Tile Removal Cost in California: How Much Should You Budget?
HomeAdvisor and HomeGuide both put tile removal cost at $2 to $7 per square foot. HomeGuide’s average job runs $200 to $1,400 total, and HomeAdvisor’s average tile floor comes to $560. Homewyse’s estimated national average starts at $3.10 to $5.73 per square foot. Asbestos tile removal costs more, at $5 to $20 per square foot in HomeGuide’s figures.
What does tile removal cost per square foot, and why?
HomeAdvisor says to plan on about $3.50 per square foot for tile removal. Most HomeAdvisor prices run from $2 to $7. Both HomeAdvisor and HomeGuide put a 100 square foot floor at $200 to $700. Labor makes up most of that cost.
HomeGuide explains the labor point. Tile removers bring their own tools, so most or all of the cost goes to labor. HomeAdvisor names the type of tile and the total square footage as the two main factors in the final cost.
Tile type moves the rate. HomeAdvisor says stone and slate cost about twice as much to remove as ceramic. Harder, denser tiles take more labor and specialized tools, and thicker tiles cost more too. HomeGuide adds that ceramic and porcelain cost less than stone or mosaic tile, which use stronger adhesive.
The method changes the bill as well. HomeGuide says hand removal is the cheapest option but takes longer. Machinery costs more and gets the job done faster, and dust-free equipment costs the most.
Homewyse builds its estimate on basic work in favorable site conditions. Its line item covers taking up the tile and mortar and disposing of the debris. A hard-to-reach floor or thicker tile can land above that starting range.
Take a 150 square foot kitchen floor, inside HomeGuide’s kitchen size range. At HomeAdvisor’s $3.50 per square foot, it comes to about $525. Homewyse’s starting range puts it at about $465 to $860. HomeGuide’s own size table lists 150 square feet at $300 to $1,100.
These are national averages from the guides named, so use them to set a budget before anyone sees your floor. When you compare bids for flooring removal, ask what each price includes. Check that it covers the thinset or mortar under the tile, plus the haul-away.
What does it cost to remove tile from a kitchen, bathroom or shower?
HomeGuide breaks tile removal cost out by room, and its kitchen floor row runs $260 to $1,300. HomeGuide’s bathroom floor row runs $80 to $1,100, and its shower row runs $80 to $840. The living area floor, the largest space in HomeGuide’s table, runs $400 to $2,200.
| Room | Typical size | HomeGuide average cost |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen floor | 130 to 184 sq ft | $260 to $1,300 |
| Bathroom floor | 40 to 160 sq ft | $80 to $1,100 |
| Shower | 42 to 120 sq ft | $80 to $840 |
| Living area floor | 200 to 320 sq ft | $400 to $2,200 |
Source: HomeGuide, tile removal cost by location (average total cost).
Each HomeGuide row works out to roughly $2 to $7 per square foot. The smallest room in a row sets the low end, and the biggest room sets the top.
HomeAdvisor’s typical range of $320 to $1,120 lines up with the 160 square foot row in its own size table. In HomeGuide’s table, 160 square feet is the top of the bathroom floor sizes.
Small spaces carry their own costs. HomeGuide says hard-to-reach areas like small showers may cost more in labor fees. Some pros also charge minimum service fees on small jobs, so HomeGuide suggests combining projects when you can.
A full kitchen or bathroom remodel may price the tile differently. HomeAdvisor says contractors may wrap tile floor removal into their total interior demo cost. That bigger job falls under interior demolition.
Why does floor tile cost more to remove than wall tile?
HomeGuide says floor tile removal cost typically runs higher than wall tile. Its reason is that tile floors are usually harder to take up, especially under cabinets or around bathtubs. Since labor is most of the cost, harder work shows up in the price.
Total cost still follows area. HomeGuide lists bathroom wall tile removal at $210 to $1,900, above its bathroom floor row. HomeGuide’s wall row covers 104 to 274 square feet, against 40 to 160 for the floor. HomeGuide prices a 20 to 40 square foot kitchen backsplash at $40 to $280.
Floor jobs can also turn up trouble under the tile. HomeGuide says removing tile does not damage the subfloor when it is done properly. The contractor may still find damage that was already there. HomeAdvisor says to budget $3 to $10 per square foot for subfloor replacement if damage turns up.
What changes when the floor is older vinyl or asphalt tile?
