How Much Does Carpet Removal Cost? [2024 Data]
Normal range: $120 - $720
The average cost to remove a carpet is $280. The final price largely depends on the carpet size, its location, and how it was installed—glue-down carpet will be more expensive to remove than stretch-in.
No matter how much you vacuum, shampoo, or try to cover it up with an area rug, your wall-to-wall carpet is no longer cutting it and it needs to go. Carpet removal costs between $1 and $5 per square foot, or an average of $280, depending on whether the carpet is on the floor, stairs, or if padding layers are attached to the floor below. On the low end, removing carpet costs about $70, while the high end costs around $1,600. Let's take a look at carpet removal costs and the add-ons you can expect to pay.
- Average
- $280
- Low end
- $70
- high end
- $1,600
Carpet Removal Cost Breakdown
Carpet removal companies either charge by the hour, square footage, or as a flat fee to handle the whole process from furniture removal to disposal. Always double-check your carpet removal estimate and confirm which parts of the process are in the quoted price.
Room Size
Most contractors offer a carpet removal estimate based on the size of the room. Square-foot rates range as low as $0.50 to $5 per square foot for removal. On the lower end of the cost range, you can hire carpet removal professionals near you to remove simple wall-to-wall carpets and pads stapled to the ground in a flat, open room.
| Square Footage | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| 100 | $90–$200 |
| 200 | $180–$390 |
| 400 | $350–$770 |
| 800 | $700–$1,500 |
The price increases if the carpet is glued to the floor or in complicated areas like steps, basements, attics, or old—potentially moldy—rooms.
Location in Home
Ripping up carpet in a 12-foot-by-12-foot living room takes far less time and energy than removing it from the stairs, bedrooms packed with furniture, or basements where the carpet may be attached to hard concrete. We'll break each location down below, but they account for the wide range of $0.50 to $5 per square foot for the job.
Carpet Installation Method
During the carpet removal process, the subfloor should be properly cleaned to ensure a seamless installation. This is particularly true if you’re removing glue-down or double glue-down carpet because the adhesive has to be removed. This is why glue-down carpet removal costs about $3 to $5 per square foot. Meanwhile, stretch-in carpet removal costs around $0.50 to $1.50 per square foot.
Labor
Since labor makes up nearly the entire cost of removing carpet, some companies will quote a per-hour rate of $60 per hour for the full job. The hourly estimate may include the cost to move furniture, remove the carpet, dispose of the old carpet, and even polish the floors. On average, removing carpet takes between two and four hours for a 12-foot-by-12-foot room, and longer for steps or larger spaces.
Carpet Disposal
Carpet removal professionals may include the cost to remove carpet and properly recycle it in their initial quote. Some will even advertise that they will take care of the full process for you without additional charge.
If you've already removed the carpet on your own or have a pile of torn-up carpet from a larger project, you'll pay between $0.40 and $0.50 per square foot for disposal alone. You can also hire a local junk remover for a flat fee of $75 to $150 to haul it away. When you’re doing a major remodeling job, you might have enough old carpet—and other debris like tile, flooring, and cabinets—to warrant renting a dumpster to dispose of it all. You’ll do more heavy lifting than if you hire a hauler, but you’ll trade that off for the luxury of moving at your own pace, usually a full week before they take the dumpster away.
If you're trying to trim off your carpet disposal costs or find a new life for your carpet, check with local charities and buy-nothing groups to find a new home for carpet that's still in decent shape.
Carpet Removal Costs by Type
Let's cover more ground on the location and type of carpet removal costs. It's important to note that carpet installers attach it to the floor in several ways.
Traditional wall-to-wall carpeting is stretched and attached around the edges and in the center of the room with staples. However, glued carpet uses a strong adhesive to connect the carpet directly to the floor. Double-glued carpet includes both a path glued to the floor and carpet glued to the pad.
In either case, removing glued carpeting can be more time-consuming and require more specific tools. You will also find carpet in tricky spots, such as stairs or in basements, each of which has its own (often costly) removal challenges.
| Carpet Type | Average Cost per Square Foot |
|---|---|
| Stairs | $2–$20 per stair |
| Basement | $1–$1.50 |
| Staple-Down | $0.50–$1.50 |
| Glued | $3–$5 |
| Wall-to-Wall | $0.50–$5 |
Stair Carpet
You will pay anywhere from $2 to $20 per stair for carpet removal. But on average, prices from $7 to $10 per stair are the most common. Carpeting on stairs must be attached to the riser and the tread of the strep, which often means more staples or glue. You may also find padding on many carpeted staircases. Removing carpeting from stairs will also take longer, increasing the labor cost.
Basement Carpet
Removing carpets from basements will cost about $1 to $1.50 per square foot—not much higher than a standard room. However, you may pay more to remove carpet from your basement in the long run. For example, basement carpets tend to break down more quickly due to moisture, dust, and mold. And if you do find mold under the carpet, mold remediation costs about $10 to $25 per square foot.
Carpet and Pad
Carpet and pad with a traditional staple-down installation will cost approximately $0.50 to $1.50 per square foot to remove. In most cases, the process includes removing and disposing of the carpet and then ripping up the pad underneath in smaller sections. In normal-shape rooms, the process is straightforward and should only take a couple of hours.
Glued Carpet
As we mentioned above, removing glued carpets takes a bit longer and requires more effort to tear them up without harming the floors beneath. Glued carpet will cost around $3 to $5 per square foot to remove. The higher end of the cost range accounts for double glued-down installation with padding glued directly to the floor.
