Flooring Demolition NYC | Tile, Hardwood & Subfloor Removal

Flooring demolition under way on a New York job.

Interior demolition

When people call us about flooring demolition

A new floor is ordered and the installer needs a clean, level substrate
You are gaining ceiling height and the build-up has to go
Adhesive residue is stopping the new finish from bonding
You want the original boards exposed and there are three layers over them

What flooring demolition covers

Carpet, underlay, vinyl, laminate and engineered board
Ceramic, porcelain and stone tile with the bed beneath
Nailed and glued hardwood strip
Adhesive and levelling compound residue
Plywood and sleeper subfloor build-ups where the design needs the height

Nine-inch tile is an asbestos question, not a flooring question

Vinyl asbestos tile, usually nine inches square, and the black cutback adhesive under it are extremely common in New York buildings put up before the late seventies. If your building predates April 1987 and the work needs a permit, an assessment has to be filed before that permit issues. We do not lift suspect tile to have a look. It gets assessed first, and if it is positive it goes down the abatement route rather than ours.

How flooring demolition runs

The order matters more than the tools. This is the sequence for flooring demolition.

Find out how many layers there are

Rarely the number you can see. We lift a small area first and tell you what is actually down there before anyone commits to a price.

Settle the asbestos question

Nine-inch tile and black cutback adhesive are common in pre-1987 buildings. Suspect material is assessed, never lifted to have a look.

Seal the room, then break out

Openings sealed and surfaces wetted, because tile and adhesive removal is the dustiest part of any strip-out.

Take the bed with it

Cement mud beds, sleepers and plywood build-ups come out where the new floor needs the height. This is where the weight is, and the load count with it.

Leave a bondable substrate

Residue off, swept, ready for inspection. If the slab needs levelling we say so rather than letting your floor installer discover it.

What moves the price on flooring demolition

Every one of these moves the number, so you can see what a quote is actually responding to — and tell us the ones you already know when you call.

Number of layers, which is rarely the number you can see
Whether the bed is a cement mud bed or a board build-up
How much adhesive residue has to come off, and how well it is bonded
Room count and access
Whether an assessment or abatement is triggered first

How the ACP-5 works

Flooring demolition: your questions

Can you save the original boards?

Often, if what is over them was nailed rather than glued and the boards are sound. We will lift a small area first and show you the condition before you commit to it.

How much dust does this make?

Tile and adhesive removal is the dustiest part of a strip-out. Openings get sealed, surfaces get wetted, and the work area is separated from the rest of the space. In an occupied building we plan the hours around that.

Will the slab be flat when you are done?

It will be clean and free of bonded residue. Levelling is a screeding job, not a demolition one, and if the slab needs it we will tell you so your floor installer is not the one to break the news.