We give you the keys to choose the perfect finish for your tiles.
One of the most complicated decisions when choosing tiles for a new project or for a refurbishment consists in the choice of finishes. We have many options to choose from: gloss, matt, lappato… However, two of the most confusing finishes are polished and satin, despite the fact that they are completely different and give collections a totally different look.
While satin tiles have a soft shine, polished tiles are one of the highest gloss finishes. The satin finish takes its name from the subtlety of silk, with a soft touch and small shiny reflections on a matt background. The magic of satin finishes lies largely in the effects of reflecting light due to the combination of matt and gloss.
“Polished tiles are pure light”
Their polished treatment makes these surfaces shiny and luminous, ideal for representing textures with great shine in nature, such as marble and other stones. Thus, polished finishes are perfect when we are looking to achieve an effect of great luminosity and, above all, when we want to reproduce the elegance of marble.
The two materials also have differences in the production process: while the satin finish is achieved on the production line itself, without further treatment, the polished finish is achieved after a special process that gives it that high gloss appearance. As a consequence of this treatment, polished tiles would present a higher risk of slipping when used in wet areas. If we are thinking of bathrooms, perhaps satin-finished tiles would be more suitable as they do not present problems with slipping.
This difference in the slipperiness of each materials is what separates the two types of finish and what makes each type of ceramic suitable for a different project: while satin finishes can be used in almost any interior, polished finishes are not suitable for wet areas such as bathrooms.
It is also necessary to think about what the materials that imitate ceramics look like in nature: if we are looking for the soft effect of a material such as slate, what we will be interested in is a collection of satin tiles. If, on the other hand, we are looking for the luminous effects of a material such as the different shades of marble, polished finishes will be more appropriate for our project.
Therefore, there is not a finish that is better than another but it will depend on the needs and characteristics of our project and the effect we are looking to achieve with the tiles.
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