Between Las Olas, the 17th Street Causeway, the beach and the hotel kitchens that feed Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale has restaurant floors failing every week: hollow quarry tile over a greasy slab, cement grout eaten by degreaser, a dish pit that never drains. J. Perry & Sons is the restaurant and commercial kitchen tile contractor that rebuilds them the way the health inspector expects, and that work is part of our commercial renovation service in Fort Lauderdale. Owners, franchise groups and GCs get a per-sq-ft price, a closure schedule and a floor that drains.
Restaurant Kitchen Tile Cost in Fort Lauderdale
| Item | Spec | Installed range (labor + setting materials) |
|---|---|---|
| Quarry tile floor, 6x6, epoxy grout | kitchen, dish pit, prep | $14–$22 per sq ft |
| Porcelain alternative, DCOF 0.42+ wet | open kitchen or service line | $14–$20 per sq ft |
| 6" quarry cove base with sanitary radius | per linear ft | $16–$26 per lf |
| Slope-to-drain mud bed, 1/4" per ft | per sq ft of sloped area | $4–$8 per sq ft |
| Floor or trench drain set in tile | each, plumbing by others | $350–$900 |
| Waterproofing membrane under tile | dish pit, walk-in, upper floor | $3–$6 per sq ft |
| Dining room porcelain floor | 800–4,000 sq ft | $9–$16 per sq ft |
| Demo of old quarry tile or VCT | per sq ft | $3–$6 per sq ft |
Tile is supplied by the owner or GC. A 1,200 sq ft kitchen with new quarry tile, cove base, two drains and a sloped dish pit typically lands between $22,000 and $38,000 before demo. Overnight work in an operating restaurant adds 15–30 percent to labor.
Free Estimate
Free estimate — call (561) 556-7509 or email jperrysonsgc@gmail.com with project photos, the city, approximate dimensions, and material selections.
Fort Lauderdale restaurants and what that means for the kitchen floor
Las Olas and downtown kitchens are mostly in older one- and two-story commercial buildings and in the ground floors of new mixed-use towers. The older buildings have decades of grease in the slab and drains set to a floor elevation nobody remembers; we grind to clean concrete, degrease and have the plumber reset drain bodies to our finished elevation before any bed goes in. Tower ground floors are above parking or retail, so the dish pit and walk-in get a bonded membrane clamped into the drains, flood-tested, so a leak does not end up in the garage below.
The 17th Street and beach restaurants are tied to hotel and cruise traffic and rarely close for a week. Those floors are rebuilt in overnight zones: demo and bed one night, set the next, grout and cure the third, with the equipment contractor resetting the line each shift.
Health inspection and plan review check the same things everywhere in Broward: smooth, durable, cleanable floor, coved at the wall, sloped to the drain, no open joints. A kitchen floor replaced in kind is often permit-exempt; any change to drains, hood or layout needs a building permit from the City of Fort Lauderdale Development Services Department, and the GC pulls it. Epoxy grout and mortar cure on temperature, so the kitchen stays conditioned through the overnight work even when the dining room air is off.
Free estimate — call (561) 556-7509 or email jperrysonsgc@gmail.com. Send the kitchen plan with drain locations and we'll return a range the same day.
How we do it in Fort Lauderdale
- Price from the equipment plan: drain positions, slope zones, cove runs and equipment curbs.
- Demo overnight with dust-shrouded tools, mortar bed ground to sound concrete, asbestos check on old VCT first.
- Drain coordination: plumber sets bodies to our finished elevation; we verify 1/4 inch per foot before the bed goes down.
- Slope-to-drain bed and membrane in the dish pit and wet zones, flood-tested.
- Set quarry or slip-rated porcelain back-buttered in latex-modified mortar; cove base on the floor tile with formed corners.
- Epoxy grout forced to full depth, cleaned in two passes; movement joints at perimeter and curbs with chemical-resistant sealant.
- Cure and turnover before equipment rolls back, with the documentation the health inspector asks for.
Permits and compliance handled. J. Perry & Sons pulls the permit, schedules the inspections, and builds to the city and county codes that apply — Broward and Palm Beach municipal building departments, HVHZ requirements where they apply, and HOA/condo association rules. Licensed Florida general contractor CGC1540699.
Related commercial services in Fort Lauderdale
- Hotel and hospitality tile in Fort Lauderdale
- Commercial bathroom and restroom renovation in Fort Lauderdale
- Office and retail tile and flooring in Fort Lauderdale
- Condo lobby and common-area renovation in Fort Lauderdale
- Healthcare and medical office tile in Fort Lauderdale
- Multifamily and apartment tile and flooring in Fort Lauderdale
- Church, school and institutional flooring in Fort Lauderdale
Nearby service areas
- Commercial renovation in Hollywood
- Commercial renovation in Pompano Beach
- Commercial renovation in Davie
- Commercial renovation in Pembroke Pines
- Commercial renovation in Weston
Planning guides: Restaurant kitchen floors: quarry tile, epoxy grout, coved base, drains · Commercial tile cost per sq ft · Commercial renovation permits in Broward
Restaurant and kitchen tile in Fort Lauderdale — FAQ
What does a quarry tile kitchen floor cost in Fort Lauderdale? $14–$22 per sq ft installed with epoxy grout, tile supplied. Cove base adds $16–$26 per linear foot and sloped zones $4–$8 per sq ft for the bed. A 1,200 sq ft kitchen typically lands at $22,000–$38,000 before demo.
Can you redo the floor without closing the restaurant? Usually, in overnight zones over several nights, with the kitchen equipment moved and reset each shift. A full closure of two to five days is faster and cheaper when the owner can take it.
Do I need a permit for a new kitchen floor? Replaced in kind, often not. If drains move, the hood changes or the layout changes, the City of Fort Lauderdale requires a building permit and the GC pulls it.
Why does my ground-floor tower kitchen need a membrane? Because the slab is a roof for whoever is below it. A bonded membrane clamped into each drain and flood-tested keeps wash-down water out of the garage or retail space underneath.
How do I get an exact price? Call (561) 556-7509 or email jperrysonsgc@gmail.com with the kitchen equipment plan and drain locations. A written estimate is typically ready within 24–48 hours after a site review and scope confirmation.
Free estimate — call (561) 556-7509 or email jperrysonsgc@gmail.com. Licensed Florida general contractor CGC1540699. Serving Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Free Estimate
Free estimate — call (561) 556-7509 or email jperrysonsgc@gmail.com with project photos, the city, approximate dimensions, and material selections.