Tearing out the old floor is priced as its own line, and the number depends mostly on how that floor is attached to the subfloor. At Top Floorings Depot, flooring removal cost starts at $0.70 per sq ft for carpet in a house or basement and reaches $1.50 per sq ft for nailed hardwood or nailed engineered flooring. Floating laminate, click vinyl and floating engineered sit in the middle at $1.30 per sq ft. Below, each floor type is priced per square foot, the condo rates are shown next to the house rates, and a 600 sq ft laminate tear-out followed by a new SPC vinyl floor is worked through to the last cent, HST included.
This page stays on the tear-out itself. For whole-project budgets, see our Toronto flooring installation price guide, and for the installing side of the job, browse our flooring installation service collection.
Removal rates per sq ft: house, basement and condo
These are the rates we use when we price a tear-out. They are charged per square foot of the floor that comes out, and they are grouped by how the old floor is held down, because that is what changes the labour.
| Old floor | House or basement (per sq ft) | Condo (per sq ft) |
|---|---|---|
| Carpet | $0.70 | $1.00 |
| Laminate (click-lock) | $1.30 | $1.60 |
| Vinyl plank (floating click) | $1.30 | $1.60 |
| Engineered hardwood (floating click) | $1.30 | $1.60 |
| Hardwood (nailed) | $1.50 | Priced after viewing |
| Engineered hardwood (nailed) | $1.50 | Priced after viewing |
| Glued-down flooring | Priced after viewing | Priced after viewing |
| Tile | Priced after viewing | Priced after viewing |
A basement uses the house column. The "priced after viewing" cells are left without a number on purpose: we would rather look at the floor than quote a figure that turns out wrong once the first piece comes up.
What each type of old floor involves
Laminate, click vinyl and floating engineered
These three share one rate because they are click-lock floors that float over the subfloor instead of being fastened down. That covers the usual swap of laminate coming out for a waterproof SPC plank. The rate is $1.30 per sq ft in a house or basement and $1.60 per sq ft in a condo.
Carpet
Carpet has the lowest rate on the list: $0.70 per sq ft for a house or basement, and $1.00 per sq ft for a condo.
Nailed hardwood and nailed engineered
Boards that are fastened to the subfloor have to be released one by one, so the rate rises to $1.50 per sq ft in a house or basement. A condo with nailed hardwood or nailed engineered flooring is priced after viewing. If the replacement is going to be engineered hardwood, our engineered hardwood installed-cost guide shows what the new floor adds on top.
Glued-down flooring and tile
How firmly a glued floor or a tile floor is bonded to what is underneath only shows once someone looks at it, which is why neither has a posted rate. Photos of the floor, a transition strip and any exposed edge help us give you a number faster, and a visit settles whatever the photos do not.
How removal is calculated
The arithmetic is short, and you can repeat it before you call:
- Removal = the area of the floor being torn out x the removal rate for your floor type and building (house, basement or condo).
- No waste allowance. New flooring is ordered with 5% extra for cuts, but nothing extra is added to removal, because you only pay for the area that actually comes up.
- HST: Ontario HST of 13% goes on top of the subtotal.
Here is what that looks like for a 600 sq ft floor, removal only, before any new flooring is priced.
| Old floor (600 sq ft) | House or basement | House with 13% HST | Condo | Condo with 13% HST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carpet | $420.00 | $474.60 | $600.00 | $678.00 |
| Laminate, click vinyl or floating engineered | $780.00 | $881.40 | $960.00 | $1,084.80 |
| Nailed hardwood or nailed engineered | $900.00 | $1,017.00 | Priced after viewing | Priced after viewing |
Moving from carpet to nailed hardwood adds $480.00 to a 600 sq ft house before tax, and the same laminate floor costs $180.00 more to remove in a condo than in a house.
