Demolition on a live site is a cutting problem before it is a hammering problem. Every wall that comes out has a neighbour that must stay standing. Every slab removed sits beside finishes, equipment, or tenants that must not be disturbed. CDS has handled Ontario concrete demolition since 1967 with the same discipline: scan first, cut cleanly, lift safely, haul away.
Concrete Demolition We Handle
- Interior slab and wall demolition during tenant fit-ups and renovations
- Structural openings in foundation and basement walls
- Elevator shaft, stair, and pit removals
- Bridge deck, parapet, and abutment demolition
- Parking structure decks, ramps, and barrier walls
- Industrial equipment pads, tank bases, and transformer vaults
- Exterior sidewalks, curbs, and pavement sections
Why Cut-Based Demolition Wins
Sawing and wire-cutting are precise, low-vibration, and fast compared with hammering and ball-and-chain methods. For our cutting services, controlled demolition is an everyday application. The benefits show up across the project:
- Neighbour-friendly. Hospitals, schools, food plants, and downtown towers tolerate diamond cutting — they rarely tolerate continuous impact demolition.
- Structurally safe. Cutting isolates what leaves from what stays. Impact demolition propagates cracks into concrete you want to keep.
- Faster cycles. Sections come out in planned lifts instead of being broken out one chunk at a time.
- Cleaner waste stream. Sawn concrete feeds crushing cleanly for aggregate recovery.
Our Demolition Process
Scan and plan
GPR scanning locates rebar, post-tension cables, and embedded services. Nothing gets cut blind on a structural member.
Isolate and brace
On structural removals, shoring and temporary bracing go in before cuts begin. Loads are tracked, lift points are designed.
Cut the perimeter
Wall, floor, or wire sawing cuts a clean boundary. Sections are sized to the rigging plan.
Lift, load, and haul
Skid-steers, mini-excavators, gantries, or cranes remove sections. Concrete is loaded for disposal, recycling, or on-site crushing.
Site clean-up
Slurry vacuumed, debris swept, documentation filed. Area is ready for the next trade.
Why CDS for Concrete Demolition
We are the longest-running concrete cutting company in Ontario, and controlled demolition is the work we do every day. We own the saws, the rigging, and the experience to combine them on sites where impact demolition is not an option. A single phone number gets you scanning, cutting, demolition, and removal — no coordination tax between three subs.
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 Demolition FAQ
Can you demo a slab in an occupied building?
Yes. Electric cutting, water suppression, slurry vacuums, and poly containment make interior demolition workable in live buildings.
What do you do about vibration?
Diamond cutting is essentially vibration-free compared to hammering. On sensitive sites we also run vibration monitors with alarms tied to the project tolerance.
How thick of a wall can you demo?
Track-mounted wall saws cut 24 inches in a single pass. Diamond wire sawing handles beyond that — bridge piers and dam walls several feet thick are within scope.
Do you handle the disposal?
Yes. We bill demolition and disposal together, with manifests where your project needs documentation.
Is hazardous material testing our job or yours?
Testing for asbestos, lead, and silica is typically a pre-tender responsibility, but we can recommend abatement partners and coordinate sequencing.
Vibration Control on Sensitive Sites
Hospitals, data centres, laboratories, and certain industrial processes have strict vibration limits that rule out impact demolition entirely. Diamond cutting produces essentially no structural vibration. For sites with documented vibration thresholds, we deploy calibrated vibration monitors at critical points and log readings against the threshold throughout the demolition. Real-time data satisfies facility engineers and insurance requirements.
Structural Sequencing
Load paths have to be respected. Removing a shear wall on floor three is not a matter of cutting it out — the loads it carries have to go somewhere, and temporary shoring has to carry them until the permanent redesign is in place. CDS works from the engineer of record’s sequencing drawings and flags gaps we spot on the floor. On retrofit projects we have caught shoring designs that would have failed under real load — experience beats paper, every time.
Can you handle weekend or night demolition?
Yes. Retail, office, and hospital demolitions routinely run off-hours so the spaces stay functional during business hours. Night premiums are priced into the scope up front.
Book controlled concrete demolition in Ontario
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 Hamilton concrete cutting. 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
Common companion services your project may need:
From our other practice area:
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 Windsor, Kitchener and Brantford.