Polished vs Honed vs Leathered Stone: Slab Finishes Compared

The finish is the surface a slab is given at the factory, and it changes how the same stone looks and feels. Polished stone is glossy, with the deepest color and the sharpest veining. Honed stone is ground smooth but not buffed, so it is matte to softly shiny and a shade lighter. Leathered stone is honed and then brushed, which leaves a soft sheen and a texture you can feel. In our slab range, 467 slabs are polished and 154 honed, with leathered, textured and brushed after them. Below, the same stones are shown in different finishes side by side. Color, veining, sizes and batches are covered in our marble slabs guide.

Stone finishes at a glance

Finish	How it is made	Sheen	Feel	Color	Browse
Polished	Ground with finer and finer abrasives, then buffed	High gloss	Smooth, glassy	Deepest, most saturated	Polished slabs
Honed	Ground smooth with fine abrasives, not buffed	Matte to soft satin	Smooth, velvety	A shade lighter	Honed slabs
Leathered	Honed, then worked with brushes that open the surface slightly	Soft sheen	Gently textured	Deep to slightly lighter, depending on the stone	Leathered slabs
Brushed	Worked with abrasive brushes for a worn look	Low	Soft texture	Slightly lighter	Textured slabs
Textured	Brushed or tooled for a stronger relief	Low to none	Rough, stone-like	Lighter, more natural	Textured slabs

Honed vs polished marble

On marble, the choice between polished and honed is a choice of look. Polished marble has a mirror gloss that shows the veining at full depth. Honed marble is matte to satin, with softer contrast in the veins.

Honed vs polished marble	Polished	Honed
Surface	Mirror gloss	Matte to satin
Color	Deepest	A shade lighter
Veining	Sharp, high contrast	Softer contrast
Light	Reflects light	Diffuses light
In our marble slabs	264 of 384	91 of 384
Stones offered both ways	Absolute White, Bianco Venus, Pietra Gray, Silver Shadow, Calacatta Viola, Statuary Corchia and others	The same stones, honed

Pietra Gray below is the same marble in both finishes.

For marble kitchens in both finishes, see marble countertops, and for white marbles, Calacatta and Carrara marble slabs.

Leathered marble

Eleven of our marble slabs are leathered, next to 15 quartzite and 4 granite slabs in the same finish. On marble, it gives a soft sheen and a surface you can feel, and the color stays deep. Botticino Semiclassico comes both polished and leathered at 3 cm; Stradivari, a rust-orange marble with white veins, is leathered at 2 cm, shown here on a kitchen wall.

One stone, three finishes: Venom quartzite

Venom is a near-black quartzite with white veins. Polished, the black is at its deepest and the veins are crisp. Honed, the black turns softer and slightly gray, and the veins look softer too. Leathered, the surface picks up a gentle texture and a sheen between the two.

One stone, three finishes: Negresco quartzite

The polished Negresco slab is a dark charcoal. The leathered one is lighter and grayer, with the white veins more visible, and the textured face is rougher and more matte still.

Taj Mahal Supreme, a beige quartzite, is shown in polished, honed, leathered and textured in our marble slabs guide. More quartzites are in quartzite slabs.

Honed vs polished granite

Honed granite is matte and turns a deep color softer; polished granite is glossy and shows the crystals at full depth. Absolute Black shows the difference clearly: polished it is a deep, mirror black, honed and brushed it becomes a soft charcoal. It comes in four finishes in our range: polished, honed, brushed and textured. Leathered granite, such as Virginia Mist, Titanium Gold and Patagonia Blue, is in between in sheen. More are in granite slabs.

Which finishes come in which thickness

Finish and thickness are listed together on each product page. Across our slab range:

Finish	Slabs in our range	At 3 cm	At 2 cm	Main stones
Polished	467	305	149	Marble 264, quartzite 125, granite 47
Honed	154	83	71	Marble 91, quartzite 21, limestone 20
Leathered	32	23	9	Quartzite 15, marble 11, granite 4
Textured	22	22		Quartzite 15, granite 4, marble 3
Brushed	6	4	2	Granite 3, marble 3

Several stones come in more than one finish, and some finishes only in one thickness for a given stone. Venom, for example, is honed in both 2 cm and 3 cm but leathered only in 3 cm. See 2 cm slabs, 3 cm slabs and 2 cm vs 3 cm countertop slabs.

Other finishes you will see

Finish	What it is	Seen on
Filled	Travertine's natural holes filled for a smooth surface, then polished or honed	Ivory Vein Cut travertine, Cheverny limestone
Antiqued	A worn, rippled surface that looks aged	New Vermont marble, soapstone
Multi finish	A listing offered in more than one finish combination	Virginia Mist granite
Lappato	A semi-polished porcelain surface with a soft shine	Porcelain slabs
Silk, ultra soft, matte	Low-sheen factory surfaces on sintered stone	Sintered stone slabs

Filled travertine and limestone slabs are in onyx, travertine and limestone slabs, and the engineered surfaces in sintered stone slabs and porcelain slabs.

Finishes by room

• Kitchen counters and islands. Polished, honed and leathered slabs in our range are listed for countertops. Polished gives the highest gloss and deepest color; honed and leathered give a matte or soft sheen. See marble countertops and marble kitchen islands.
• Backsplashes and feature walls. Polished reflects light and brightens a wall; leathered and textured add depth when light falls across them at an angle. See slab backsplash ideas.
• Shower walls and vanities. Polished and honed slabs are both listed for shower walls; honed gives a matte wall. See marble slab shower walls.
• Fireplaces. Polished, honed and leathered slabs are all listed for living areas in our range. See marble fireplace surrounds.

The finish changes the surface, not the stone. A honed marble is still marble, with the same hardness, and a leathered granite is still granite.

Stone finish FAQ

What is the difference between honed and polished marble?

The two start the same way, ground flat with finer and finer abrasives. Polished marble is then buffed until the surface reflects light, which deepens the color and sharpens the veins. Honed marble stops before the buffing, so it keeps a matte to satin surface. In our range, 264 marble slabs are polished and 91 honed.

Do leathered marble countertops exist?

Yes. Our range has eleven leathered marble slabs, including Botticino Semiclassico, Stradivari, Calacatta Cielo, Rosso Antigua and Elegant Gray. They have a soft sheen and a texture you can feel, with color close to polished.

Is honed or polished better for a kitchen?

Neither is better; they look different. Polished gives the most color and pattern and reflects light. Honed is matte, with softer contrast. Both are listed for countertops on our slab pages, and stones such as Bianco Venus and Pietra Gray are offered in both, so you can choose the stone first and the finish second.

Does a finish change how hard the stone is?

No. The finish is only the top surface; the stone underneath is the same. Honed and polished marble have the same hardness, about 3 to 4 on the Mohs scale, and leathered and polished granite are both about 6 to 7. The finish changes look, sheen and feel.

What is a textured stone finish?

A textured finish is brushed or tooled to leave a stronger relief than a leathered surface, closer to the face of natural stone. It has little or no sheen. In our range, all 22 textured slabs are 3 cm, and they include Absolute Black granite and quartzites such as Taj Mahal Supreme, Negresco, Belvedere and White Mustang.