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Unilock Kitchen Remodeling: The Fort Lauderdale Owner’s Guide
A full Unilock kitchen remodeling project in Fort Lauderdale typically runs $14,000 to $45,000 installed, depending on the size of the kitchen, the Unilock product line you’re matching, and what’s behind the walls once we open them up. Most homeowners find us because a specific Unilock element failed, a paver transition is cracking, a face is spalling, an edge detail pulled loose from humidity, or a color batch doesn’t match the original run. We stock common Unilock-compatible components on our trucks and can usually assess and order what’s missing within a day or two of your first call.
The most frequent discovery is a paver or hardscape piece that’s shifted or cracked where the outdoor kitchen meets the indoor kitchen threshold. South Florida’s heat and seasonal rain work against any rigid connection point, and Unilock’s dimensional tolerances are exact, which means a near-match from a different batch can look wrong from ten feet away. We tell you what we found, what it takes to fix it, and what it will cost, before we touch a thing.
Which Unilock Models This Applies To
When homeowners in Fort Lauderdale ask about Unilock kitchen remodeling, the work usually falls into three categories. The first is replacing or matching Unilock pavers used as accent walls, backsplash features, or floor inlays where the kitchen transitions to an outdoor space. Common lines we work with in South Florida include Richcliff, Beacon Hill, Bristol Valley, and U-Cara Multi-Face, which allows the face to be swapped without replacing the entire wall unit.
The key identification detail is the paver’s dimensional code, printed on the underside of the unit or on the original pallet ticket. Unilock pavers vary in thickness from 60mm for pedestrian use to 80mm and 100mm for drive-over applications, and the wrong thickness at a kitchen-to-patio transition is a trip hazard and a code flag in Fort Lauderdale. OEM pavers are always our first recommendation for visible kitchen faces because Unilock’s color blending is proprietary and aftermarket equivalents rarely match after a year of UV exposure. However, for hidden structural pieces, a quality concrete substitute from a local supplier works fine at roughly half the cost.
One compatibility gotcha we see regularly: Unilock’s U-Cara system uses a stainless steel backing grid and clip system that is not interchangeable with standard stone veneer clips. If a face piece pops loose, it’s usually the clip, not the paver, and you don’t need to demo the wall.
Mason Remodeling is an independent contractor and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Unilock, KraftMaid, Cambria, Silestone, or any other brand mentioned here.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Unilock Kitchen Remodeling Is Failing
- Cracked or spalled pavers at the counter base or backsplash. Fort Lauderdale’s humidity and salt air accelerate surface erosion, especially on lighter colors with more exposed aggregate. Spalling means the top layer is lifting, and it won’t reseal, it needs replacement.
- Visible lippage or uneven edges where kitchen flooring meets Unilock pavers. The sub-base under the transition wasn’t compacted properly, or the wrong bedding sand compacted and sank. The pavers aren’t failing, the prep underneath was, and it gets worse with every wet season.
- Faded, chalky color on an outdoor-facing Unilock wall visible from the kitchen window. UV breaks down even premium sealers within 18 to 24 months in South Florida. If the color looks chalky and dry, the sealer is gone and the surface is open to moisture intrusion.
- Efflorescence, a white powdery film, climbing up paver faces near the sink or dishwasher. Water is trapped behind the paver and pushing mineral salts through. This is usually a drainage or waterproofing issue, not a cosmetic one, and it will return if you just scrub it off.
- A hollow sound when you tap the U-Cara facing or a stone accent piece. The adhesive behind the face has failed, often from heat cycling in a south-facing Fort Lauderdale kitchen. The face is intact but the bond is gone, and leaving it means it eventually falls.
See the difference
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For a Unilock-specific kitchen remodeling scope in Fort Lauderdale, the installed price lands between $14,000 and $45,000. Smaller scopes, like replacing a failed backsplash section or rebuilding a 20-square-foot paver transition, fall at the low end. A full kitchen remodel with Unilock feature walls, a reconfigured layout, new cabinetry from KraftMaid, and Cambria or Silestone countertops pushes toward the top.
What drives the range is mostly what you can’t see: drywall condition, waterproofing behind the Unilock faces, whether the subfloor is level enough for a zero-lippage transition, and whether the original installer pulled permits. We don’t pad those numbers. We give you a written price before any work starts, every time, with the parts itemized separately from labor so you know exactly what you’re paying for. The work is covered by our 365-Day Done Right Promise: if something isn’t right within a year of completion, we fix it at no cost to you. No gray areas, no fine print.
DIY or Call Us?
Some things are safe to check on your own. Take photos of the damaged area with a tape measure held against it. Find the dimensional code on the underside of any loose paver. Note whether the issue is on a vertical surface or underfoot. That information saves you money when we quote it.
What we don’t recommend is prying off a U-Cara face or demoing a backsplash section yourself. The clips are under tension, the adhesive behind stone veneer holds it tight against the wall, and the wrong pry point cracks the adjacent pieces. We’ve seen homeowners turn a $400 face replacement into a full wall rebuild because of one aggressive pry bar. If there’s any chance of electrical wiring behind a backsplash, water lines under a floor transition, or structural weight on the piece, let us look first. Call (754) 354-3720 and we’ll walk you through what to check while we schedule a site visit.
FAQs
Unilock pavers in Florida weather typically last 20 to 30 years structurally, but the cosmetic face, sealer, and adhesives used around them generally need attention every 3 to 5 years due to UV, humidity, and salt air. The pavers outlive everything installed around them. Call (754) 354-3720 for an exact quote, estimates are free.
Hairline cracks can sometimes be stabilized with an epoxy injection, but spalled faces, crumbled edges, or pavers on load-bearing transitions cannot be repaired to look or function like the original. Replacement is almost always the honest call on visible kitchen areas. Call (754) 354-3720 and we’ll tell you straight what’s salvageable.
A single-paver or small backsplash section replacement is usually a one-day job once the matching material is on site. A full kitchen remodel with Unilock feature walls runs 3 to 6 weeks from demo to final walkthrough. We give you the timeline in writing before work starts, and it doesn’t change as long as what’s behind the drywall matches what we told you it would be. Call (754) 354-3720 to schedule your free estimate.
We keep common Unilock sand, bedding, edge restraints, and a selection of Richcliff and Beacon Hill pavers in stock for repair work, and we special-order exact color batches for visible replacement work so the match is right the first time. Fort Lauderdale supply houses run out of specific batch colors fast, so if your color code is older than two years, we may need to blend. Call (754) 354-3720 for an exact quote, estimates are free.
Written by Isaac Pruett, Owner, Mason Remodeling Co Fort Lauderdale at Mason Remodeling Co Fort Lauderdale, serving Fort Lauderdale and nearby areas.
