Surface finishes
The finishes of natural stone surfaces may be polished, antique, caress finish, leather, desert or moon. Whether a surface is referred to as polished, antique, caress finish, leather, desert or moon depends on how it has been treated, i.e. on the number of times the stone has been grounded or polished. In the following section we provide details of the most common types of surface treatment:
Polished
Polished surfaces are particularly smooth and shiny. The polish deepens the colour of the stone, making every detail visible.
Antique (flamed and brushed) flame treatment produces a rustic, uneven structure. Any sharp edges in this structure are then smoothened with stainless steel or plastic brushes. This produces a pleasant, velvety surface feel. On antique surfaces, fingerprints are clearly visible and difficult to remove. This surface can only be achieved on some, selected types of granite.
Caress Finish
A special surface-finishing procedure is used to satin finish the stone, so that a characteristic surface structure is maintained. Any bumps are polished afterwards. However, not all stones lend themselves to this type of treatment. On caress finish surfaces, fingerprints are barely visible and are easy to remove.
Leather
The leather surface has a finer finish than antique. TOPgranit has the appropriate equipment to produce this type of surface on its own, using polished slabs. Although fingerprints are also visible on leather surfaces, they are slightly easier to remove than those on antique surfaces.
Desert
Although fingerprints are also visible on desert surfaces, they are slightly easier to remove than those on leather surfaces, because desert is smoother and slightly shiny. But not all types of stone are suitable for this type of treatment.
Moon
On moon surfaces, fingerprints are barely visible and are easy to remove. A special surface treatment procedure is used to make the stone slightly shiny, so that a characteristic surface structure is maintained. Any bumps are satin finished afterwards.
Natural stone, haptic (tactile feel)
The haptic of polished surfaces is fairly hard and cold.
Antique, caress finish, leather, desert and moon have a fairly smooth feel.