Quartz is manufactured from ground stone bound with resin, which keeps its color consistent from one batch to the next and leaves a surface that never needs sealing. It's the material to weigh against granite if you'd like a counter with no upkeep schedule, though its resin is less tolerant of high heat than natural stone.
Granite Countertops in Arlington, VA
A stone picked for the room it lands in
Granite countertops in Arlington go into very different kitchens, from a Georgetown rowhouse galley to a McLean colonial with a long island. A bold slab that anchors one can overwhelm the other, so the stone is chosen for the room.
Every granite slab carries its own grain and color. Quartzite brings the veined look of marble on a stone built for a working kitchen.
At Cabinet IQ of Arlington, your counters are planned with your cabinets, and the same team installs both. Our owner, Antonio Zavaleta, has lived in the DC and Virginia area for more than twenty years.
Granite countertops & the rest of your remodel
Granite countertops in Arlington are rarely a purchase on their own. The stone sits on cabinets, frames a sink and meets a backsplash, so most homeowners settle it alongside two or three other decisions.
A stone top is only as straight as the boxes beneath it, so the cabinets have to be sound, square and level before the counters are measured. Picking your cabinet line, door and finish in the same session means the granite is matched against a real door rather than a paint chip and a guess.
Your free design consultation turns your measurements into a 3D view of the finished kitchen, with the granite drawn onto every run and the island. It's the place to try a dark stone against a light one, on your own layout, before a single slab is ordered.
Picking granite countertops for your Arlington home
Five questions settle most granite and quartzite choices, and each one comes down to how your kitchen gets used.
Consultations run Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5:30 pm. Bring a rough sketch with the wall lengths, the windows, the range and anything that's staying, like a hardwood floor.
Your designer builds the room in 3D and swaps stones across your layout. Before anything is cut, ask to see the full slab or a photo of it.
A Georgetown rowhouse or a Columbia Pike condo may get daylight from one end only. A pale granite with gray or taupe flecks carries that light deeper into the room.
A McLean kitchen with windows on two sides can take a dramatic stone, like black granite with white veining. Beside white cabinets, pick a stone with some contrast, so the counter doesn't disappear into the doors.
Quartzite gives you marble's white and gray veining without marble's etching from lemon juice or wine. That suits traditional kitchens in Georgetown and Upper Northwest.
It's harder than most granite, so it's slower to cut and usually costs more. Most quartzites still need sealing, some yearly and some far less often.
In a narrow galley, you'll brush past the counter edge all day. A pencil edge, square with a small rounded lip, keeps a clean line without a sharp corner.
Ask for radiused corners where an island sits near a doorway. A chiseled edge suits a Del Ray bungalow but holds crumbs, so keep it away from the sink.
A busy granite needs a quiet tile, while a calm stone leaves room for a patterned one. That way the two don't compete.
A 4-inch splash in the same stone protects the wall behind the sink. A full-height slab behind the range uses more stone, so decide on it before the slab is ordered.
Which stone suits which Arlington kitchen
Granite and quartzite both work across Northern Virginia and DC, but each has kitchens where it pulls ahead. Here's how they line up in five homes common around Arlington:
| Your kitchen | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A narrow rowhouse kitchen in Georgetown | Quartzite | A pale, veined slab reflects light from the front and back windows down the length of the room. |
| A McLean colonial with a long island | Granite | The range of patterns lets one bold slab hold its own in a large room. |
| A compact garden-era kitchen in South Arlington | Granite | A tight-grained stone reads as one calm surface where counter space is short. |
| A Del Ray bungalow with painted cabinets | Either | A warm granite or a soft quartzite both sit comfortably beside painted doors and older trim. |
| A Vienna split-level opened to the family room | Granite | The counter becomes part of the living space, so a stone that shrugs off heat and daily use earns its place. |
If two rows describe your home, ask to see both stones drawn into your layout at your design consultation.
Looking after granite & quartzite in a Virginia kitchen
Muggy July air and dry, heated January air make little difference to granite or quartzite. What matters is what's left sitting on the surface, and how it gets cleaned off.
- Blot spills with a cloth rather than wiping them across the stone, which spreads oil over a wider patch
- Rinse with plain water after washing up, since dish soap left behind builds a dull film on polished stone
- Keep olive oil and vinegar bottles on a small tray beside the range, so drips land on the tray instead of the counter
- Don't stand or kneel on the counter to reach a high cabinet, since overhangs and the strip in front of the sink are its weakest points
Resealing takes about as long as wiping down the kitchen. Clean the surface, spread the sealer, leave it for the time on the label, then buff away what's left. Your designer can tell you which schedule fits the slab you choose, since a dense black granite and a pale quartzite won't need the same one.
What your granite countertops include
Your project starts with a free design consultation and a 3D rendering of your kitchen. Once your cabinets are set and level, the counters are measured on site, cut to that template and installed by our own team.
Settle your sink and faucet before that measuring visit, since the cutout and faucet holes are made for those exact models.
Still weighing granite against quartz?
Alongside granite, we install quartzite, quartz and porcelain countertops. Each asks for a different level of care, and the right one depends on how hard your kitchen works. Compare them on your own layout during your design consultation.
View kitchen countertopsGranite countertops near Arlington
Book a consultation Monday to Friday between 9 am and 5:30 pm by calling (571) 240-4231. We design and install granite and quartzite countertops throughout Arlington and in these Northern Virginia and DC neighborhoods:
North Arlington, South Arlington, McLean, Vienna, Falls Church, North Alexandria, Del Ray, Georgetown, Upper Northwest, Southwest Waterfront.
Frequently asked questions
The stone you choose, how many slabs your layout needs and whether the backsplash runs up the wall all shape the figure. Bring your measurements to the free design consultation, and your designer can price granite and quartzite on the same layout.
A standard 3-centimeter slab weighs roughly 18 to 20 pounds per square foot. Most kitchen cabinets carry that without extra reinforcement, once they're level and fastened to the wall.
Yes. Many Arlington and DC buildings ask contractors to book the service elevator and show proof of insurance before work starts. Check your building's rules early, since the stone comes up in large pieces.
With brackets screwed into the cabinets on either side, not into the stone. Mention your dishwasher model at the consultation, so its mounting kit is ready on install day.
Not really. Daily care is the same for both: warm water, a soft cloth and a stone-safe cleaner. The difference is in sealing, which varies more from one slab to the next than from one stone to the other.
No. We install stone and engineered surfaces only: granite, quartzite, quartz and porcelain.
Talk it through at your consultation. Older boxes need to be level and solid enough to carry stone, and any sag in them shows up in the new counter. We don't reface, paint or add on to existing cabinets, so if yours need work, new cabinets come first.