Other floor sizes follow the same multiplication. These house or basement figures are before HST:
| Old floor | 300 sq ft | 800 sq ft | 1,000 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpet | $210.00 | $560.00 | $700.00 |
| Laminate, click vinyl or floating engineered | $390.00 | $1,040.00 | $1,300.00 |
| Nailed hardwood or nailed engineered | $450.00 | $1,200.00 | $1,500.00 |
Worked example: 600 sq ft laminate tear-out, then SPC vinyl plank
Take a 600 sq ft floor of click-lock laminate that comes out, to be replaced by click-lock SPC vinyl plank. Two planks from our range frame the budget: a 6mm plank with an IXPE pad and a 9mm plank with an EVA pad. Both product titles say the pad is attached, so the budget has no separate underlayment line. Delivery is the $150 flat rate for a Toronto M postal code.
| Product | Box price | Coverage per box | Price per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riche Blonde Sand Oak SPC 6mm | $62.93 | 23.64 sq ft | $2.66 |
| Riche Misty Grey Oak SPC 9mm | $62.00 | 14.18 sq ft | $4.37 |
| Egger EM7206 laminate 8mm | $40.48 | 21.42 sq ft | $1.89 |
Prices checked October 4, 2026. Box prices and coverage come from our current catalogue, and the price per sq ft is the box price divided by the coverage in the box.
The steps below use the house rates, then the condo rates are swapped in:
- Waste-adjusted area: 600 sq ft x 1.05 = 630 sq ft.
- Boxes: 630 divided by 23.64 is 26.65, so 27 boxes of the 6mm plank. For the 9mm plank, 630 divided by 14.18 is 44.43, so 45 boxes.
- Material: 27 x $62.93 = $1,699.11, and 45 x $62.00 = $2,790.00.
- Installation labour: 630 sq ft x $1.50 = $945.00 in a house, or 630 sq ft x $2.00 = $1,260.00 in a condo.
- Removal: 600 sq ft x $1.30 = $780.00 in a house, or 600 sq ft x $1.60 = $960.00 in a condo. This is the original area, with no waste added.
- Delivery: $150.00. Then HST of 13% on the subtotal.
| 600 sq ft, laminate out and SPC in | 6mm plank, house | 6mm plank, condo | 9mm plank, house | 9mm plank, condo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boxes | 27 (638.28 sq ft) | 27 (638.28 sq ft) | 45 (638.10 sq ft) | 45 (638.10 sq ft) |
| Material | $1,699.11 | $1,699.11 | $2,790.00 | $2,790.00 |
| Installation labour | $945.00 | $1,260.00 | $945.00 | $1,260.00 |
| Laminate removal | $780.00 | $960.00 | $780.00 | $960.00 |
| Delivery | $150.00 | $150.00 | $150.00 | $150.00 |
| Subtotal | $3,574.11 | $4,069.11 | $4,665.00 | $5,160.00 |
| HST (13%) | $464.63 | $528.98 | $606.45 | $670.80 |
| Total | $4,038.74 | $4,598.09 | $5,271.45 | $5,830.80 |
Removal is the same line whichever plank goes down: with HST it adds $881.40 to a house total and $1,084.80 to a condo total. Take it out of the 6mm house example and the total drops to $3,157.34. The plank decision moves the budget far more than the tear-out does, since the 9mm house total is $1,232.71 above the 6mm one. Our vinyl plank installed-cost guide carries the same formula for other floor sizes.
If the new floor is laminate again
Click-lock laminate needs underlayment, which the SPC planks above do not. For 630 sq ft that is 4 rolls at $50.00 each, or $200.00, because each roll covers 200 sq ft and only full rolls are sold. The Egger EM7206 laminate in the table above would need 30 boxes for the same floor (630 divided by 21.42 is 29.41), which is $1,214.40 in material. Add labour, removal, delivery and HST from your own quote to finish that comparison, or read our luxury vinyl plank vs laminate guide before you pick.
What the removal rate does not cover
The subfloor underneath
Once the old floor is up, the subfloor is visible for the first time. Levelling, patching and subfloor repair are not part of the removal rate, and we quote them after seeing the floor. Our guide on how to tell if your subfloor needs replacing lists the signs to check before you book.
