Miami opens more restaurants per year than any city in Florida, and the kitchens behind them sit in converted Wynwood warehouses, Brickell tower ground floors, Little Havana storefronts and hotel back-of-house. J. Perry & Sons is the restaurant and commercial kitchen tile contractor that builds those floors to pass the health inspector: quarry or slip-rated porcelain, epoxy grout, a 6-inch sanitary cove and a floor that slopes to the drain. The work is part of our commercial renovation service in Miami, for owners, restaurant groups and GCs.
Restaurant Kitchen Tile Cost in Miami
| 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 supplied by the owner or GC. A 1,200 sq ft kitchen with quarry tile, cove base, two drains and a sloped dish pit typically lands at $22,000–$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.
Miami restaurants and what that means for the kitchen floor
Wynwood kitchens are in 1950s to 70s warehouses with thick slabs that have never seen a drain. New floor drains and trench drains mean saw-cutting, the plumber setting bodies to our finished elevation, and a mud bed screeded to them at 1/4 inch per foot. Those slabs are usually dry, but decades of industrial use leave oil in the top inch; we grind to clean concrete before any mortar.
Brickell, Downtown and Edgewater restaurants are on the ground floors of towers, over parking or retail, often with a residential association above. The dish pit, walk-in and anything with a drain get a bonded membrane clamped into each drain and flood-tested, and demo noise is limited to the hours the building allows. Hotel kitchens in the same towers add a padded freight-elevator route.
Little Havana, Calle Ocho and Coral Way restaurants are in older storefronts on slab on grade with existing quarry tile that has gone hollow over a greasy slab. Those are overnight rebuilds in zones, with the kitchen equipment moved and reset each shift so the dining room opens on time.
Health inspection and plan review check the same list everywhere in Miami-Dade: smooth, cleanable, coved, sloped, no open joints. A floor replaced in kind is often permit-exempt; new drains, hood work or a layout change require a building permit from the City of Miami Building Department, pulled by the GC.
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 Miami
- Price from the equipment plan: drain positions, slope zones, cove runs, equipment curbs.
- Demo overnight with dust-shrouded tools, bed ground to sound concrete, asbestos check on old VCT first.
- Drain coordination: plumber sets bodies to our 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 sealed with chemical-resistant sealant.
- Cure and turnover before equipment rolls back, with the documentation the 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 — Miami-Dade, 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 Miami
- Hotel and hospitality tile in Miami
- Commercial bathroom and restroom renovation in Miami
- Office and retail tile and flooring in Miami
- Condo lobby and common-area renovation in Miami
- Healthcare and medical office tile in Miami
- Multifamily and apartment tile and flooring in Miami
- Church, school and institutional flooring in Miami
Nearby service areas
- Commercial renovation in Miami Beach
- Commercial renovation in Coral Gables
- Commercial renovation in Aventura
Planning guides: Restaurant kitchen floors: quarry tile, epoxy grout, coved base, drains · Commercial tile cost per sq ft · Retail tile installation after hours
Restaurant and kitchen tile in Miami — FAQ
What does a quarry tile kitchen floor cost in Miami? $14–$22 per sq ft installed with epoxy grout, tile supplied. Cove base is $16–$26 per linear foot and sloped zones add $4–$8 per sq ft for the bed. A 1,200 sq ft kitchen typically runs $22,000–$38,000 before demo.
Can you add drains to a Wynwood warehouse slab? Yes. The slab is saw-cut, the plumber sets drain bodies to our finished elevation, and we build the sloped bed to them. Drain plumbing is priced separately.
Why does a Brickell ground-floor kitchen need a membrane? Because the slab is a ceiling for the garage or retail below. A bonded membrane clamped into each drain and flood-tested keeps wash-down water where it belongs.
Do I need a City of Miami permit for a new kitchen floor? Replaced in kind, often not. If drains, the hood or the layout change, the City of Miami Building Department requires a permit and the GC pulls it.
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 Miami-Dade, 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.