Dustless Floor Removal & Concrete Grinding

Kitchen Demolition in Alberta: Cabinets, Counters and Floors Out, Hauled Away

Kitchen demolition is the part of a renovation that happens before anything new goes in. Our crew takes out cabinets, countertops, flooring and fixtures, tests suspect materials for asbestos first, and hauls it all away. We do not install. You get a bare, swept room and a renovation crew that starts on schedule.

BBB Accredited · Full WCB Coverage · $5 Million Liability Insurance · COR Certified · Certified for Asbestos Testing and Abatement

What Is Kitchen Demolition, and What Does It Include?

It is the controlled removal of everything in a kitchen being replaced: cabinets, countertops, backsplash, flooring, subfloor and fixtures. Suspect materials are tested for asbestos before anything is torn out. Debris leaves on the same job, so the renovation crew walks into a bare room.

IncludedNot included
Cabinets, countertops, backsplash, tile surroundsLoad-bearing walls and structural work
Flooring of every type, subfloor, underlaymentTeardowns and excavation
Interior non-load-bearing wallsInstalling cabinets, counters or flooring
Plumbing and light fixtures, taps, sinks, appliancesRestoration and rebuild work
Thinset grinding, debris hauled away

Our crew disconnects the fixtures and appliances itself. One plumbing caveat: where a fixture has no shut-off valve of its own, the main valve gets shut off first.

Kitchen Demolition Services: What Our Crew Takes Out

Cabinets and countertops. Uppers, base cabinets, built-ins, metal cabinets and islands come out, with countertops in laminate, tile, granite, quartz, solid surface and wood. Backsplash tile comes off the wall and the adhesive behind it gets ground back. See Dustless Tile & Thinset.

Flooring and what is under it. Tile, hardwood, laminate, vinyl and carpet come up, with baseboards, underlayment and damaged subfloor. Most kitchen floors hide a second or third layer. See Carpet, Hardwood, Linoleum & K3, VCT & Adhesive and Concrete Grinding.

Walls and fixtures. Interior non-load-bearing walls, drywall, plaster and lath and cavity insulation come out, with sinks, faucets, light fixtures and outlet covers. Load-bearing walls need an engineer, so we leave those alone.

Haul-away and cleanup. Haul-away is part of the job. No dumpster to rent, no second company to schedule. The site is swept before we leave.

How Does a Kitchen Tear-Out Work, Start to Finish?

A crew confirms utility shut-offs, tests suspect materials, seals off the work area, removes the kitchen in order, hauls the debris and cleans up. What is left is a bare room the renovation crew can measure and start on.

Every stage from first call to last walk-through is on our Our Process page.

Is There Asbestos in an Older Alberta Kitchen? Test Before You Tear Out

Homes built before 1990 can contain asbestos in vinyl flooring, black floor adhesive, drywall joint compound and levelling compound. Demolition breaks those materials up and releases fibres.

In a kitchen the materials to suspect are specific: sheet vinyl and vinyl floor tile, the black mastic underneath, joint compound along drywall seams, and levelling compound under an older floor. Alberta’s bulletin on asbestos exposure in demolition and renovation (ASB004) lists drywall mud, vinyl asbestos floor tiles and vinyl sheet flooring among the materials in older buildings. None of it looks dangerous.

Most companies stop at a referral here, sending you to an environmental consultant and then waiting on a separate abatement contractor. Enviro tests suspect materials and handles abatement with the same certified crew, trained through an Alberta-approved agency and working to the Alberta Asbestos Abatement Manual.

Disposal is a rule, not a preference. Asbestos waste in Alberta goes only to landfills approved to accept it, moved under the Dangerous Goods Transportation and Handling Act and the provincial guidelines for disposal of asbestos waste. Ask any contractor where the waste is going.

Is a Kitchen Tear-Out Dusty? How We Keep It Virtually Dust-Free

No demolition is dust-free, and anyone who says otherwise is selling. Our equipment pulls dust at the tool, where it is made, so no cloud fills the kitchen. On residential jobs we poly off the rooms not in use. Some minor kick-out remains. There is no haze through the house.

The difference is where the dust gets caught. Hanging plastic is containment: dust is made, trapped in the room, then tracked out on boots. Source capture takes it at the blade or grinder head before it reaches the air. Silica dust from tile, thinset and concrete is a recognised hazard under Alberta’s OHS Code, which is why the equipment matters more than the plastic. See Dustless Tile & Thinset.

