Silver Shadow Hexagon Polished Marble Hexagon Mosaic Tiles

It is a grey marble with real complexity. A dove-grey ground is shot through with fine darker veining and, in places, with warmer earthy undertones that stop it reading as a flat industrial grey. Polishing is what brings all of that out. Grinding through progressively finer abrasives closes the surface until it reflects, and reflection does two things to a mosaic: it deepens the apparent colour of the stone, and it multiplies the light already in the room. That second effect is why polished grey mosaics are so often specified where there is only one small window.

The same property is the reason to think carefully about placement. A polished face is at its least useful on a wet floor, where the reflection distracts and the closed surface offers less to grip than a honed or tumbled one. The joints between hexagons still help, but the finish is not working with you. Walls, splashbacks, cloakrooms and feature panels are where it earns its keep.

Marble is calcium carbonate, and on a polished face acid etching shows more plainly than on any other finish, because the damage removes precisely the reflectivity that was created.