Breaking concrete is noisy, slow, and rough on surrounding structure. Cutting and lifting is the better option for most jobs — and it has been our specialty since 1967. CDS removes slabs, walls, footings, pads, and pavements across Hamilton, the GTA, and all of Ontario with clean edges, low vibration, and fast turnaround.
If a hammer can save you a day, we will tell you. If a saw can save you a week, we will show you.
Why Cut-and-Lift Concrete Removal
Saw cutting isolates the section you want gone without cracking the concrete you want to keep. That matters on:
- Patching in occupied buildings where neighbours cannot tolerate hammering
- Slabs adjacent to equipment, machinery, or sensitive finishes
- Structural removals on elevated decks and bridges
- Any section scheduled for a replacement slab
Compared with hammering and chipping, cut-and-lift cuts labour hours, produces a clean edge for the new concrete, and keeps debris manageable. It also makes on-site concrete crushing or haul-away a cleaner process.
Our Concrete Removal Process
Scan and plan
Before a blade drops, we run GPR scanning on structural removals to find rebar, post-tension cables, and buried services. On older slabs we also check for legacy plumbing and electrical.
Saw cut the perimeter
Floor, wall, or wire sawing isolates the section. Depth matches thickness — we do not leave a ragged underside for the next crew.
Lift in manageable blocks
Sections are cut to a size the lifting plan can handle: skid-steer, excavator, gantry, or crane. Rigging points are drilled and dowelled before the last cut finishes.
Load out
Debris goes to our bins or yours, to a recycling facility for crushing, or to a transfer station. We document tonnage if your project tracks waste diversion.
What We Remove
- Industrial and warehouse slabs of any thickness
- Retail floors during tenant fit-ups
- Foundation walls and footings
- Parking structure decks and ramps
- Sidewalks, curbs, and driveway aprons
- Concrete pads under rooftop units, tanks, and transformers
- Bridge parapets, decks, and barriers
Why CDS for Concrete Removal
Removal is a cutting discipline before it is a hauling discipline. CDS owns the saws, the cranes, and the experience to combine them. Our advantages:
- 58 years of lift plans. We know what 4,000 psi, 8-inch-thick, rebar-reinforced slab weighs per square foot, and how it will behave on a hook.
- Self-contained crews. Saws, generators, water, and rigging arrive on one truck — your site doesn’t wait on another trade.
- Low impact to neighbours. Diamond cutting and controlled lifting keep vibration and noise low, which matters in hospitals, schools, food plants, and downtown cores.
Serving Hamilton and All of Ontario
From our Hamilton shop at 276 Ferrie St E, crews reach Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga, Toronto, Brampton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Cambridge, St. Catharines, Niagara, London, and every point between. For projects in Northern Ontario, Eastern Ontario, or remote sites, we mobilize with self-contained power and water so work does not stall on access.
Concrete Removal FAQ
How is cut-and-lift different from jackhammering?
Jackhammering fractures concrete by impact and leaves a ragged edge that usually needs re-cutting before the replacement slab can be placed. Cut-and-lift produces a clean, square edge on the first pass, cuts labour, and limits vibration to surrounding structure.
Can you remove a slab while the building stays open?
Yes. Electric saws, slurry vacuums, and poly containment let us cut inside live spaces — food facilities, retail, and healthcare included. Night and weekend shifts are available.
Do you recycle the concrete you remove?
Where the client wants it, yes. We route removed concrete to licensed recyclers for crushing into reusable aggregate.
How do you rig heavy sections out of tight spaces?
We cut sections to match the lift equipment available — often a skid-steer or mini-excavator for interior work. For bigger pieces we bring a gantry or schedule a crane pick.
Do you handle the disposal permits?
We can. For most commercial work we bill removal and disposal together and handle the manifests.
What Clean Removal Saves Downstream
Every foot of ragged concrete edge left by a hammer crew is a foot the forming carpenters have to re-cut, the rebar crew has to work around, and the crew that places the concrete has to compromise against. Cut-and-lift removal from CDS hands off a square, plumb edge that accepts forms and dowels without modification. On a typical structural repair, that saves a half day per crew that follows us — which easily pays the premium over hammering.
Where We Cannot Help
We are transparent about scope. CDS does not handle hazardous material abatement (asbestos, lead, PCBs), contaminated soil excavation, or interior finishes removal that involves no concrete. Where those trades are required alongside concrete removal, we coordinate with qualified partners and keep the demolition schedule intact. An honest no earlier saves everyone a wasted mobilization.
One more FAQ — do you handle emergency removals?
Yes. Structural damage, flood response, and fire-damaged concrete removal are available 24/7 across the GTA and Golden Horseshoe. Call (905) 529-6029.
Ready to remove a slab, wall, or footing?
Concrete Drilling & Sawing Ltd. (CDS) has served Hamilton and all of Ontario since 1967. Licensed, insured, and ready to mobilize on short notice — residential, commercial, and industrial.
Phone: (905) 529-6029 | Toll-Free: 1-800-241-5708
Shop: 276 Ferrie St E, Hamilton, ON L8L 3T7 · View on Google Maps
This service falls under concrete cutting services. Below are the most directly related services from the same team — and a couple from our other practice area when the work overlaps.
Related Services
Other CDS specialties that often pair with this work:
Worth knowing about, on the scanning / demolition side:
Quotes by phone: (905) 529-6029 (Hamilton) or 1-800-241-5708 (toll-free across Ontario).
Based in Hamilton, CDS serves projects across Ontario — see our our Ontario service areas, including concrete contractor service in Waterloo Region, Hamilton and Toronto.