Finishes for granite slabs

Granite is characterised by its resistance to weather conditions. That is why it can be used for big civil works all around the world.

Today we will discuss how to reinforce its characteristics during the making process of the products. One of the ways to improve them is adding finishes on the surfaces of the slabs.

FINISHES

Finishes are a very important step on the making process of the slabs. Amongst the different types, they can be made in a handcrafted way, such as Rustic, with just a handmade wear away after the plate shears or in a more technical way. However, the most effective techniques to boost granite resitance to weather conditions are Bush-hammered and Flamed.

Bush-hammered is the most handcrafted finish just after Rustic. The difference with the previous one is that in this case the stone is manually hit with a crandall. The final result will be more or less smooth depending on the number of cogs the tool has. At the end, the bush-hammered surface will be less coarse than the Rustic, but more than the next one (flamed). This technique can be used on slabs but it is more common on paving stones.

Flamed is the most common finish for outdoor surfaces, the most used and the best one. After the cut, it is necessary to apply a heat treatment that will make small pieces of the material detach from it, which will create a coarse result. The texture of this surface will be coarse but very flat, not like the bush-hammered one. That is why this finish is perfect to be used on rainy
or frosty locations.

To sum up, these are the most usual finishes. There are other options that would reinforce other characteristics or resistance levels depending on what is required.

You can find out more about the finishes and the different types in this link on our website: FINISHES