Polished Vs Honed Tile On Floors

Tile on floor is today’s biggest hit when it comes to modern and budget-friendly housing. Well, there’s no doubt with that because tiles are indeed fancy and minimalistic. However, there’s an unending battle going on between the ways of maintaining it. At Salisbury Home Renovations, we will make an end to that argument.

Should you polish or hone your tile floors?  Well, that depends on some factors. Things such as what the tiles will be seeing on a daily basis as far as traffic, what look you like and what chemicals it will endure.  If you have a concern about stains, then a polished finish is probably a good option. However, a polished finish can be really tricky when wet. This would not be a great option for bathroom floors for example. 

Polished finishes are reflective and shiny while honed finishes are shiny but not reflective.  Honed finishes will be better than polished for areas that might have wet feet. Things such as entryways and other main traffic should be honed to ensure it isn’t slippery when walked on with wet feet.  This is especially important in places or areas with snowfall.  

Avoid Strong Cleaners

Strong cleaners should be avoided on either of the finishes as well as rough brushes.  Polished finishes are best for countertops and vanities. For example in the kitchen, a polished granite countertop will be protected from staining foods. However, the honed tiles would not protect from these things and should be avoided to be used as countertops.

Honed Finish for Flooring

A honed finish is the best choice for flooring.  It offers better scratch protection and it is less slippery when wet than polished finishes.  A polished finish can scratch rather easily and with dirt and grime coming in from our shoes, this can happen whether we like it or not.  However, honed finished do not protect the natural stone underneath. So, any spills should be mopped up immediately to ensure there isn’t a stain left behind.  When cleaning you shouldn’t use regular soap and water on a honed floor due to the nature of the stone wanted to seep up the water. This will eventually cause discoloration.  So, instead, you need to use an abrasive household detergent with bleach to keep the stones from darkening with age and dirt.  

Polished tile on floor is perfect for countertops

Polished tiles are beautiful and perfect for cabinet countertops, walls, in the shower walls and other decorative areas.  The walls and countertops don’t see the grim that the floor does and thus don’t have to endure the constant scratching. Polished tiles are resistant to staining and don’t soak up the water as honed finishes do.  This makes them perfect for in the bathroom and kitchen where cooking is occurring. We wipe our countertops off a lot while cooking, which makes the polished tile and idea option for countertops.  

At the end of the day, the tile should be sealed to ensure that it is protected from these outside elements all together.  Even with sealant things that are known to stain should be avoided and wiped up on either tile quickly. Things such as dark carbonated cola and mustard are some great examples of things that could stain and ruin your cabinets.  

High traffic areas should have honed finishes.  These are areas that will most likely not get wet.  This is because the honed finishes don’t scratch as easily.  Dirt and sand can really ruin a floor. 

Have you made up your mind whether to get your tiles honed or polished? If you’re still torn between the two, Salisbury Home Renovations is always open to help you. Let’s print your plans and get it to life by contacting us here.