Marble & Porcelain Stair Tile Installation in South Florida
Marble and porcelain stair treads, risers, bullnose and landings on concrete and wood stairs, cut on site.
J. Perry & Sons installs marble, porcelain and natural stone on interior and exterior stairs for homeowners in Broward and Palm Beach counties: treads, risers, nosings, stringers and landings, on concrete and wood-framed stairs. Stairs are the most exacting part of our tile installation work because every step is seen at eye level and every tread has to be level, even in height and safe to walk on. Read the marble stair installation guide for the construction details, then send us a photo of the staircase.
Stair Tile Cost in South Florida: $250–$500 per step for marble, $180–$350 for porcelain
| Scope | Typical size | Installed range |
|---|---|---|
| Porcelain tile tread and riser, owner supplies tile | per step, 36–48 in wide | $180–$350 per step |
| Marble or natural stone tread and riser, owner supplies stone | per step, 36–48 in wide | $250–$500 per step |
| Full-slab marble or porcelain slab treads with finished nosing | per step, 42–60 in wide | $400–$800 per step |
| Landings and top-of-stair floor | 20–60 sq ft | $20–$30 per sq ft |
| Skirt, stringer and side-wall tile | per flight | $400–$1,200 |
| Demo of existing stair tile, carpet or wood | per flight, 13–16 steps | $500–$1,400 |
| Complete straight flight, 14 steps, porcelain | with demo and landing | $4,500–$8,500 |
| Complete flight, marble with slab nosing | with demo and landing | $7,500–$15,000 |
Ranges cover labor and setting materials with the owner supplying the tile or stone. Fabricated nosing, winders, curved stairs and stairs that need to be rebuilt to even out the rise add to the range. Railings are installed by our railing partner and quoted separately.
Free Estimate
Free estimate — call (561) 556-7509 or email jperrysonsgc@gmail.com with project photos, the city, approximate dimensions, and material selections.
Stair materials and nosing options
Marble. Carrara, Calacatta-look and Crema Marfil are the common choices. Marble treads are honed or polished with a bullnose or eased edge on the nosing. Polished marble on a tread is slippery; we recommend a honed finish or an anti-slip strip or groove on interior stairs and never polished on exterior steps.
Marble-look porcelain. Porcelain takes the look of marble with no etching, no sealing and better slip ratings. Many lines carry a matching bullnose or a factory step tread with a finished front edge, which is what makes a porcelain stair look like a slab stair.
Porcelain slab treads. 12 mm porcelain slab cut into one-piece treads with a mitered or bullnosed front edge. No grout lines across the tread, and the same slab can be used for the risers. Fabricated in a shop, set on site.
Travertine and limestone. Common on exterior and pool-area steps. Honed or tumbled, sealed, with a bullnose nosing. Soft enough to chip at the edge, so we hold a slightly thicker tread.
Nosing details. Bullnose, eased square edge, mitered drop-face or a metal stair nose. Nosing projection is kept at or under 1 1/4 inches and the tread depth and riser height stay within the Florida Building Code limits for the stair.
Free estimate — call (561) 556-7509 or email jperrysonsgc@gmail.com. Send a photo of the staircase, the number of steps and the width and we'll return a range the same day.
How we tile a staircase
- Measure every step. Rise and run are measured at each step, not just the first. Concrete stairs in South Florida homes often vary 1/2 inch or more between steps. We record the differences and plan how to correct them.
- Demo and prep. Carpet, wood, old tile or paint comes off. Concrete is ground, cracks filled, and the stair is checked for hollow spots in the pour.
- Correct the rise. Treads and risers are floated with patching mortar so that every finished step lands within 3/8 inch of the others, the maximum variance allowed by code. On wood stairs we add cement backer board and a crack-isolation layer.
- Layout. The tread tile or stone is dry-laid so the nosing projects evenly and the cuts fall at the back against the riser, where they are hidden. On open-sided stairs the exposed edge is a factory or fabricated finished edge, never a cut.
