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Unilock Kitchen Remodeling: The Orlando Owner’s Guide
If you’ve got Unilock paver elements incorporated into your Orlando kitchen design and something’s failing, here’s the short version: we install, repair, and replace Unilock-compatible kitchen paver features, and a Unilock-specific kitchen remodel in Orlando typically runs $14,000 – $45,000 depending on layout, cabinet line, and how much paver work is involved. Most homeowners call us after noticing grout failure, paver movement, or water staining around a Unilock feature wall, backsplash, or island base they had installed years ago.
The usual story goes like this: the pavers looked great for the first few years, then a slight lippage (one paver sitting higher than its neighbor) showed up near the sink, or the sealer wore off and now the surface holds stains. Sometimes it’s simpler: a cabinet or fixture replacement is touching the Unilock surface, and the original installer never left matching pieces or didn’t seal the transition correctly. We see it in College Park, Baldwin Park, and Winter Park kitchens weekly during the humid season.
Penhallow Remodeling Orlando is an independent contractor, not affiliated with Unilock. We install and work with their products because they hold up in Florida’s heat and moisture cycles when the substrate is done right. That last part matters more than the paver itself, and I’ll explain why below.
Which Unilock Models This Applies To
The compatibility question matters, and it’s where we spend real time on a walkthrough. Unilock pavers used in kitchen applications in Orlando are typically drawn from a few lines: Richcliff, Umbriano, Mattoni, and occasionally Ledgestone for feature walls. Each has different thickness and surface properties, so the replacement piece has to match era and batch as much as dimensions.
Here’s the compatibility gotcha most Orlando homeowners don’t know: Unilock molds change subtly over production years. A Richcliff paver bought in 2016 and one bought in 2024 off the same display shape will have slightly different surface texture and chamfer (the angled edge). If you swap one paver into a field of older ones, you’ll see the difference from across the kitchen. We source era-matched pieces when possible, or we’ll quote a full-field refresh if that’s the better look.
How to identify what you have: flip an edge paver if one is loose, or check the underside for a stamped mold number and date code. Most Unilock pavers carry a small code near one corner. If you can’t read it, snap a photo with a quarter next to the paver for scale and we can usually identify it in under a minute. OEM (Unilock-branded) versus aftermarket matters more for color consistency than structural quality. For most interior kitchen uses, an OEM equivalent paver is worth the small premium because the color pigments are identical batch to batch.
We also work with KraftMaid cabinet lines, Cambria and Silestone countertops, and other trade brands when the project extends beyond the paver repair, so you’re not juggling multiple crews if the kitchen needs more than paver work.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Unilock Kitchen Remodeling Is Failing
Here’s what we see before a homeowner calls us. If you notice any of these five symptoms in your Orlando kitchen, the fix is usually faster and cheaper before water gets where it shouldn’t.
- Lipping or uneven pavers near the sink or range. The paver is moving because the base beneath it is eroding or the original installer skipped the edging restraint that holds the outer course in place. Once one moves, water follows, and the problem spreads outward.
- Hazed or cloudy patches that won’t clean off. This is sealer failure. Unilock pavers in a kitchen get hit with cooking oils, citrus, and cleaning chemicals. When the sealer breaks down, the paver absorbs stains instead of shedding them.
- Grout or joint compound cracking at a Unilock-to-cabinet transition. Pavers and cabinetry expand at different rates in Florida’s humidity swings. If the original install left no expansion gap, the joint fails. Re-grouting without fixing the gap just fails again.
- Water staining or darkening at the base of a Unilock feature wall. This usually means the bottom course is wicking moisture from the slab or from spills that pool against the wall. In an Orlando kitchen, that moisture never fully dries during the summer.
- Hollow sound when you tap a paver, or a paver that rocks underfoot. The paver has debonded from the setting bed. It’s not a structural emergency inside a kitchen, but every week it moves, the surrounding pavers get looser.
None of these are “ignore it and hope” problems. Each one is a small fix now or a bigger fix in six months, especially with Orlando’s humidity working against you.
See the difference
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After
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After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
A paver repair or replacement within an existing Orlando kitchen is not a full remodel. Here’s where the money goes.
- Paver repair, isolated area (under 20 sq ft): typically $800 – $2,500 depending on access, matching requirements, and whether sub-surface work is needed.
- Full Unilock paver kitchen feature or island base replacement: $3,500 – $11,000 depending on square footage, pattern complexity, and paver line.
- Full Unilock-integrated kitchen remodel (cabinets, countertops, paver work): $14,000 – $45,000, with cabinet line, countertop material, and structural changes driving the spread.
Every number above includes parts, labor, material disposal, and cleanup. The written quote you get before work starts is the number on your invoice. If the underlying slab needs repair or re-leveling, we flag it during the estimate, not after demo. And every job carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the repair fails inside a year, we come back and fix it at no cost. The promise is in writing on every project, which is the part that actually matters when you’ve been burned before.
DIY or Call Us?
Honest answer: for a single paver that’s scuffed or slightly hazed, you can try a thorough clean and re-seal yourself. If the paver is rocking or lipping, if there’s water staining at the base, or if the failure involves the substrate (the compacted base or setting bed beneath the pavers), do not try to chisel it out with a screwdriver and a YouTube video. You’ll chip the surrounding pavers, and now a small paver replacement is a much larger visual problem.
Pulling a paver requires knowing how it was laid, what jointing product was used, and whether the edging restraint is still intact. On interior kitchen applications where the pavers meet cabinetry, one wrong pry can crack a cabinet face or pull a transition strip loose. That’s the expensive lesson we get called in to fix after the fact.
If you’re not sure, call us at (850) 427-6454. A background-checked, uniformed technician will come out, tell you what’s wrong, and hand you a written price before any work starts. Give you the number first, then pick up the tool.
FAQs
In an interior Orlando kitchen with proper sealing and joint maintenance, Unilock pavers typically last 25 to 40 years or more, though the sealer should be refreshed every 3 to 5 years due to cooking residues and Florida humidity. The paver itself rarely fails; the sealer, joints, or substrate fail first, which is exactly what we inspect during a repair visit. For a condition check and a sealing quote, call (850) 427-6454.
A paver with a clean crack can sometimes be lifted, re-bedded, and re-pointed, but a cracked paver that sits in a visible field will still show the crack line, and most Orlando homeowners end up replacing the piece for the visual. Deep stains that penetrated after sealer failure may respond to poultice cleaning, but if the stain is oil-based and old, replacement is usually the honest option. We’ll tell you which path makes sense and quote the replacement in writing before touching the paver.
The paver swap itself is often a one-day job, but the setting material beneath typically needs 24 to 48 hours to cure fully before foot traffic, so plan for the kitchen path to be off-limits for about two to three days. Matching materials order time can add a few days if era-matched pavers need to be sourced. We’ll give you a defined arrival window and a completion window as part of your written quote.
We carry common Unilock paver sizes and a matched jointing compound on our trucks for Orlando service calls, but exact era- and batch-matched pieces often require a quick order from a local Unilock distributor, which typically adds one to two days. If you send us a photo before the visit, we can often have the right pavers on the truck when we arrive. Call (850) 427-6454 with a photo and we’ll figure it out before we roll up.
Written by Trevor Nash, Owner, Penhallow Remodeling Orlando at Penhallow Remodeling Orlando, serving Orlando and nearby areas.
