Material 01
Hardwood Flooring
From $7.50/sf→
Overview
New floors fail on old subfloors
The best flooring in the world will squeak, crack, or telegraph every imperfection if it’s laid over a bad subfloor. The prep nobody sees is the reason good installs stay good — which is why we treat removal and subfloor work as real work, not an afterthought.
We remove existing flooring cleanly, right down to a sound substrate, and haul the debris away. Then we fix what we find: loose subfloor screwed down and quieted, damaged sections replaced, low spots leveled, and moisture issues flagged before they ruin your new floor.
Because it’s almost always part of a larger project, we fold removal and prep into your new-floor quote — one scope, one price, no surprise change orders halfway through.
Pricing
Removal & prep pricing
Removal & replacementTear-out of existing flooring — varies by material
$1.50–$4.50per sq ftSubfloor prep & repairRepair, fastening, and patching of the subfloor
from $250flat, scales with scopeFloor levelingSelf-leveling for out-of-flat subfloors
from $2.50per sq ft add-onGlued tile and stapled hardwood cost more to remove than floating vinyl — hence the range. Most removal and prep is quoted together with your new floor so you see one clear total.
Scope
What's included
- Clean tear-outExisting flooring removed down to a sound substrate.
- Debris haul-awayThe old material bagged and removed from your home.
- Subfloor repairLoose or damaged subfloor refastened or replaced.
- LevelingSelf-leveling compound where the floor is out of flat.
- Moisture checkProblems identified before the new floor traps them.
- Ready-to-install handoffA flat, sound, clean base for the new floor.
Questions
Good to know
Why is removal a price range?
It depends entirely on what’s down. Floating vinyl practically lifts off; glued-down tile and stapled hardwood over a wood subfloor are labor-intensive to remove cleanly. We price it after seeing what you have.
Do I need subfloor work?
Sometimes you won’t know until the old floor is up. We assess what we can at the measure, quote the likely prep, and talk to you before doing anything beyond the estimate — never silent add-ons.
Can I remove the old floor myself to save money?
You can, and some homeowners do. Just know that a DIY tear-out sometimes hides subfloor damage we’d otherwise catch — we’ll still check the substrate before installing.
Is this a standalone service?
It can be, with a $250 minimum for prep — but most removal and prep is bundled into a new-floor project as a single quoted scope.