What is a "Honed" or "Leathered" Finish and Is It Right for Your Quartz Worktop?

By Tudor Granite, Worktop Specialist | Updated: October 2025 | Reading time: 5 minutes

For decades, a high-gloss polished finish was the only option for a stone worktop. Now, there's a world beyond shine. Textured finishes are a growing trend, as we noted in our guide to modern quartz styles. They offer a more subtle, sophisticated, and often more practical surface. This guide explains the two most popular non-polished finishes—honed and leathered—to help you decide if one is right for you.

Honed Finish (Matte): The Understated Choice

A honed finish is a completely matte, shine-free surface. It's achieved by stopping the polishing process before the surface becomes reflective, resulting in a smooth, satin-like feel. Think of the difference between matte and gloss paint.

• The Look: Soft, uniform, and non-reflective. It gives the stone a very natural and contemporary appearance.
• Pros: It has a very modern and sophisticated look. It's excellent at hiding fingerprints and smudges, making it a fantastic choice for dark-coloured quartz or granite. It also reduces glare in very bright kitchens.
• Cons: Because the surface pores are not as tightly sealed by the polishing process, a honed finish can be slightly more susceptible to showing oily or greasy marks from fingerprints. These can be easily cleaned with a proper quartz cleaner, but they may be more visible initially than on a polished surface.

Leathered Finish (Textured): The Practical Choice

A leathered finish (also called a 'suede' finish by some brands like Silestone) has a subtle, soft texture that mimics the feel of fine leather. It has a slight lustre or sheen, but is not glossy. It's created by running diamond-tipped brushes over the stone, which removes finer particles and creates delicate contours in the surface.

• The Look: A soft sheen with a noticeable but gentle texture. It enhances the natural character of the stone.
• Pros: This texture is incredibly practical. It's fantastic for hiding fingerprints, smudges, dust, and water spots, making it an extremely forgiving and low-maintenance choice for a busy family kitchen. It also adds a unique tactile quality and depth to the stone.
• Cons: The texture can make it slightly more difficult to write on a piece of paper placed directly on the surface. Cleaning might require wiping with a cloth rather than just a sponge to get into the subtle texture.

At a Glance: Honed vs. Leathered vs. Polished

Expert Opinion: Are they harder to clean?

"This is a common concern, but the answer is generally no. Because quartz is non-porous, even with a honed or leathered finish, stains won't penetrate the surface. A simple wipe with a microfibre cloth and a pH-neutral cleaner is all that's needed. The practical benefit of hiding daily smudges and water marks often outweighs the tiny extra effort that might be needed for cleaning." — The Tudor Granite Team

If you want a modern, shine-free look and appreciate understated elegance, a honed finish is a great choice. If you want a supremely practical, textured surface that feels unique and is brilliant at hiding the signs of a well-used kitchen, a leathered finish is an excellent, family-friendly option.