Travertine Honing

What honing actually is

Honing means grinding a very thin layer off the top of the stone with diamond pads, starting coarse and working finer. It's done wet. The water keeps dust down and carries away the slurry. What's left is a fresh, even surface.

It's the step that fixes the things cleaning can't:

• The worn path from the garage door to the kitchen
• Scratches from chairs, dog nails and sand
• Etch marks from wine, citrus or the wrong cleaner
• That cloudy, chalky look from years of hard-water spots
• Mild lippage, where one tile edge sits a little higher than the next

Honed is also a finish

A lot of people stop right here, because a honed finish is a smooth, satin-to-matte look that suits travertine. It hides scratches and water spots better than high gloss, which is why I usually recommend it for busy floors in Vegas. If you want more shine, honing is the foundation for polishing. I compare the two in honed vs. polished travertine.

What to expect on the day

I cover baseboards, cabinet faces and carpet edges. The machine is loud, but it doesn't throw dust like dry sanding. I work in sections and squeegee and vacuum up slurry as I go. Hole filling usually happens during honing, because the fill gets ground flush with the stone. The floor gets sealed at the end.

What honing can't fix

Cracked tiles, hollow-sounding tiles that have come loose from the slab, and big height differences from a bad install. Those need tile repair or reinstalling. I'll point them out before we start so there are no surprises.