush Hammered
Bush hammered texture is created through a pounding action.
The degree of roughness can be customized. The top surface
of these stones is pneumatically tooled to produce a pitted
or dimpled surface.
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