Understanding your result
The headline is the removal and disposal cost, with the cost per square foot, the do-it-yourself time and the debris weight beneath it. The table shows the old floor, the professional removal, the disposal, the total, the time and the weight.
Professional removal is the area times the removal range for the old material, scaled for your region, with a quarter added when the floor is glued down or set in mortar and has to be scraped or chipped off. It includes the tear-out, bagging and a basic clean of the subfloor. Disposal is zero when it is in the contractor’s price, or the typical cost of a dumpster or a junk pickup.
The do-it-yourself time uses a typical one-person removal rate for the material, slower when glued. The debris weight uses the material’s weight, plus the mortar for tile and stone, and it is what decides the dumpster. When the weight exceeds a small dumpster’s limit, the note says so. For the cost of the whole job, the flooring cost estimator includes removal; for the labour of laying the new floor, the installer labour calculator; and for the weight of the new floor going in, the flooring weight calculator.
How we calculate this
Removal ranges come from the same published cost surveys as the other cost calculators, listed on the installer rates reference; the DIY rates and dumpster weight limits are typical figures. The asbestos guidance follows the US Environmental Protection Agency, which advises leaving suspect materials undisturbed or having them handled by trained professionals. The guide to removing old flooring covers methods and the asbestos question, the installer rates guide covers how removal appears on quotes, and the subfloor prep guide covers what is usually found underneath.
The assumptions behind the numbers
| Assumption | Default | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Removal per sq ft | carpet $0.50 to $1.50; plank $0.75 to $2; tile and glued floors $2 to $5 | Published 2025–2026 cost surveys |
| Glued or set | ×1.25 | Scraping and chipping take longer |
| DIY rates | carpet 100, plank 80, sheet vinyl 40, hardwood 25, tile 15 sq ft per hour | Installer rules of thumb |
| Debris | material weight, plus 3 lb per sq ft of mortar for tile and stone | Typical weights |
| Dumpsters | 10 yd about 2 tons, $300 to $500; 20 yd about 3 tons, $400 to $650 | Typical rental terms |
| Asbestos | resilient flooring and cutback adhesive before about 1986 | US EPA guidance |
Assumptions last reviewed October 8, 2026.
The calculator does not price asbestos testing or abatement, subfloor repair, removing a mortar bed down to the joists, or disconnecting toilets and appliances. Removal of more than one layer, such as vinyl over vinyl over wood, takes longer; count each layer. It is a US estimate; disposal rules and costs vary by city.
Two worked examples
650 sq ft of carpet and pad with a junk pickup
- Removal: 650 × $0.50 to $1.50 = $325 to $975
- Pickup: $150 to $400
- Total: $475 to $1,375; or about 6 h 30 min yourself, 390 lb of debris
Carpet is the one floor most people can remove themselves in an afternoon; the pickup is the part worth paying for.
220 sq ft of tile set in mortar, 10 yard dumpster
- Removal: 220 × $2 to $5 × 1.25 = $550 to $1,375
- Dumpster: $300 to $500
- Total: $850 to $1,875; or about 18 hours yourself, 1,980 lb of debris
Nearly a ton of tile and mortar. It just fits a 10 yard dumpster’s typical 2 ton limit; a bigger kitchen would need a heavy-debris bin.
Where to find your inputs
Old floor. Lift a corner at a threshold or a vent to see what it is and how it is fixed.
Glued or set. Tile is set in mortar; vinyl and wood may be glued; click floors and carpet are not.
Disposal. Ask whether the contractor hauls away; otherwise price a dumpster or a pickup.
Age. If resilient flooring is older than the mid-1980s, tick the box and test before removing.
Common mistakes
- Leaving removal out of the budget. It can rival the cost of a new vinyl floor.
- Tearing up old vinyl untested. Test for asbestos first.
- A small dumpster for tile. Check the weight limit.
- Underestimating the time. Tile comes up a few square feet an hour.
- Forgetting the layers. Two old floors mean two removals.
- No plan for the subfloor. Repairs are common once the old floor is up.
Questions people ask
- How much does it cost to remove old flooring?
- Roughly $0.50 to $1.50 per sq ft for carpet and pad, $0.75 to $2 for click plank and laminate, and $2 to $5 for tile, glued wood or glued vinyl, which take a quarter longer when they are bonded. Disposal is often included; a dumpster or junk pickup adds $150 to $650.
- How long does it take to remove a tile floor?
- Slowly. One person with a demolition hammer removes about 12 to 15 sq ft an hour of tile set in mortar, so a 220 sq ft kitchen is about 18 hours. Carpet comes up at about 100 sq ft an hour.
- How much does old tile weigh?
- Tile with its mortar bed weighs about 9 lb per sq ft once torn up, so 220 sq ft is nearly a ton. That is over the weight limit of a small dumpster, which are priced by weight for heavy debris.
- Can I remove old vinyl flooring myself?
- Not if it might contain asbestos. Vinyl sheet, vinyl tile and the black cutback adhesive made before the mid-1980s often do. Have a sample tested first; if it is positive, removal is work for a licensed abatement contractor, and covering the old floor is often the safer and cheaper choice.
- Should I remove the old floor or lay over it?
- Many new floors can go over a sound, flat, single-layer old floor, which saves removal cost and avoids disturbing old materials. Floating floors over carpet, or tile over a flexing vinyl, are not acceptable; the flooring maker's instructions say what is.
- What dumpster size for flooring?
- A 10 yard dumpster for carpet or a single room of plank; a 20 yard or a heavy-debris bin for tile, stone or a whole house. Heavy debris is limited by weight, often about 2 tons for a 10 yard and 3 tons for a 20 yard.