Kitchen demolition cost in Toronto
Taking out a Toronto kitchen costs anywhere from a few hundred dollars for cabinets alone to several thousand for a full gut with the floor. This guide sets GTA price ranges next to our posted tear-out price and works through an example with 13% HST.
What kitchen demolition costs in Toronto
A kitchen tear-out is the most variable job in a renovation budget. One company will quote a few hundred dollars to pull the cabinets, another will price a full gut with plumbing disconnects and the floor. They are not the same job, so read the scope before you compare totals.
The middle column below is what GTA companies we checked posted in October 2026. Our posted price for the tear-out of cabinets, counters and backsplash is in the right column, and it includes hauling up to a full load, which is about 16 cu yd and 1,000 kg of included weight.
| Job | GTA companies we checked, October 2026 | Our posted price, before HST |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinets only | From about $400 in one GTA listing that also took counters and wall tile. A homeowner reported a $1,500 budget in 2020 for cabinets plus a granite counter. | Not a posted job. Quoted from photos. |
| Small kitchen, up to 100 sq ft: cabinets, counters, backsplash | $1,070 to $3,000 as the demolition line in renovation quotes | from $1,500. Includes hauling up to a full load. |
| Medium kitchen, 100 to 150 sq ft, floor included | $2,000 to $3,000 including a bin in a Toronto cost guide. Demolition company guides ran from $1,500 to $8,500. | from $1,500 for the tear-out, plus the floor at $3 per sq ft, $400 minimum. |
| Floor tile on its own | $2 to $5 per sq ft, most $3 to $3.50 with disposal. A homeowner in Ontario reported paying $700 in 2019 for kitchen floor tile removal only. | $3 per sq ft, $400 minimum. Disposal billed by weight. |
Small kitchens versus medium kitchens
Cost guides split kitchens by floor area, and the split is useful because it tracks the amount of cabinet run and the length of the carry. A small kitchen is up to about 100 square feet. A medium kitchen is 100 to 150 square feet. Past that, an open-concept kitchen with an island is quoted from photos.
In a small kitchen, the demolition lines in the renovation quotes we checked ran $1,070 to $3,000. In a medium kitchen with the floor included, a Toronto cost guide put the demolition and bin at $2,000 to $3,000, and demolition companies posted ranges that reached $8,500 once plumbing disconnects and heavier materials were in the scope.
Size is not the only thing that moves the price. A galley kitchen with stone counters and a tile floor can cost more to take out than a larger kitchen with laminate counters and vinyl plank.
What moves the price: counters, backsplash, floor and walls
The same kitchen can be priced four ways depending on which of these are in the scope.
Cabinets only
Pulling upper and lower cabinets is the lightest scope. It is also the one with the most variation, because some listings include counters and backsplash and some do not. A GTA listing started at about $400 for cabinets, and a homeowner reported a $1,500 budget in 2020 once a granite counter was included.
Cabinets, counters and backsplash
This is the standard tear-out and the scope our posted price covers. The backsplash tile comes off the wall, and the drywall behind it may need patching afterward. If the backsplash is tile set in mortar on plaster, tell us in your photos.
Stone counters
Granite, quartz and marble are heavy, and they are lifted out in slabs or broken into pieces. A Toronto demolition guide lists stone counters among the reasons a kitchen lands at the top of its range. A typical run of stone can weigh several hundred kilograms, so it uses up a good part of the included weight before a single cabinet is counted.
Floor included
The floor is where quotes diverge. Some companies fold it into one price, and some leave it out. Ours is a separate line: tile or glued flooring comes up at $3 per sq ft with a $400 minimum. Disposal billed by weight.
Plaster walls and old drywall
Plaster over lath is heavier and dustier than drywall, and removing the cabinets can pull plaster off the wall with them. If your kitchen was built before about 1990, read the asbestos section below before you book.
Older kitchens and asbestos
Homes built before about 1990 can contain asbestos in plaster, vinyl floor tile and drywall joint compound. Kitchens often have all three. Our demolition prices assume none. Testing is your cost, and work stops if suspect material is found.
