Seams are necessary when the length of a countertop section is larger than the physical dimension of the stone slab. Approximately 90% of countertop grade natural stone is imported into the U.S. and transported in sea containers. As a result, the typical size of a stone is slab is about 6 feet x 10 feet so that it can fit into a sea container. For stones having a well-defined flow pattern or veining, it can be a challenge to fit sections together to give the appearance that the entire countertop was made from one large piece of stone. To aid in accomplishing this look, slabs are supplied in both "vein-matched" and "book-matched" forms.

Vein-matched slabs look identical and are cut sequentially from a single block with the same side polished on each slab. Book-matched slabs are also cut sequentially from the same large block, but have the opposite sides polished. This produces slabs which are mirror images of each other (as if folded out from the pages of a book). Our fabricators are experienced at selecting areas of the stone to produce the least visible seams, and a great deal of effort goes into optimizing the slab layout and cutting to accomplish the best seams possible. But please appreciate that it is impossible to produce a completely invisible seam, especially with stones that have wild variations in their patterns.

We invite you to participate in template layouts at our facility so that you can (a) choose the sections of a stone that you prefer for a certain area of your countertop, and (b) to discuss seam location with our fabricators. If you wish to participate in template layout just let us know and we will schedule accordingly.

The surface finish on any stone (natural or engineered) is usuallly produced at the quarry or factory where it is produced. The most common finishes for countertops are polished (smooth, shiny finish), honed (dull or matte finish), and leather (honed finish with texture). Other finishes are described below and may or may not be available for any given stone. Note that we do not provide surface finishing at our facility but can often find a particular finish from our suppliers, so please contact us for availability of any finish that you desire.

Factory:
The finish put on the slab at the processing facility (factory) before being exported. Generally polished for most marbles and granites, and honed for most shist and limestones. Slates mostly come as cleft face. Additionally some materials are available in multiple finishes (ie a stone may be mostly exported polished, but a smaller quantity is exported honed).

Polished:
This is the standard factory finish for most granites and marbles. A polished surface is highly reflective and the least porous of the finishes available. Polished marbles can be etched with many household acids and cleaners. On-site surface refinishing is NOT recommended and can be spotty at best.

Leathered:
This finish adds texture to the surface. Additionally, it closes the pores (compared to honing) and retains the color better than honing. While a leathered finish has a sheen to it, it is no where near as reflective as a polished surface. A good analogy would be that a leathered finish is like a matte finish on a photograph whereas a polished surface is like a glossy photograph. Please note that the amount of texture will vary from stone to stone and some stones will not leather (especially extremely uniform materials). Leathering is preferred to honing for blacks and other very dark materials. For example the amount of texture on Absolute Black is minimal and very fine grained, and the finish is much more uniform than honing Absolute Black. Leathering starts with a honed surface and adds texture, and is a completely different process than river washed (see below).

Caressed:
This finish adds gloss to the leathered finish above. Starting with a leathered finish and then "polishing" the high spots. This of couse closes the pores more than the leathered finish, but not as much as a polished finish.

Honed:
This is the standard factory finish for schists and most limestones (most of which will NOT take a polish). Honing a polished material opens up the pore making it more susceptible to staining than the same material in a polished finish. At home re-finishing is possible, and the end result will vary from stone to stone (see re-finishing in our care and cleaning section). Honing will "grey out" or fade the color of the stone, this is more noticeable on darker materials than on lighter materials. A color enhancing sealer is available and may be used to restore the color (if desired). Also note that very dark materials (especially blacks) tend to end up with an un-even finish and a honed finish is not recommended.

Bush hammered:
Another textured finish. This is best for external use. Bush hammering will "grey out" or fade the color of the stone to an even greater extent than honing. This finish is rougher than leathering and more uniform. This finish can be done to virtually any stone.

Tuscan:
The Tuscan finish is similar to the River Wash finish in that it is a brushed finish. However the Tuscan finish starts with a bush hammered finish rather than a flamed finish (that is the basis of the river washed finish).

Flamed:
A flamed finish is created using an extremely hot flame. The heat stresses the material causing crystals to pop out. Flaming creates a very rough texture best used for exterior purposes only. A flamed finish is excellent for exterior walkways. Flaming can only be done on granites.

Antiqued:
This is actually a style of finishes rather than a particular finish. Leathered, river washed, and tumbled finishes are all examples of an antiqued finish. A factory finish smiliar to a leathered finish is sometimes called an antiqued finish.

Brushed:
This term is sometimes used to refer to either a leather finish or a river washed finish. Unfortunately, this leads to ambiguity as there are distinct differences between leathered and river washed finishes.

Cleft face:
This is most commonly seen on slate and sandstones. Cleft face is simply the natural splitting along the layers as the stone is removed from the quarry. This is a factory finish only.

Sandblasted:
This textured surface can vary (like leathering) based on the composition of the stone being blasted. Also other blast media (instead of sand) may be used creating differences in the end result. Blasting will also "grey out" or fade the color (even more so than honing). A blasted surface is extremely porous and will be very hard to keep clean. Recommended for decorative use only.

River washed:
This finish is the pre-cursor to the leather finish. Before a slab can be river washed it must first be flamed. The river washing process simply smooths out the roughness of the flamed finish. River washed surfaces are good for interior or decorative use and NOT recommended for countertops. River washed is only available as a factory finish at this time.

Tumbled:
This finish applies to marble tiles that are literally tumbled to create a weathered or distressed look. There is some texture as well as softening of edges on the finished tiles.