This page covers the choices you make before a pour: the material, how thick, what steel, which finish and whether to seal. The answers are for South Florida, where sun, salt and rain matter and frost does not.
The dollar figures on this page are national ranges that HomeGuide published for 2026. They are not quotes from Miami Concrete Solutions. In Miami the real number depends on local labor and material prices, how a truck reaches the pour, and what is under the old slab. Figures last read in October 2026.
Concrete or asphalt for a driveway?
For a house in Miami, concrete is usually the better pick. Asphalt costs $5 to $12 or more per square foot nationally, or $2,000 to $4,800 for a 20x20, against $6 to $15 per square foot for concrete. Asphalt is black, so it gets very hot in our sun and can soften and mark under tires. It needs resealing every few years. Concrete stays lighter and cooler and lasts longer. Asphalt makes more sense for long private roads and large lots where area is the main cost.
Poured concrete or pavers?
Both work here, and pavers are very popular in Miami-Dade. A paver patio costs $10 to $17 per square foot installed nationally, or $3,800 to $6,800 for a 20x20, so pavers cost more than plain concrete and about the same as stamped. Their advantages are that single units can be lifted and reset after root or pipe work, and the joints let some rain through. Their drawbacks are weeds and ants in the joints, sand washing out in heavy rain and edges that creep. Poured concrete is one solid surface that is simpler to clean and cheaper to build.
How thick should a concrete driveway be?
Four inches is the usual minimum for a driveway that carries cars and light pickups. Go to 5 or 6 inches if a work truck, a boat trailer, an RV or delivery vehicles will use it. The thickness has to be real across the whole slab, which means the base must be graded flat. A slab that is 4 inches at the form and 2.5 in the middle is the common way thin concrete happens.
Do I need rebar or wire mesh?
For a driveway, yes, we recommend rebar or wire mesh. Steel does not stop cracks. It holds them closed and keeps the two sides at one height. The detail that matters most in Miami is where the steel sits. It has to be held up on supports, well inside the slab, with enough concrete above and below that salt and moisture do not reach it. Mesh left lying on the ground does no good and rusts.
What PSI concrete do I need?
For house flatwork, mixes of about 3,000 psi are common, and 4,000 psi is a sensible step up for driveways, slabs under heavy loads and concrete near salt water. A denser, stronger mix lets less salt and water through. For any slab that is part of a building, the PSI is whatever the permitted drawings say, and the delivery ticket should show it.
Is stamped concrete worth it?
Stamped concrete is worth it if you want the look of stone or brick in one piece and you accept the upkeep. It costs $8 to $19 per square foot nationally. In Miami, plan to reseal it, because sun fades color and worn sealer lets stains in. It also needs grit in the sealer near water. If you want low upkeep above all, a broom finish with a colored border is cheaper and easier to live with.
Should I seal my new concrete, when, and how often after that?
Sealing plain concrete is optional here, and sealing decorative concrete is needed. If you seal new concrete, wait until it has cured, which most sealer makers put at about 28 days. Our lack of frost removes the main reason northern owners seal. Good reasons in Miami are to slow salt and water getting in near the coast, to resist oil and leaf stains and to protect color. Sealing costs $1 to $3 per square foot nationally, or $575 to $1,700 for a two-car driveway.
How often depends on sun and traffic. A common interval for decorative and stamped surfaces is every two to three years. A good test is to pour a little water on the slab. If it soaks in and darkens the concrete, the sealer has worn off. Avoid stacking coat on coat, which is how sealer turns white and peels in our humidity.
Broom finish or smooth finish? What about a steep driveway?
Outdoors, choose a broom finish. The fine ridges give grip in rain, which Miami gets a lot of. A smooth troweled finish is for garages and indoor floors, where it is easier to sweep. Outside it becomes slick when wet and with a film of algae, which grows fast on shaded concrete here.
Steep drives are rare in Miami because the land is flat, but ramps down to a garage below a raised house and sloped approaches do exist. For any steep section, use a heavy broom finish with the lines running across the slope, or cut grooves. Do not put a glossy sealer on it.
What does a hot tub pad need?
A hot tub pad needs to be flat, thick and on a firm base. A filled tub with people in it weighs several thousand pounds. Ask the maker for the weight and the pad they call for. A 4 inch slab with steel on compacted rock is a common minimum, and many makers ask for more. Keep it level, because a tub does not tolerate slope the way a patio does, and plan the electrical run before the pour.
What does a shop slab need for a vehicle lift or heavy equipment?
A slab for a vehicle lift has to meet the lift maker's printed requirements for thickness and concrete strength at the posts, and those come first. Heavy equipment needs a thicker slab, steel and a well compacted base. Tell us the lift model or the machine weights before we quote. Anchors set in thin or weak concrete are a safety risk.
Do I need gravel under a slab, and do I need a vapor barrier?
You need a firm, even, compacted base, and what it is made of depends on the lot. In much of Miami the common base is crushed limestone, which packs hard. Where clean sand or rock is already there, compacting it may be enough. What must go is topsoil, roots and any black organic soil. So the question is less about gravel under the slab and more about nothing soft being left there.
Under an enclosed, finished space, yes. A plastic vapor barrier under the slab stops ground moisture rising into flooring, and our water table is high. Under a driveway, a walk or an open patio it is not used. If a garage or carport may be enclosed later, put one in now.
What should a pad for delivery trucks be like?
A pad that takes a delivery truck or a dumpster lorry needs to be thicker than a car driveway, commonly 6 inches or more, with steel and a stronger mix. The damage happens where the wheels turn and where a dumpster is dropped. Tell us the heaviest vehicle that will use it.
My pool deck is worn. Resurface, pavers or new poured concrete?
If the pool deck is solid and only looks tired, resurface it. Pool deck resurfacing costs $3 to $6 per square foot nationally. Choose a light color and a textured coating, since dark surfaces burn bare feet in a Miami summer. If panels have sunk or tilted, fix or replace those first. Pavers suit a deck where pipes may need to be reached later. New poured concrete is right when the old deck is broken or drains the wrong way.
My patio is poured against the house. What goes between the slab and the wall?
An isolation joint goes there. It is a strip of compressible material, sometimes called an expansion joint, set between the patio and the house wall or stem wall so the slab can move without pushing on the building. The patio should also slope away from the wall and finish below the door threshold.
For a price on your own property, ask for a free on-site estimate with a written quote. Call (786) 705-4727, or text a photo of the concrete to the same number.