A professional visit with one to three samples ran $300 to $500 in the Ontario and Toronto cost guides we checked, and a lab alone charged $30 to $75 per sample.
Ontario Regulation 278/05 covers asbestos on construction projects. It exempts the owner of an owner-occupied private residence from the owner's duties, but it applies to the contractor and the workers doing the job. If material turns up that was not in a report, the contractor has to notify an inspector at the Ministry of Labour and the owner, and no work that disturbs that material goes ahead until it has been tested or is handled as though it were asbestos. We do not remove asbestos.
What you can do yourself to spend less
Most of the savings are in the things that come out before anyone swings a tool.
- Empty every cabinet and drawer, and take the doors off if you can. Loose contents are the main reason a tear-out runs long.
- Disconnect and move the stove, dishwasher and fridge. Gas and water lines should be capped by a qualified tradesperson, not by whoever is tearing out the cabinets.
- If we take the fridge or freezer, a unit with refrigerant is plus $30 per unit.
- Photograph the floor edge, the backsplash and the counter edge. Stone, tile set in mortar and plaster walls are the three details that change the quote.
- Leave the stone counters to someone with the hands for it. A slab dropped on a floor does more damage than the demolition.
Worked example: a medium kitchen with a tile floor
A 150 square foot kitchen was built in the 1990s. You want the cabinets, counters and backsplash out, plus the 130 square feet of floor tile that shows once the cabinets are gone, and one old fridge taken away. The tile line is 130 sq ft at $3 per sq ft, which sits under the $400 minimum.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Kitchen tear-out: cabinets, counters, backsplash | $1,500 |
| Floor tile removal: 130 sq ft at $3 per sq ft, $400 minimum applies | $400 |
| Fridge with refrigerant | $30 |
| Subtotal | $1,930 |
| 13% HST | $250.90 |
| Total | $2,180.90 |
Permits and rules in Toronto
Toronto's building permit page lists demolishing or removing all or a portion of a building, adding or removing walls, and installing or modifying heating and plumbing systems among the work that needs a building permit. It lists repairing and replacing plumbing fixtures, and installing cabinetry and millwork, among the work that does not. The page says its list is not exhaustive.
A kitchen that stays inside its walls and keeps its plumbing layout is the simplest case. If you plan to take out a wall to open the kitchen to the next room, or to move the sink, check with Toronto Building before the work starts. The building owner is responsible for complying with all building requirements.
Questions
GTA companies we checked in October 2026 posted anywhere from $1,500 to $8,500, depending on whether the floor, plumbing disconnects and heavier materials were included. Our posted price for cabinets, counters and backsplash is from $1,500 before HST. Includes hauling up to a full load.
One GTA listing started at about $400 for cabinets, and a homeowner reported a $1,500 budget in 2020 for cabinets with a granite counter. Cabinets-only removal is quoted from photos, because the number of units and the access decide it.
They add weight and labour. A Toronto demolition guide lists stone counters among the reasons a kitchen lands at the top of its range. Send a photo of the counter edge and the sink cutout, and we say what it does to the quote.
No. The posted tear-out covers cabinets, counters and backsplash. Tile or glued flooring is a separate line at $3 per sq ft, $400 minimum, and disposal of the tile is billed by weight.
Yes. A fridge, freezer or air conditioner carries a refrigerant fee of plus $30 per unit. Disconnect gas and water lines before we arrive, and leave the appliance where we can reach it.
Toronto lists removing walls and modifying plumbing systems as work that needs a building permit, and lists installing cabinetry and replacing plumbing fixtures as work that does not. Removing cabinets and counters inside the same walls is not named either way, so check with Toronto Building if you are unsure.
Yes. Every price on this page is before 13% HST. In the example above, $1,930 becomes $2,180.90 once HST is added.
Get a quote from your photos
Tell us what needs to go, add photos and leave a number. We price from the posted rates.