A honed finish is ground to a smooth, matte surface, which hides scratches and etching better and is often preferred for floors and high-traffic areas. A polished finish is buffed to a reflective shine that shows off the stone’s veining and color most dramatically, but it also shows scratches, etching, and wear more readily over time. We help you choose the finish based on where the stone is going, not just how a single sample piece looks.
Natural stone needs a modified thin-set formulated for stone, and often a different spacing than ceramic or porcelain to account for its irregular edges.
Porous stones like marble and travertine are typically sealed before grouting to prevent staining, then sealed again after the job is finished.
Tumbled and cleft stone often needs wider grout joints than a rectified porcelain tile to account for size variation between individual pieces.
We tell you honestly how often your specific stone should be re-sealed, since it varies by stone type and how the surface is used.
Natural stone shows up most often in kitchen backsplashes and floors, primary bathroom floors and shower walls, and feature walls meant to be a room’s focal point. In commercial settings, it appears in lobbies, reception areas, and other spaces where the goal is a higher-end finish rather than pure durability under heavy foot traffic. We help clients weigh where stone earns its cost against where a porcelain tile made to look like stone might be the more practical choice.
Stone pricing varies more than ceramic or porcelain because of material cost and sealing needs, so the range below is a starting point ahead of your written quote.
$15 – $30 per sq ft installed
Includes stone-specific thin-set and spacing
Sealing before and after grouting included
Pricing depends on stone type and finish
$15 – $30 per sq ft installed
Wider grout joints to suit irregular edges
Sealing included as part of the install
Material cost is a bigger driver than labour here
We review the stone you've chosen or help you choose one, and check the substrate it will be installed over.
We help you decide between a honed or polished finish based on where the stone is going and how it will be used.
Porous stone is sealed before grouting to prevent staining, then set with a modified thin-set formulated for stone.
Grout is applied, the finished stone is sealed a second time, and we walk you through ongoing care before the job wraps up.
Tiles Experts provides professional natural stone and marble tile installation throughout Ottawa, Ontario. Stone tile – marble, travertine, slate, limestone, and granite among them – gets chosen for higher-end residential kitchens and bathrooms, feature walls, and select commercial spaces where the natural variation and depth of real stone can't be fully replicated by manufactured tile. It's also a material that demands more from the installer, since every slab and piece behaves a little differently.
Most natural stone, including marble, travertine, and limestone, is porous and needs to be sealed, typically before grouting to prevent grout haze from staining the stone, and again after the installation is complete. Denser stones like granite and slate need less frequent sealing, but we'll tell you what your specific stone requires.
Honed marble has a smooth, matte finish that hides scratches and etching better, which makes it a practical choice for floors. Polished marble has a glossy, reflective finish that shows off the stone's natural veining most dramatically, but it also shows wear, scratches, and etching from acidic spills more visibly over time.
Marble and other calcium-based stones react with acidic substances, like lemon juice or vinegar, leaving a dull mark called etching where the finish has been chemically altered. It's different from a scratch and can't be fully polished out without professional refinishing, which is a real consideration for a marble kitchen counter or floor near a cooking area.
Yes. Natural stone requires a modified thin-set formulated for stone rather than a standard thin-set, and grout joint spacing is often adjusted because natural stone pieces have more size variation edge to edge than manufactured tile. Tumbled or cleft-finish stone in particular often needs a wider joint to look right.
It can be, as long as it's properly sealed and maintained, since stone is more sensitive to moisture and acidic cleaners than porcelain. We'll walk you through the maintenance a specific stone requires so you can decide if it fits your bathroom and your routine, or whether porcelain is the more practical choice for that space.