Flooring Key Biscayne: Salt Air, Trim, and Adhesives
Flooring Key Biscayne homes the right way starts at the trim and adhesive. How salt air attacks oceanfront installs and the spec we run within a mile of the bay.
By Ivan Herrera 7 min read
Ivan Herrera
About the author
Ivan HerreraFounder, The Miami Floors
Ivan Herrera leads The Miami Floors and personally walks each project before sign-off. His work centers on large-format porcelain, waterproof shower systems, stone, and exterior porcelain surfaces across Miami-Dade and Broward.
Posts by Ivan Herrera
33 posts
Linear Drain Installation in a Tile Shower: The Slope Math
How linear drain installation in a tile shower actually works — the single-pitch slope, Schluter Kerdi-Line integration, and the geometry most installers get wrong.
By Ivan Herrera 9 min read
Rooftop Pool Deck Materials Miami: A Trade Spec Guide
Spec'ing rooftop pool deck materials in Miami? DCOF, freeze-thaw, salt-spray, surface-temp, and NOA-compliant pedestal vs adhered systems for porcelain decks.
By Ivan Herrera 8 min read
Bath Renovation Miami Beach: Two Building Stocks, Two Installs
A bath renovation in Miami Beach lives in one of two buildings — pre-war Art Deco or post-2005 tower. Each changes the substrate, drains, and waterproofing plan.
By Ivan Herrera 8 min read
Stone and Porcelain Bathroom Design: Joints That Hold
Stone and porcelain bathroom design for Miami baths. The transitions, joint widths, and edge profiles that survive a year past the punch list.
By Ivan Herrera 8 min read
When Large-Format Porcelain Is the Wrong Call
When not to use large-format porcelain. Four real cases — bad substrate, light budget, too-tight joints, heritage homes — where we tell Miami clients no.
By Ivan Herrera 8 min read
Bathroom Remodel Cost Miami: Timeline and Budget by Scope
How long does a bathroom remodel take in Miami? Real 8-week schedule from a Brickell condo, the dependency chain that drives it, and budget bands by scope.
By Ivan Herrera 9 min read
How to Install Large-Format Porcelain Slab: 9 Field Steps
How to install large-format porcelain slab in 9 field steps — substrate flatness, vacuum-frame handling, 95% mortar coverage, 1.5 mm dry joint, lippage control.
By Ivan Herrera 10 min read
Porcelain Countertops Miami: Where the Slab Wins, Where It Fails
Porcelain countertops in Miami kitchens — where Laminam and Dekton outlast stone in heat, citrus, and salt air, and where a 12 mm mitre still cracks.
By Ivan Herrera 8 min read
Sealing Marble in Miami: A Humidity-Aware Schedule
Sealing marble in Miami depends on where the slab lives. Oceanfront, inland, and high-floor condo schedules for penetrating sealer reapplication.
By Ivan Herrera 6 min read
Shower Niche Waterproofing: Niches, Benches, and the Four Corners That Fail
Shower niche waterproofing, the bench live-load math, and the four corner failures behind 90% of leaks — Kerdi-Board, Kerdi-Band, and the 2° sill pitch.
By Ivan Herrera 9 min read
Working With a Tile Installer: A Designer Guide
A working-with-a-tile-installer designer guide for Miami trade — joint width, substrate flatness, mitred edges, mixed-material transitions, scope language.
By Ivan Herrera 7 min read
Flatness Tolerance for Large-Format Tile: TCNA + ANSI
The flatness tolerance for large-format tile per TCNA and ANSI A108.02 — and why a 1620 × 3240 mm slab needs tighter than the published number.
By Ivan Herrera 7 min read
Bathroom Tile Installer in Miami: What to Verify First
Hiring a bathroom tile installer in Miami? What to verify on waterproofing, large-format porcelain, niches, drains, and condo bath remodels before signing.
By Ivan Herrera 7 min read
Floor Leveling in Miami: The Condo Slab Field Method
How floor leveling works in Miami condos — mapping the slab, choosing SLU, moisture testing, and flatness tolerances for large-format porcelain..
By Ivan Herrera 10 min read
Miami Flooring: A Material Guide for the Local Climate
Choosing Miami flooring? How humidity, salt air, condo concrete slabs, and large-format porcelain shape the material decision across Miami-Dade and Broward.
