Granite and Quartzite in a Lakewood Tract Kitchen

Published July 1, 2026

Most of the kitchens we finish sit in the original 1950s tract homes that make up so much of Lakewood, and a recent project off Carson Park was a good example. The owners wanted to keep the mid century footprint but trade tired laminate for real stone. Here is how the job went, and what it can teach you about choosing between granite and quartzite for your own kitchen.

Start at the Slab Yard

Natural stone is bought by the slab, not the sample chip, so we start every project by walking the yard with you. A four-inch sample cannot show the movement in a full granite slab or the veining across a sheet of quartzite. For this Lakewood kitchen, we tagged a warm granite for the perimeter and set aside a lighter quartzite for the island so the two played off each other instead of competing.

Template the Real Room

Lakewood homes were built almost all at once, but decades of settling leave cabinets slightly out of level and walls out of square. We laser templated the room off Woodruff Ave rather than trusting the original floor plan. That step is what keeps a finished counter tight to the wall with no filler strips. If you want the full picture of how we measure and set stone, our granite countertops page walks through it.

Granite or Quartzite for the Island

The owners asked the question we hear most: granite or quartzite. Granite brought bold grain and a friendlier price for the long perimeter run. Quartzite, which is harder than granite and reads more like marble, made the island a bright centerpiece that still shrugs off daily use. You can compare both on our quartzite countertops page, but the short version is that mixing the two let each surface do what it does best.

Seal It and Finish Clean

Both stones got sealed before we left, and we cut the perimeter for an undermount sink and shaped an eased edge to match the cabinets. We protected the floors, hauled the old laminate away, and had the kitchen back in use the same day. A tidy finish near the 90715 ZIP code matters as much to us as the stone itself.

Thinking about new counters for your Lakewood kitchen? Contact us or call Wearabledissent at (562) 912-1383 for a free in-home estimate.