Older vinyl and asphalt floor tile can contain asbestos, which changes the job and the price. HomeAdvisor puts asbestos removal at $5 to $20 per square foot. HomeGuide lists the same $5 to $20 for asbestos tile. HomeAdvisor and HomeGuide both put ordinary tile at $2 to $7 per square foot.
Cal/OSHA treats resilient flooring, such as vinyl and asphalt tile, as asbestos-containing unless an industrial hygienist finds it asbestos-free. That includes the mastic and backing. Cal/OSHA’s flooring rules apply in buildings built in 1980 or earlier, unless the absence of asbestos has been verified.
The EPA says you can’t tell whether a material contains asbestos by looking at it. Its list of places asbestos may be found in a home includes vinyl floor tiles. The same list names the backing on vinyl sheet flooring.
The Sac Metro Air District says asbestos was banned in many products in 1978. Some of those products stayed on the shelf and went into buildings and homes for years afterward. So by the district’s account, a home built after 1978 can still have asbestos flooring.
The same district lists vinyl asbestos floor tile as non-friable. Friable material can be crumbled to powder by hand. The district says such tile can become friable when a remodel or demolition disturbs it.
Cal/OSHA sets work rules for asbestos flooring. Tiles have to come up intact unless that is shown not to be possible. Sanding the flooring is prohibited, and so is dry sweeping.
Cal/OSHA registration is required before asbestos work involving 100 square feet or more. A certified asbestos consultant does the sampling, and we do the removal. That work is our asbestos floor tile removal service. Our asbestos removal cost guide covers the wider price picture.
What about the adhesive and mastic underneath?
Pulling up tile leaves adhesive or mastic stuck to the slab or subfloor. That layer usually has to come off before a new floor goes down. On older floors, Cal/OSHA’s presumption covers the mastic along with the tile. The EPA also lists adhesives among places asbestos may be found in a home.
Cal/OSHA sets a rule for that layer too. Any scraping of leftover adhesive or backing has to be done with wet methods.
We take adhesive and mastic off concrete with hydro blasting. The unit cuts with water alone at 40,000 psi. A full HEPA vacuum recovers the water and debris as it works. We use it on asbestos adhesive as well as ordinary floor glue.
The same unit also takes epoxy, paint and sealer off concrete slabs. It leaves a profile, the slight roughness a new coating bonds to. Ask whether a tile removal bid ends at the tile or at a clean slab.
How does carpet removal cost compare with tile?
Carpet costs less to remove than tile. HomeGuide puts carpet removal at $0.70 to $1.60 per square foot, or $140 to $320 per room. HomeGuide puts glued-down carpet at $0.75 to $1.80 per square foot.
Homewyse’s estimated national average for carpet removal runs a little higher, starting at $1.39 to $2.53 per square foot. That tops out below the $3.10 where Homewyse’s tile range starts.
Even HomeGuide’s top glued-down carpet rate of $1.80 sits under the $2 low end of its tile range. When carpet covers an older tile floor, the tile layer carries most of the removal cost.
What do disposal and dump fees add in California?
HomeAdvisor says most contractors include tile disposal in their price, but a few charge a separate fee. HomeAdvisor puts junk removal after a tile removal project at $130 to $370 on average. HomeAdvisor lists dumpster rental for disposal at $200 to $800. Ask what each bid covers before you sign.
Public landfill fees show why a clean load matters. Sacramento County’s Kiefer Landfill groups tile with brick, rocks, stucco and concrete without rebar as inerts. Kiefer charges no fee for those inerts when the load is clean, with no dirt or trash mixed in.
At Stanislaus County’s Fink Road Landfill, normal refuse costs $49.68 per ton. Demolition and construction debris fall in that category, so tile debris there is paid for by weight.
Those posted rates are for ordinary debris. If the old floor may hold asbestos, ask the landfill whether it accepts that waste before anything is hauled.
How do you turn these ranges into a number for your floor?
The ranges above get you close, and a look at the actual floor gets you a number. Measure the room, or at least estimate its square footage. Note the tile type if you know it, and the year the building went up. If a consultant has already sampled the floor, send the report.
HomeAdvisor has one more tip for keeping the bill down. Clear the room yourself before the crew arrives, which cuts their billable hours.
We have been a family company since 1967. The company started as a homebuilder and spent decades in flooring before moving into environmental and demolition work. We still do a lot of flooring removal.
We work across the Central Valley, the Bay Area and Sacramento under CSLB #247684 and CAL OSHA #507. Estimates are free. Call (209) 652-9206 to set one up for your tile removal.