What is the best finish for Giallo Siena marble?
Polished for a wall or a reception desk, honed for a floor.
Answer
Polished or honed Giallo Siena marble — what is the difference?
Every finish, with an honest verdict
Polishing takes the honed surface the next step further, to a full gloss. Honing stops at a flat matte; polishing continues with progressively finer abrasive until the stone reflects. On Giallo Siena marble, polish deepens the yellow and raises the contrast of the veining; honing leaves the colour truer and the surface quieter.
The figures
| Finish | Surface | What it does to the look | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honed | Flat matte, fine texture | Colour reads truer; quiet on a large floor | Finish dictionary |
| Polished | Full gloss | Ground reads deeper, veining gains contrast | Finish dictionary |
| Published slip reference | Honed only | 43 dry / 16 wet USRV | EN 14231-04 |
Why this stone behaves this way
The two are the same process stopped at two points. Grinding leaves the surface matte; polishing refines the same surface until it closes into a mirror. Everything after that — glare, fingerprints, the way an etch shows — follows from which of the two you have.
What these figures are, and what they are not The published slip resistance figure is for the honed surface. Polished floors are not described by that number, and a polished floor in a wet room is not a wet-area floor.
Where these figures come from
- S1 granitalsiena.com — Giallo Siena marble technical sheet (EN standard test values; Politecnico di Torino marble laboratory)
- S16 the architect complete specification guide to marble (bookmatching, edge profiles, calibration, finish behaviour)
Where to go next
On the same subject
More questions about Giallo Siena marble
Can Giallo Siena marble take a flamed finish?
No.
This answer sits on the Every finish, with an honest verdict page, with the rest of the questions about it.
FinishesAsk for a price
A thickness, a format, a finish, a quantity and a destination will get you a quotation for Giallo Siena marble.
Polished or honed Giallo Siena marble — what is the difference?