- Set risers first, then treads. Risers go on so the tread overlaps them at the nosing. Treads are set in a medium-bed or large-format thinset with full coverage, each one checked for level across and a slight pitch not exceeding 1/4 inch per foot.
- Nosing. Bullnose or factory tread edge is set in the same pass. Metal stair nosing, if used, is bedded in thinset and fastened before the tread.
- Grout and seal. Grout after 24 hours of cure, silicone at the tread-to-riser joint and where the stair meets the wall. Natural stone is sealed.
- Railing. Our railing partner measures after the tile is set and installs iron or glass railings to the finished treads.
Stairs in South Florida homes: concrete, slip and code
Poured concrete stairs. Most two-story CBS homes in Broward and Palm Beach have site-poured concrete stairs that were never finished to a tile tolerance. Floating the steps to even rise is the bulk of the labor and the step most often skipped on a cheap job; the result is a stair that looks right from the foyer and feels wrong underfoot.
Slip resistance. Interior treads should carry a wet dynamic coefficient of friction of 0.42 or higher. Exterior and pool-area steps need more, plus a textured or grooved nosing. Polished marble treads are a fall risk, especially with wet feet, and we recommend against them.
Code. Risers between 4 and 7 3/4 inches, treads at least 10 inches, nosing projection 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches, no more than 3/8 inch variance between the largest and smallest riser or tread in a flight. The tile does not change these rules; a stair out of tolerance before tile stays out of tolerance after unless the float corrects it.
Permits. Replacing stair finishes does not usually need a permit on its own. Changing a railing, or combining the stair with a foyer or flooring project in a condo, often does. We pull it when needed.
Related stair and floor services
- Tile installation: foyer and landing floors set with the stairs so the stone or porcelain matches.
- Stone slab installation: slab treads, slab risers and matching foyer features.
- Marble tile installation: the setting and sealing details for natural marble.
- Tile removal and demolition: removing old stair tile, carpet and wood.
- Concrete restoration: exterior concrete stairs repaired before a new stone finish.
Real stair tile work
Boca Raton two-story foyer. A curved two-story foyer staircase finished in marble-look porcelain treads with matching risers, set on a floated concrete stair so every step landed at the same height. The custom iron railing was fabricated and installed by our railing partner after the treads were set. See the project write-up: Marble stairs and custom iron railing in Boca Raton.
Stair tile by city
Tile installation in Fort Lauderdale · Tile installation in Miami · Tile installation in Boca Raton · Tile installation in West Palm Beach · Tile installation in Weston · Tile installation in Delray Beach · Tile installation in Parkland · Tile installation in Wellington
Planning guides: Marble stair installation: treads, risers, nosing, railings · Porcelain stair treads: slip resistance and cost · Project: marble stairs and custom iron railing in Boca Raton · Marble tile installation · Large-format tile installation
Stair tile & marble stairs — FAQ
How much does it cost to tile stairs? $180–$350 per step for porcelain and $250–$500 per step for marble, labor and setting materials, with the owner supplying the material. A 14-step straight flight with demo and a landing runs $4,500–$8,500 in porcelain and $7,500–$15,000 in marble with slab nosing.
Is marble too slippery for stairs? Polished marble is. Honed marble with a bullnose or a grooved nosing is acceptable indoors. For exterior steps or homes with children and older family members, marble-look porcelain with a slip rating is the safer choice.
Can you tile over my existing stair tile? No. It raises each step unevenly and leaves the old bond in place. We remove the old finish, float the stair to even rise and set the new material on clean concrete or backer board.
Do you install the railing? Our railing partner fabricates and installs iron and glass railings after the treads are set. We coordinate the measurement and the post locations so the tile is not drilled in the wrong place.
How long does a staircase take? Five to eight working days for a straight flight: demo and float, cure, risers and treads over two days, grout and seal, then the railing. Curved stairs and slab treads add fabrication time.
How do I get an exact price? Call (561) 556-7509 or email jperrysonsgc@gmail.com with photos and rough dimensions. 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.