Pacific Kitchens offers affordable, custom fabricated countertops in quartz, quartzite and granite when refacing your existing cabinets to attain the look of a completely updated kitchen. When selecting the stone for your new kitchen countertops, you will also need to consider which surface treatment or “finish” applied to the stone best suits your lifestyle.

When viewing stone slabs, you’ll come across a variety of surface finish choices in both natural stone and engineered stone, such as polished, honed, satin and leather. No doubt that each choice will certainly affect the overall look of your completed project, but it will also affect your daily countertop cleaning routine, as well as how you and your family use your countertops in your daily life. Here’s a few things to consider when making your choice of ‘finish’.

A Polished finish is smooth and glossy and can brighten up a kitchen with very little sunlight, making the space feel larger. Its sleek, yet elegant, flat surface handles food and baking prep, dining, homework and more. Polished stone beautifully accentuates the stone’s veining pattern. Its easy to clean and more stain resistant than a honed, satin, or leathered finish. All of these attributes are likely what make it the most popular finish.

Honed, satin, and leather finishes are currently trending as a more ‘minimalist’ look. These finishes have a more mattified appearance which mutes the stone’s veining, but nicely camouflages watermarks, fingerprints, and possibly even dust and crumbs. But the camouflage is also the reason more frequent cleaning may be necessary. For instance, creating a matte finish on a natural stone like quartzite opens up the pores on what is an already naturally porous stone, making it less stain resistant than a polished stone and generally requiring more attention to cleaning versus minimal cleaning! Further, keep in mind that the leather finish is an uneven and slightly bumpy surface, so it may not be best as a writing surface or for bakers who need a smooth surface to roll out dough.

You’ll choose from hundreds of stone and engineered stone slabs in various colors and finishes from our local vendors. Please note that Pacific Kitchens cabinet refacing saves you thousands of dollars over a complete tear-out, with or without new countertops. No problem! Our craftsmen will create a new updated look, personalized to your style and color preferences.

For a free in-home estimate, call Pacific Kitchens today at 858-277-0701.