The objective on this page is to quickly identify if some finishes are to be avoided outdoors or indoors. This will allow you to save time in your selection by having a clear vision of the possibilities. All stone paving finishes are possible indoors ; the decision criterion being mainly aesthetic. For the exterior, anti-slippery considerations are to be taken into account.

We detail our tiles and pavers finishes in this other article on flooring.

Honed finish : to be banished outdoors

Finishes that can be slippery outdoors are to be avoided. This is the case for honed finish and thus also for honed finish with pillowed edges and polish finishes. Indeed with rain or frost, the risk of falling exists. However, tiles in porcelain stoneware, just as slippery, are frequently laid on the terrace.

Honed

The honed finish is smooth with a matte rendering. This finish is only suitable for inside (too slippery outside). This softening is achieved by passing the stone under increasingly fine grains (3 to 4 discs most often) until obtaining the desired smooth rendering. The edges are straight for a modern rendering. The limestones that are sublimated with honed finishes are Comblanchien, Charmot, Buffon, Chassagne…

Note : do not confuse the honed finish with the polished finish (used a lot in the 80s and 90s). Today, polished finish is limited to wall cladding ; indeed this finish is relatively fragile on the ground (risk of scratches and stains). For horizontal laying, we only carry it out on request in addition to existing flooring.

Bush-hammered and flamed finishes used mainly outdoors

All finishes (except those described above) can be layed outdoors (Brushed, Antique, Monastery, Old Slabs of Burgundy …). However, among them 2 finishes are not used indoors (even if it remains possible) and are mainly used in terraces, courtyards, alleys or roads. These are the bush-hammered and flamed finishes.

Bush hammered

The bush hammered finish is recognizable through small white cavities on the surface of the tiles (traces of tip of the “boucharde” tool). The “boucharde” is a tool of the stonemason, it is a hammer with 1 or 2 heads, composed of a checkerboard of diamond tips. The edges of the tiles are slightly marked.

The Comblanchien stone is frequently bush hammered; being very hard this stone is particularly suitable for terrace projects or paved courtyards. The limestones from the area of Châtillon will also sublimate this finish for a resolutely old rustic rendering (especially with the Golden Yellow Lanvignes limestone).

Flamed

The stone is literally passed to the torch, so a thermal shock will burst the grains on the surface and give this rough rendering. This process is used only on relatively hard stones. The only stone we offer in flamed finish is Comblanchien stone. This finish can be used for terraces thanks to its anti-slippery rendering. The flamed finish is quite rare for private housing. It is generally used for roads or sidewalk.