Removal Specialists | Calgary and Edmonton
Concrete removal means cutting a slab or floor out of a building and hauling it away. We do the cutting in-house. Our tools have dust shrouds connected to HEPA vacuums, so the work stays virtually dust-free. The broken concrete goes to recyclers.
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Concrete slab removal is the job of taking a slab or floor out of a building. A crew cuts the concrete into sections, breaks it out and hauls it away. You may also hear it called a concrete tear out. It is the same job.
Our work is inside buildings: basements, main floors and commercial spaces. The slab is the part of the floor you stand on. Under it sit gravel, pipes and sometimes heat lines. Above it sit tile, glue and flooring.
Two nearby words are easy to mix up. Concrete demolition is the wider word for taking concrete down. Concrete grinding does not take the slab out at all. It only works on the surface. The next sections show how to tell which one you need.
Choose removal when the slab has to come out. Choose grinding when the slab can stay and only its surface needs work.
| Your situation | Usually the right job |
|---|---|
| Pipes or drain lines under the floor need work | Removal |
| The slab is cracked, heaved or broken through | Removal |
| The floor has to change height, or a new slab goes in | Concrete floor demolition |
| The slab is sound but has glue, paint or a coating on it | Concrete grinding |
| The surface is rough or uneven before new flooring | Concrete grinding |
Grinding is a separate service with its own page. If your slab can stay, read about our concrete grinding.
A slab has to come out when it is damaged beyond repair, when something under it needs work, or when the floor must change. Concrete floor removal also happens when a building is being gutted for a new use.
If you are not sure, send us photos or call. Often the answer is a quick look at what is under the floor covering.
Concrete demolition on a floor follows a set order: check, protect, cut, break, load and clean. Here is what happens at each step.
We look at the slab, the access and what is in the floor. We mark what comes out and what stays. Heat lines and pipes are part of that check before any cutting starts.
In older buildings, tile and glue on the slab can contain asbestos. An independent consultant tests first. If the test is positive, our crew handles the abatement before the slab work begins.
We poly off rooms we are not working in and set up the dust control. Floors and walls outside the work area are covered.
Our own crew cuts the slab into sections. The saws and tools have dust shrouds connected to HEPA vacuums, so the dust is pulled out at the source.
The cut sections are broken out and lifted. Smaller sections keep the work controlled and keep the rest of the building safe.
We load the broken concrete and haul it to a recycler. The area is vacuumed with HEPA filtration before we leave.
Cutting and concrete breaking send up dust that can contain crystalline silica. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) says breathing this dust can cause silicosis, an incurable lung disease. Cutting, drilling and demolition are on its list of risky work. See the CCOHS silicosis page.
Dry cutting and breaking can fill a room with dust. We work another way. Our tools have dust shrouds that connect to HEPA vacuums. The dust is pulled out where it starts. The work is virtually dust-free. A little dust still escapes, but there is no big cloud filling the room.
A slab is rarely just concrete. Steel, heat lines, pipes and old flooring can sit in it or on it. Each one changes how the job is done.
Steel bars and mesh hold a slab together. They have to be cut as the concrete comes out. Tell us if you know the slab has steel in it. If you do not know, we find out during the walk-through.
We remove slabs with in-floor heating all the time. Heat lines are easy to damage if the work is rushed. Knowing where they run is part of the plan before we cut.
Plumbing often sits in or under the slab. If new lines are going in, the removal is planned around them.
Vinyl tile and its black glue can contain asbestos in older buildings. We do not guess. An independent consultant tests first, and our crew handles asbestos removal when the result is positive. Our asbestos floor tile guide shows how to spot suspect flooring.
Broken concrete is heavy and does not belong in household garbage. We load it and haul it away. Recyclers grind it up, and it is normally used as filler for concrete.
People often ask about concrete disposal in Calgary and Edmonton. A clean load goes to a recycler. Loads with trash, wood or other mixed debris follow each facility’s own rules, so they cost more time to sort.
Can you take concrete to the dump yourself? Facilities set their own limits on piece size, steel and mixed loads. Call the facility first. Or let us handle the concrete haul away, so you do not need a truck or a bin. We do not rent bins or equipment.
The cost depends on the slab and the site, not on one set rate. These are the main things that change it.
We set the price after we know your slab. Call or send photos and we will go through the scope with you.
The time depends on the size and thickness of the slab, the steel in it and how easy the space is to reach. Setup and cleanup add time before and after the breaking itself.
If asbestos testing is needed, it comes first and can add time before the slab work starts. Testing early keeps the schedule clear for the other trades.
For residential concrete removal, we work in basements and main floors. Homeowners and renovators call us to remove a damaged slab, open the floor for new plumbing or prepare for a new floor. See our basement demolition page if the whole basement is coming out.
Shops, offices and tenant spaces need the work done on a set schedule with little mess left behind. As contractors, we work around other trades and keep the rest of the building clean. Property managers and general contractors can see how we work on our For Property Managers and For General Contractors pages. Our interior demolition page covers the wider strip-out work.
Good contractors answer these questions without hesitation.
If you are searching for concrete removal near me, our crews are based in Calgary and Edmonton. We work across both cities and the nearby areas.
Concrete removal in Calgary includes basements in Bridgeland, Inglewood and Kensington, condos in the Beltline and commercial spaces off Deerfoot Trail. Concrete removal in Edmonton includes homes around Whyte Avenue, the streets near the University of Alberta and downtown spaces.
Calgary: 403-874-3000
Edmonton: 780-977-2444
It means cutting a concrete slab or floor out of a building and hauling it away. The slab is cut into sections, broken out and taken to a recycler.
The cost depends on the thickness of the slab, the steel in it, in-floor heating, the size of the floor, access and any asbestos on the surface. We set the price after we understand your slab.
Clean concrete goes to recyclers, who grind it up for use as filler for concrete. Facilities set their own rules on size, steel and mixed loads, so call first. We load and haul it for you.
Our tools have dust shrouds connected to HEPA vacuums, so the dust is pulled out at the source. The work is virtually dust-free. We also poly off the rooms we are not working in.
Yes. We remove slabs with in-floor heating all the time. We find out where the heat lines run before we cut.
It depends on your city and the building work. In Calgary, a renovation or demolition permit needs an asbestos abatement information form. Check with your city, and ask us if you are not sure.
Yes. Removal takes the slab out. Grinding keeps the slab and works only on its surface, for example to remove glue or level a rough floor.
An independent third-party consultant tests first, because tile and glue on an older slab can contain asbestos. We do not test our own work. If the result is positive, our crew handles the abatement.
We load and haul the concrete ourselves. You do not need a bin. We are a service provider only and do not sell or rent equipment.
We work across Calgary and Edmonton and the nearby areas of Alberta. Call the office closest to you.
Tell us about your slab and we will walk through the scope with you.