Going out on your own
How to start a decorative concrete business in Ontario
Decorative concrete sells finishes, not just slabs — stamped and exposed-aggregate exteriors, polished floors for retail and warehouses, overlays and epoxy systems. It is the craft-margin side of concrete, sold on portfolio.
Decorative & Polished Concrete at a glance
- Licence to do the work
- Not required — manufacturer/ACI systems training is the credential
- Path in
- Flatwork base → stamping/overlays → polishing capital
- Regulated by
- Municipality; manufacturers certify installers on systems
- Insurance baseline
- $2M CGL — finish-failure disputes are the claims
The steps to start your decorative concrete business
- 1
Incorporate your company
Most contractors incorporate (Ontario or federal) to limit personal liability, look credible to larger clients, and access tax advantages once profitable. You choose a named or numbered company, set directors and share structure, and file the articles. Budget roughly $400–$600.
Full guide: Incorporation - 2
Register your CRA accounts
Get a Business Number, then register for HST/GST (mandatory once you exceed $30,000 in revenue, and worth registering sooner to claim input tax credits), a payroll account if you will hire, and corporate income tax. This is free and done through the CRA.
Full guide: CRA Registration - 3
Register for WSIB
Construction is a mandatory WSIB sector. Independent operators and partners in construction generally must register even with no employees, and clients and general contractors will require a valid WSIB clearance certificate before letting you on site.
Full guide: WSIB & Provincial - 4
Handle decorative & polished concrete licensing & permits
No trade licence. Business licence, WSIB, and insurance apply; the credibility layer is manufacturer and ACI training — polishing systems (densifiers, grinder progressions), overlay and coating systems, and stamping. Polished-concrete specs for commercial work increasingly name certified installers.
Full guide: Trade Licensing - 5
Get insured
Carry Commercial General Liability (typically $2M, $5M for commercial/industrial work), plus tools and equipment, commercial auto, and — depending on scope — builders risk and professional liability. Many contracts and clients specify minimum coverage before you can quote.
Full guide: Insurance - 6
Set up health, safety & compliance
Meet your Occupational Health and Safety Act duties: a health and safety policy, required training (WHMIS, Working at Heights where applicable), and — for commercial and public work — often COR® certification. This is also where any trade-specific safety tickets live.
Full guide: Safety Compliance - 7
Stand up your operations
Open business banking, set up construction-specific accounting, and understand your trust obligations under the Construction Act (holdback, prompt payment, and adjudication). This is the back office that keeps you paid and out of trouble.
Full guide: Operational Setup - 8
Get bid-ready and win work
Assemble your prequalification package — incorporation and WSIB documents, insurance and bonding letters, safety program, key personnel, and project references — then quote, send proposals, and collect on invoices. This is where a construction business actually makes money.
Full guide: Bid Readiness
Insurance for a decorative concrete business
Finish failures (delamination, colour inconsistency, coating peel) drive disputes more than structural issues — document substrate moisture and prep, and carry $2M CGL with completed-operations.
Your launch checklist
The whole page in one list. Screenshot it, stick it on the dash of the truck.
- Incorporate your company
- Register your CRA accounts
- Register for WSIB
- Handle decorative & polished concrete licensing & permits
- Get insured
- Set up health, safety & compliance
- Stand up your operations
- Get bid-ready and win work
Decorative & Polished Concrete questions, answered
Do you need a licence? How much does it cost? See the FAQs.
Decorative & Polished Concrete overview
Licensing, regulators, and certifications at a glance.
Skip the paperwork. Let AEC Stack set it up
AEC Stack runs the whole process for a decorative concrete business: incorporation, CRA, WSIB, permits, insurance, compliance, and the operations to win your first contract.
Start your decorative & polished concrete business