Surface finishing is the processing of a tile in order to achieve certain surface roughness or smoothness. Some processes are part of the pre-firing stage, such as pressing a surface texture into the tile. Other processes are post firing, such as polishing. There are five basic finishes.
Matt finish: a smooth natural looking tile with a non-reflective surface. Tends to have slightly better non-slip properties too.
Polished finish: Highly reflective and very smooth. Achieved by polishing with multiple heads post firing.
Lapatto finish: Semi polished. Achieved by polishing with an abrasive wheel but non long enough to attain the luster of a typical polished tile.
Bush Hammered finish: With natural stone tiles this finish is achieved with tools such as a chisel in order to obtain a rustic, rough surface;. With ceramic and porcelain tiles the texture is pressed into the tile body before firing. A bush hammer finish tends to be a consistent bumpy surface across the tile which improves anti-slip properties.
Textured finish. Similar to bush hammered this surface tends to emulate the material it resembles so wood-look tiles are pressed with a wood grain, rock-look tiles, like slate will be pressed with natural variations resembling the stone. Textures can be generic, the same texture patter on all tiles or in-register meaning that the texture exactly matches the design of each tile.
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