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cindylood

$$$??? Cost of removing vinyl flooring & subfloor

cindylood
13 years ago

My posting to the Flooring blog didn't raise a peep so thought I'd give the Kitchen blog a try. We've always been DIY'ers before but just not up to ripping out our kitchen floor for our remodel. I'd really appreciate hearing if there is a general cost guideline for having your "tile guy" rip out existing vinyl flooring (2 layers) & the subflooring beneath (2 layers?. The vinyl is not sheet, it is 12 x 12 tiles. The kitchen is 240 square feet. I know it's a dirty job but I was a bit surprised that it was going to run around $1000 for the rip-out, including removal of the flooring. Does that sound in the ballpark? Thanks!

Comments (13)

  • katsmah
    13 years ago

    We just went through this after my contractor told me that prepping for a tile floor was adding a layer of ply and thinset over the existing floor. Which we found out was 2 layers of ply and an old layer of linoleum in between. My kitchen is smaller - about 120 sq ft.

    Contractor wanted $1,400 to rip the flooring out to the actual subfloor. A tile contractor wanted $400. BF and I do some DIY and tackled the job over a weekend. It was hard work for a 64 yr old M and a 53 yr old F. But we managed it. I think the 12 x 12 tiles would be easier to demo than sheet.

  • artemis78
    13 years ago

    Do you have to remove the subfloor for sure (damage, etc.)? I can see how that part might be fairly involved---does his cost also include the new subfloor, or is that separate?

    As a point of reference, we just paid $2500 for demo of our 235 sf kitchen. Of that, one of the more involved items was pulling up our ceramic tile floor (glued down quite well, apparently!) although we left the subfloor intact. It took the better part of a day for three guys to get it up---so it could be a number of man hours if yours is glued down, plus the costs of disposal. I thought our demo quote was high when we started, but now that we're on the other side of it, it seems very reasonable for how much time everything took!

  • kudzu9
    13 years ago

    cindylood-
    Before you can decide whether this is a good price, you need to determine if these flooring materials contain asbestos. Older floors often did have it and improper removal can present health hazards for your family. One thing you don't want to do is have some contractor come in and do this work until you have made an independent determination about your situation. Typically, you would take some small samples to a certified testing lab for analysis, which shouldn't be very expensive. However, if you have asbestos, proper removal will add significantly to the demo and removal costs. I've included a link to give you some info. If you have questions, email me and I can provide you more details or links.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Asbestos in Flooring

  • biochem101
    13 years ago

    Since you mention 'tile guy', I checked the John Bridges tile forum.

    Same reason. I was having multiple floors removed and tile laid.
    People talked about the cost in various parts of the country. There are also other helpful hints there.

    Like you might want to tell him how big/small you expect the grout lines.

    Here is a link that might be useful: John bridge Tile Forum

  • ci_lantro
    13 years ago

    Sounds like a fair price to me. That's a lot of material to be removed, hauled out of the house (carefully w/o damaging other stuff), loaded, hauled (how far?) to a disposal site, fees paid to dump and then unloading it.

  • kerrys
    13 years ago

    I look forward to checking out the John Bridge website.

    This is good, timely information for me. I'm expecting a quote from a contractor in the next few days. It will involve removing 3 different floor areas -- sheet vinyl in kitchen, 6" ceramic tile in entry hall, and 12" granite tile in laundry room. It needs to go to the subfloor so these contiguous areas will all be at the same height and ready for new porcelain tile. I'll let you know what the price is when I get it.

  • clg7067
    13 years ago

    I think $4 a sf is a lot. Have you called some handyman services to ask what they would charge? It's usually by the hour, about $60. That would get you 16 hours worth of handyman time plus some leftover to pay for the dumping fee.

    I had to remove some myself in my entryway. It was 1/4 inch plywood and one layer of vinyl screwed down good! It took me 3 sweaty hours to remove the 70 sq ft and I'm a 50+ year old woman. I'm sure a strong man could do it much faster. ;)

  • wizardnm
    13 years ago

    I have a new floor being finished up right now. My GC is doing it. There's a 6yd dumpster sitting alongside the driveway, not just for the floor but for the kitchen demo, that was about $100.00 (unless we need it emptied an extra time).

    He is charging me $2.00 a square foot to rip out 2 layers of old floor in the kitchen and laundry room, even that sub floor up, using luan, with the existing hardwood in the dining and living room ares and install the new vinyl throughout, about 700 sq ft., for a total of $1,400.00. He even saved me the delivery charge on the floor by picking it up with his pickup. Total new floor cost is just over $6,000.00.

    I love the new flooring! Good thing....

  • dndsmom
    13 years ago

    It has honestly never even crossed my mind to hire someone to remove a floor (not trying to sound "cocky"), so seeing the cost is crazy to me. I could not imagine paying someone that, knowing how easy it is (well, most flooring). Our first house was a 1940s gutter. We flipped that house - every wall, ceiling and floor! All the demo work was done by my husband and I. Fortunately for us, we own a trailer and it was easy to throw everything in it and haul it to the dump. Once we finished that house, we started looking for a new project, and are now in house #2. We have done demo work in this house, including ripping out 3 layers of vinyl flooring (one layer peel and stick tiles), and the subfloor of our kitchen (there was even a layer of click flooring on top of all that!). It truly was not that hard, but does take some muscles - that's where my husband comes in. Using a floor scraper will definetly save you time. If you can remove the vinyl and subfloor as one peice, it will also save you time. I should also mention that our disposal/dump fees for the flooring was around $50 (the room is only 140 sq ft).

  • cindylood
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks for all the feedback -- I haven't had a chance to fully digest everything yet but can tell there are two distinct camps: (1) DIY's who can't fathom paying this much money to get rid of the old floor, and (2) folks that have paid to have their floors removed. I've loved the comments from katsmah and clg...very impressive at your age -- I can say that since my husband and I are in that age bracket. I would love to rip this up ourselves but the carpel tunnel and back/neck problems don't make that feasible for us. I am trying to get other quotes for the work but do think I'd rather go with someone who specializes in this kind of work so that the dust and dirt are contained -- the kitchen opens onto our great room (didn't we use to call this our den?). Still debating about going with travertine or porcelain tile. I can get the travertine at a great mark-down price but the installer's quote includes $630 for sealant charges. Is travertine a good choice for the kitchen floor for people who tend to spill OJ, red wine, coffee and who have 2 dogs? Don't get me wrong, we do clean up after ourselves but I don't want to install a floor that turns me into Annette Bening in "American Beauty" worrying constantly about leaving a mar on the floor (or sofa as in the movie). Wish I looked like Annette but need a floor that is worry free. What do you think?

  • jonesdv_rogers_com
    13 years ago

    I was just quoted $8500 to remove 230 sq ft of vinyl and replace it with tile in the kitchen. Following along with that is the removal of 350 sq ft of matching tile in the hall and front entrance. Price includes removal and cleanup.

    Does that seem reasonable?

  • HU-723570659
    last year

    if it includes materials

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