Wall-to-Wall Carpet
The cost to remove wall-to-wall carpet will range from $0.50 to $5 per square foot since the term accounts for stapled and glued-down installations.
Additional Carpet Removal Cost Factors
Removing carpet from a room often translates to a larger project. Plus, you’ll need to move furniture out of the way, which can be tricky. You may also discover that your floor's substrate needs some TLC before installing new flooring.
Furniture Removal
While some carpet removal companies include the price of moving furniture in their estimate, they may also charge $0.20 to $0.25 per square foot of furniture, or about $60 per hour.
Carpet Recycling
There are local carpet recovery programs offering methods of recycling this common home item. In addition to the charge of hauling if you don't do it yourself, a recycling center will often charge between $0.05 and $0.25 per square foot to recycle it.
Wet Carpet Removal
Whether your home is flooded or has mold and mildew issues, wet carpet should be removed right away. This costs around $1.20 to $1.55 per square foot. Additionally, you’ll likely need to account for more services, including mold removal, which is about $10 to $25 per square foot, and basement waterproofing, which costs about $5 to $10 per square foot.
Flooring Repairs
You're bound to find a few surprises below your wall-to-wall carpets, especially if the previous owner installed them. The cost to repair flooring runs quite the gamut depending on materials, the type of damage, and whether the floor is salvageable. Overall, assume that you'll pay anywhere from $2 to $30 per square foot for floor repairs.
| Repair Type | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Subfloor repair | $2–$10 |
| Subfloor replacement | $3–$10 |
| Trim replacement | $5.70–$9 |
| Floor joist repair | $10–$67 |
New Flooring
It's a common dream to swap out old carpet for cleaner, more durable flooring.
The cost to install wood flooring, for example, ranges from $6 to $12 per square foot, not including the cost to remove the carpet. Other popular materials and their price tags include the following:
Cost to install laminate flooring: $3–$8 per sq. ft.
Cost to install vinyl flooring: $2–$7 per sq. ft.
Cost to install ceramic tile flooring: $3–$5 per sq. ft.
Cost to install porcelain tile flooring: $13–$65 per sq. ft.
Cost to install new carpeting: $3–$11 per sq. ft.
Signs You Need to Remove Your Carpet
Here are some signs you need to remove your carpet. Keep in mind that besides all the signs below, you should consider the age of your carpet. If it’s been over 10 years since you last installed new carpet, now is the time to get it done. Besides that, look around and see if you notice the following:
Stubborn stains
Heavy wear and tear
Bad-smelling carpet
Worsened allergies
In addition, if your carpet has water damage, you should replace the carpet and underlayment as soon as possible. This will help prevent mold and mildew growth in your flooring, which can easily spread to other areas of your home.
Cost to Remove Carpet Yourself
Removing carpet yourself can cost as little as $25 for the price of tools. On the other hand, you'll need a lot of elbow grease and dedication to complete this task. Removing carpet is a doable DIY job if you're comfortable with moving furniture, pulling up the glued or stapled carpet, and dealing with a whole lot of dust. Remember to wear protective equipment and set up proper ventilation before letting it rip.
Keep in mind that you may encounter padding underneath, and removing old carpet padding without damaging the floor is a skill in and of itself.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
If you're removing carpet from a standard 12-foot-by-12-foot room, you'll pay between $140 and $430 to hire a professional carpet removal team. However, this price might include the cost of moving furniture, hauling the carpet away, and recycling it at a proper center, depending on the service package.
The largest caveat in the debate to rip up carpet yourself or hire a professional is strength. It is a lengthy, difficult process that is not right for everyone. Call a carpet removal team if you are in doubt about tearing it up yourself.
How to Save on Carpet Removal Services
Without a doubt, removing carpet yourself is the best way to cut several hundred dollars off your bill. If that route is not worth the hassle, here are some other tips to keep in mind:
Move the furniture yourself before the carpet removal company arrives.
Offer to haul and recycle the carpet yourself.
Book your removal contractor at the same time as your new flooring installation.
Choose an unpopular time for the appointment, such as the midweek.
Speak with at least three carpet remover contractors to compare quotes.
Ginny Bartolone contributed to this piece.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most DIYers can learn how to remove carpet although it’s time and labor-intensive. However, if you have glued-down carpet and are concerned about damaging the substrate below, it's best to call a professional carpet remover. Also, removing glue-down carpet is more work than dealing with wall-to-wall carpet because you have to get rid of all traces of the adhesive from your subfloor to prepare it for a new installation.
The fastest way to remove carpet is to remove carpet in strips instead of trying to remove it in one large piece. Wear protective equipment such as gloves and goggles, use a utility knife to cut the carpet in long strips, and then pull at the edge of the strip to loosen the staples or glue. Carpet-cutting razor blades are best on your utility knife for the quickest removal.
Most cities accept old carpet as bulk trash, typically without any nails or glue on the base of the carpet. You may be required to request a specific pickup and wrap the carpet into specific bags. You can also visit your local recycling center and pay a small fee to have the carpet materials recovered.
If you're past the 10-year mark and find yourself constantly over-cleaning and combatting stains and smells, you may be better off replacing your carpet. Carpet replacement costs between $3 and $11 per square foot, not including the cost of carpet removal. Carpet repairs cost around $130 and $300 and often involve a process called patching, which replaces small portions of your carpet without ripping up the whole room. When cleaning carpet, remove dirt, minor odors, and stains with standard vacuuming and an annual shampooing.