How to Remove Lower Kitchen Cabinets Without Damage (and When to Hire It Out)

Empty the cabinets and shut off the water. Disconnect the sink drain, supply lines and dishwasher. Cut the countertop free of the boxes and lift it off before you touch them. Find the screws through the cabinet back into the studs and through the base into the floor, back them out and lift. Pry at the studs only.

That is what the DIY guides cover. Here is what wrecks a floor:

Hire it out if you plan to demo kitchen cabinets in an older home, if they are glued or screwed into the flooring, if you suspect asbestos underneath, or if the countertop is being kept.

What Does Kitchen Demolition Cost? What Sets the Price

There is no flat rate, and we do not publish one. The price follows the size of the kitchen, what is being removed, what is stuck underneath, whether asbestos is present, and how hard the room is to reach. Haul-away is always included, and every job is quoted after the crew understands it.

FactorWhy it changes the price
Kitchen size and layoutMore cabinet runs and floor area, more crew hours
Material being removedTile, hardwood and glued flooring take longer than carpet
Adhesive and thinsetMastic and thinset need grinding, an added step
AsbestosTesting first, abatement its own scope if positive
Fixtures and appliancesDisconnects and removal add scope
AccessStairs, condo elevators and parking affect hauling

Why an Online Kitchen Demolition Cost Estimator Misses the Real Price

Demolition Contractor or Removal Specialist? Who Should Tear Out Your Kitchen

Enviro Surface Removers removes and hauls away the kitchen, and does not install a new one. Search kitchen demolition contractors near me and most results install flooring or cabinets, with the demolition as their way in the door. We have no next job to win on your renovation, so no reason to stretch the work or leave the substrate for someone else.

What we do not do is just as clear: no load-bearing walls, no structural work, no teardowns, no excavation, no installing. Those belong with a general contractor, engineer, electrician or plumber.

About 20 years in the trade, running as Enviro Surface Removers since 2008. See General Contractors, Flooring Installers and Property Managers.

Kitchen Demolition Near Me: Where We Work Across Alberta

We run crews out of Calgary and Edmonton and travel to the communities around both. You get a crew at your address and one number for your city.

Around Calgary that runs from Beltline and Kensington condos to Bridgeland and Inglewood character homes, and out to Cochrane, Airdrie, Okotoks, Strathmore and Canmore. Around Edmonton it runs from Whyte Avenue and the University of Alberta area through the mature neighbourhoods, and into Sherwood Park, St. Albert and Fort Saskatchewan. Older inner-city kitchens most often need a test first.

Kitchen Demolition Tips From the Crew: Before Demo Day

Why Alberta Homeowners Hire Enviro to Tear Out a Kitchen

Credentials you can check

BBB Accredited, full WCB coverage, $5 million liability insurance, COR Certified.

Asbestos handled in-house

Certified for sample testing and full abatement, so one crew covers both.

Removal only

We take the old kitchen out and haul it away. We do not bid on the new one.

Our Calgary profile sits at 4.9 stars from 58 reviews, Edmonton at 5.0 from 15.

Kitchen Demolition FAQs

It depends on the size of the kitchen and what is under the floor. Testing adds time before demo day, because samples go to a lab. Glued flooring and thinset add a step.
Interior work that does not touch structure or relocate services usually needs no demolition permit, but the rule varies by city and building. Check with your city, and your board if you are in a condo. Alberta OHS notes some municipalities want proof asbestos was removed.
Yes. Sinks, taps, light fixtures and standard appliances are disconnected and removed by our crew. Where a fixture has no shut-off valve, the main valve gets shut off first.
Interior non-load-bearing walls, yes. Load-bearing walls, no. Those need a structural engineer. We tell you at the walk-through which you have.
Yes, on every job. No dumpster to rent and no second company to book.
If the home was built before 1990, yes. Vinyl flooring, black adhesive, drywall joint compound and levelling compound are the common ones. We test and abate in-house. See Asbestos Floor Tiles.
Call and describe the kitchen. There is no flat rate. The price follows job size, the material coming out and the adhesive underneath.

Book your kitchen demolition with a crew that only does removal.

Cabinets, counters, flooring and fixtures out. Asbestos tested before anything is torn up. Debris gone and the room swept before we leave. Tell us what is coming out and we will tell you what it takes.