By Ivan Herrera 8 min read
Porcelain Slab Bathroom Walls: How the 1.5 mm Joint Changes Everything
Porcelain slab bathroom walls in Miami demand 1.5 mm joints, dead-flat substrates, and full mortar coverage. Here is what actually fails on a 1620 x 3240 mm panel.
By Ivan Herrera 10 min read
Large-Format Porcelain Spec Sheet for Architects
A CSI Section 09 30 13 spec block for large-format porcelain slab — Laminam, Neolith, Dekton — with Miami condo addenda for the spec writer.
By Ivan Herrera 8 min read
Bathroom Remodeling in Miami: Budget, Scope, and Condo Reality
Planning bathroom remodeling in Miami? Real budget bands by scope, condo HOA approval timelines, insurance rider requirements, and what a full gut actually costs in Miami-Dade.
By Ivan Herrera 14 min read
Bathroom Renovation Brickell Condo: High-Rise Realities
Bathroom renovation in a Brickell condo? HOA approval checklist, elevator dimensions, IIC sound ratings, and permit steps specific to Brickell high-rise towers.
By Ivan Herrera 8 min read
Calacatta vs Nero Marquina: Choosing Marble for a Miami Bath
Compare Calacatta and Nero Marquina marble for Miami baths. Etching, hard water, bookmatching, and 5-year aging in humid South Florida — stone-by-stone.
By Ivan Herrera 9 min read
Condo Bathroom Renovation Miami: HOA Rules, Permits & Noise
Condo bathroom renovation in Miami requires HOA approval, $1M+ insurance, IIC-50 sound compliance, and Mon–Fri work windows. Timelines and permit checklist.
By Ivan Herrera 9 min read
Curbless Shower in a Miami Condo: How the Slope Is Built
A curbless shower in a Miami condo without raising the bath floor — substrate carve depth, Schluter Kerdi-Line linear drain integration, slope geometry across an 8 ft run.
By Ivan Herrera 8 min read
Flooring Contractors in Coral Gables: How to Hire Right
Vetting flooring contractors in Coral Gables? Learn what the city permit process, historic district rules, and large-format porcelain require before you sign.
By Ivan Herrera 7 min read
Honed vs Polished Marble Floors: A Miami Safety Spec
Honed vs polished marble floors compared on DCOF slip resistance, etching, and Miami humidity — the safety and aesthetics call for a wet bath.
By Ivan Herrera 7 min read
Laminam vs Neolith vs Dekton: A Field Comparison
Comparing Laminam, Neolith, and Dekton from the install side — how each slab cuts, handles, miters, and behaves under RLS clips in Miami residential work.
By Ivan Herrera 10 min read
Large-Format Porcelain Installation in Miami: The Full Guide
Planning large-format porcelain installation in Miami? Spec table comparing Laminam, Neolith, and Dekton, substrate requirements, and what installers get wrong.
By Ivan Herrera 11 min read
Master Bathroom Layout Mistakes: The Miami Edition
The master bathroom layout mistakes that cost Miami homeowners real money — fixture clearances, condo rough-in moves, and the five plumbing changes that trigger a permit.
By Ivan Herrera 8 min read
Moisture Testing Concrete Slab Miami: The ASTM F2170 Field Guide
Concrete slab moisture testing in Miami condos — ASTM F2170 probe placement, 75% RH threshold, what Brickell and Sunny Isles slabs actually read in summer, and when to act.
By Ivan Herrera 9 min read
Schluter Kerdi vs Sheet Membranes: Which Fails Where
Schluter Kerdi vs sheet membrane: how each fails — corners, drain bonding, pipe collars, cure humidity. Real tear-out callbacks from Miami condo showers.
By Ivan Herrera 10 min read
Shower Waterproofing in Miami: The Complete System Guide
What shower waterproofing in Miami requires — Schluter Kerdi, condo flood tests, ANSI A118.10 standards, and why condo liability makes the 24-hour test non-negotiable.
By Ivan Herrera 12 min read
Marble Installation Miami: Stone, Sealing & Climate
Planning marble installation in Miami? Learn how humidity, salt air, and condo HVAC affect sealing schedules for Calacatta, Nero Marquina, and Travertino.
By Ivan Herrera 13 min read
Tile Installers in Miami: How to Vet the Crew
Hiring tile installers in Miami? Learn what to check before large-format porcelain, shower waterproofing, slab walls, and exterior porcelain work.
By Ivan Herrera 4 min read