There's 9-by-9 tile under the old carpet. Can the crew just pull it up?

Not before a test. Hardwood Floors magazine says 9x9 and 12x12 vinyl tile laid before the late 1980s should be looked at carefully, and the black glue under it could contain asbestos too. HomeGuide puts testing at $250 to $850. A negative result lets the tear-out go ahead as normal.

Does a floor tear-out need a lead-certified contractor?

It does if the house predates 1978 and painted surfaces get disturbed, such as baseboards, shoe molding or painted stair risers. EPA's RRP rule applies to any paid firm, sole proprietors included, and demolishing painted surfaces is covered no matter how small. Bare unpainted floorboards alone don't trigger it.

Could new wood go over the old tile instead of tearing it out?

Sometimes, and EPA leans that way for asbestos flooring: leave it unsanded and lay the new floor over it where that's practical. HomeGuide puts encapsulation at $2 to $6 a sq ft against $4 to $15 for removal. Floor height at doorways and the dishwasher opening decides whether covering works.

Is hauling the old floor away part of the price?

Often, but not always. HomeAdvisor notes most contractors include disposal while a few bill it separately, and a dumpster rental runs $200 to $800. Ask for disposal as its own line in the written quote so two bids can be compared fairly.

Our old wood is glued to the slab. How hard is that to get up?

Harder than nailed strip. Fixr's removal range for hardwood is $1 to $3 a sq ft, rising to about $6 when the boards sit on concrete, because the adhesive has to be scraped or ground off before anything new goes down. Black glue on the slab gets tested first.

Hardwood Floor Removal in Torrance, CA

Hardwood Floor Removal Types, by How the Floor Was Fastened

How the old floor was put down sets the labor, the dust and the price.

Oak strip boards being pried up with a pry bar, exposing the subfloor and nail holes

Nail-Down Strip Removal

Strip oak on a plywood or plank subfloor comes up board by board with pry bars, then every nail and staple left in the subfloor is pulled or set. Fixr's figure is $1 to $3 a sq ft, or $250 to $900 for a 250 to 300 sq ft room. Baseboards usually come off first, and in an older house that's where lead paint enters the picture (see below).

Floor grinder with a vacuum hose removing old adhesive ridges from a concrete slab

Glued-Down Floor and Adhesive Grinding

Glued planks on a slab break apart as they come up, and the adhesive ridges left behind have to be scraped or ground so the next floor sits flat. Fixr says removal over concrete runs closer to $6 a sq ft. Grinding raises dust, which is fine for modern adhesive and a problem for black asphalt glue, so the glue gets identified before the grinder starts.

Floating Floor Pull-Up

Click-together or floating engineered floors aren't fastened down, so the boards unlock row by row and the foam underlayment rolls up with them. It's the quickest tear-out of the three. The slab or plywood under it still gets checked for moisture stains and flatness before anything new goes down.

Old square vinyl floor tiles over black adhesive revealed under a lifted floor

Old Tile and Black Mastic Underneath (Test First)

Removal sometimes uncovers an older layer: 9x9 or 12x12 vinyl tile, sheet vinyl, or black glue on the slab. Hardwood Floors magazine describes black cutback adhesives used under vinyl tile until about 1980 as asphalt-based and possibly asbestos-bearing, and its experts' first step on old black residue is a test. Its advice is that removal over concrete should be left to a certified asbestos removal firm unless the material is known to be clean.

Haul-Away

Old flooring is heavy and bulky. HomeAdvisor says most contractors include disposal in their price, while some charge separately; a dumpster rental runs $200 to $800. Carpet and pad removal before a wood install is covered on Carpet to Hardwood.

Open boxes of oak flooring boards acclimating in an empty room, with a moisture meter resting on a board

Why Torrance homeowners call Torrance Wood Flooring

Free to call or use the form; the referral costs you nothing
Your request goes to one independent contractor, not a bidding list
Ask for a moisture reading and a written line-item estimate
California caps the down payment at 10% or $1,000, whichever is less

Pre-1978 Homes: Lead Paint and Asbestos Rules

Most Torrance houses are old enough for both rules to matter: 82 percent were built before 1980 (how local housing affects a floor job).

Lead paint (EPA RRP rule). Since April 22, 2010, any firm paid to disturb painted surfaces in a home built before 1978 must be EPA- or state-certified and use certified renovators, and that includes sole proprietors. The trigger is paint: baseboards, shoe molding, painted thresholds or a painted-over floor. Interior minor repairs that disturb 6 sq ft of paint or less per room are exempt, but EPA says demolition of painted surfaces is always covered, whatever the size. Ask for the firm's RRP certificate when trim is coming off.

Asbestos (EPA and South Coast AQMD). HomeGuide notes that older vinyl flooring and floor tiles often contain asbestos. EPA's household advice is plain: no sanding or leveling of asbestos flooring or its backing, no power stripper, and where it can be done, a new floor laid over the top instead. Torrance is in the South Coast AQMD, whose Rule 1403 sets survey, notification and work-practice requirements for renovation; surveys are done by a Cal/OSHA Certified Asbestos Consultant.

Removal Cost and Timeline

Work	Typical national range	Source
Old flooring removal	$1.50 to $3.50 / sq ft	HomeGuide
Hardwood removal	$1 to $3 / sq ft; about $6 over concrete	Fixr
Tile removal	$1.50 to $3.25 / sq ft (Fixr); $2 to $7 (HomeAdvisor)	Fixr, HomeAdvisor
Asbestos testing	$250 to $850	HomeGuide
Asbestos flooring removal	$4 to $15 / sq ft; encapsulation $2 to $6	HomeGuide
Asbestos abatement labor	from $200 to $400 an hour	Fixr
Dumpster	$200 to $800	HomeAdvisor

Time on site depends on the fastening. HomeAdvisor's figure for tile is 4 to 6 hours per 100 sq ft with power tools. If damaged subfloor turns up, HomeAdvisor budgets $3 to $10 a sq ft to replace it; see Subfloor Repair. The license check is on Hardwood Floor Repair, and California's contract rules are on the homepage.