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Pros charge $3–$6 per sq ft to remove tile, more for mortar beds. Compare with DIY demo-hammer rental (~$70/day) and disposal for your floor or shower.
With these inputs:
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated pro cost | $600.00 |
| Pro rate for this surface | $6.00/sq ft |
| Pro total | $600.00 |
| DIY total (rental + disposal) | $175.00 |
| Realistic DIY time | 14 hrs |
| Debris to dispose of | ~800 lbs |
DIY saves the most when the area is small; over ~300 sq ft, pro speed usually wins.
<> Pro demo runs $3–$6 per square foot depending on what the tile is stuck to: thinset on a slab comes up fast, while an old-school thick mortar bed is double the labor. Wall tile over drywall is cheapest — often the drywall comes down with it and gets replaced. DIY costs are mostly tool rental (a demolition hammer ~$70/day) plus disposal. Tile debris is heavy — a mortar-bed floor generates ~8 lbs of rubble per square foot, so a 100 sq ft floor is 800 lbs that has to leave your house in buckets.
It is the most DIY-friendly part of tiling — no precision required, just labor and dust control. The tradeoffs are time (a weekend for a typical floor), disposal weight, and silica dust: wear a real respirator, not a dust mask.
Yes — new tile needs a flat, clean surface. Ridges and globs of old mortar telegraph through and crack the new floor. A floor scraper or grinder with a diamond cup wheel finishes what the demo hammer leaves.
Sometimes — if the old tile is sound (no hollow sounds when tapped), flat, and the added height works at doors and transitions. Use a primer designed for tiling over tile. When in doubt, demo.
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