Disposal and haul-away
Disposal and haul-away: confirm at quote. We do not publish a separate disposal fee, so ask what is covered for your job and have it written on the estimate next to the removal line.
Trim, baseboards, doors and stairs
Baseboards, transitions and door shaving are priced separately from the floor itself, and door shaving and stair nosing are quoted after we see them. If you want a ballpark for everything together, our flooring budget estimator is a quick place to start.
House or condo: what changes with the building
Condo removal rates are higher: $1.00 per sq ft for carpet against $0.70, and $1.60 for laminate, click vinyl and floating engineered against $1.30. Nailed hardwood and nailed engineered flooring have a house rate but no posted condo rate. Condo buildings have rules of their own, so check your building's own rules before you order flooring or book a tear-out. Delivery is $150 for a Toronto M postal code and $200 for an L postal code.
Removal on the quote, or pull the floor up yourself?
Because removal is a separate line, you can ask for a quote with it and without it and see exactly what it costs. In the 600 sq ft house example the tear-out is $780.00 before HST, so that is the figure to weigh against your own time, tools and disposal. Carpet or a floating floor is the type a homeowner might consider pulling up first, while a nailed floor, a glued-down floor or tile can be a reason to hand the work over and ask for a viewing.
Whichever route you choose, say so when you request the quote, so the removal line is left in or taken out on purpose rather than by assumption.
How to compare two removal quotes
Line the quotes up on three points. First, check which area the removal is charged on. It should be the original floor area, so a quote that charges $1.30 on 630 sq ft instead of 600 sq ft adds $39.00 that the job does not need. Second, check whether HST is already in the figure or still to come. Third, find the disposal line, since a low removal rate with disposal left out can end up costing more than a higher rate with it covered.
How to get a removal price you can rely on
A few details turn a rough number into a firm one:
- Floor type and attachment: a photo of a plank edge or a transition strip shows whether it clicks together, is nailed, or is glued.
- Area: length times width for each room, added together. A 12 ft x 14 ft bedroom is 168 sq ft.
- Building: house, basement or condo, plus your postal code for delivery.
- The new floor: the plank you are leaning towards, so removal, material, labour and delivery land in one quote.
Flooring removal questions (FAQ)
How much does floor removal cost per square foot in Toronto?
Our posted rates run from $0.70 per sq ft for carpet to $1.50 per sq ft for nailed hardwood and nailed engineered flooring in a house or basement. In a condo the posted range is $1.00 to $1.60 per sq ft. Glued-down flooring and tile are priced after viewing.
What is the laminate flooring removal cost per square foot?
Click-lock laminate costs $1.30 per sq ft to remove from a house or basement, and $1.60 per sq ft from a condo. On a 600 sq ft floor that works out to $780.00 or $960.00 before HST.
How much does it cost to tear out a hardwood floor?
For nailed hardwood or nailed engineered flooring in a house or basement the rate is $1.50 per sq ft, so a 600 sq ft floor comes to $900.00 before tax or $1,017.00 with HST. Hardwood in a condo and glued-down hardwood are priced after viewing.
Is removal included in the price of installing new flooring?
Removal is its own line on our quotes, worked out on your original floor area with no waste added. Material, installation labour on the waste-adjusted area, delivery and HST sit on separate lines beside it.
Does the removal price include disposal?
Confirm at quote. Ask for the disposal and haul-away terms to be written on your estimate so there is nothing to guess on the day.
How much does it cost to replace laminate flooring with vinyl plank?
In the 600 sq ft example above, a house with the 6mm plank comes to $4,038.74 with HST and removal, and a house with the 9mm plank to $5,271.45. The condo versions are $4,598.09 and $5,830.80.
Get a flooring removal and installation quote in Toronto and the GTA
Send us your measurements, the type of floor you want out and a few photos, and we will turn this page into a written quote. You can request a quote online or contact us with questions first.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819