Detached Garages
Older detached garages behind Kitchener and Cambridge homes that still have dirt or gravel floors, and new garages on country lots where the owner wants to park before winter.
Garages, shops and farm buildings
Asphalt Garage and Shop Floor Paving in Kitchener and Area
Kitchener Asphalt Paving Pros paves dirt and gravel floors inside detached garages, workshops, implement sheds and pole barns across Waterloo Region and Wellington County. We have worked on hobby and farm properties from Wellesley to Rockwood since 2013, with the same crews and equipment that build our driveways.
An asphalt floor costs less than concrete, takes a car within days and can be laid inside a building that is already standing. We build it on 150 to 200 mm of compacted Granular A with two lifts of hot mix: 50 mm of HL8 binder under 40 mm of HL3.
It is not the right floor for every building. This page covers where asphalt works, where concrete is the better call and how to protect an asphalt floor from fuel, oil and point loads.
Buildings we pave
Asphalt Floors for Garages, Workshops and Farm Buildings
An asphalt floor suits buildings that need a hard, clean, drivable surface without the cost or wait of concrete. These are the four we are asked to pave.
Hobby and Woodworking Shops
A flat, sweepable floor for benches, tool carts and a project car, without the dust that a gravel floor throws into finishes.
Implement and Equipment Sheds
Tractor, mower and implement storage on farms in Woolwich, Wellesley and Puslinch, where mud tracked in on tires turns a gravel floor into ruts.
Storage Barns and Pole Buildings
Post-frame buildings used for boats, trailers, RVs and stored equipment. We pave around each post and along the skirt boards by hand.
Honest comparison
Asphalt vs Concrete for a Garage or Shop Floor
Asphalt is the better choice when cost, speed and repairability matter most; concrete is better for heavy point loads, hoists and frequent fuel spills. We pave asphalt only, so if concrete suits your building better, we will tell you.
| Factor | Asphalt floor | Concrete floor |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $4.50 to $7.50 per sq ft | Usually higher |
| Time to use | Cars after 48 to 72 hours, heavy equipment after 2 weeks | About a week before vehicles, weeks to reach full strength |
| Cold-weather install | Hot mix available late April to mid-November | Needs heated enclosures and blankets in cold weather |
| Fuel and oil | Gasoline, diesel and oil soften it over time | Stains but is not softened |
| Point loads | Jack stands, kickstands and implement stands can dent it, worst in summer heat | Resists point loads |
| Repair | Cut out and patch a section in a day | Saw-cut and repour, patch stays visible |
| Car hoist | Not suitable | Needed for hoist footings |
Many owners split the difference: an asphalt floor for parking and storage, with a concrete pad poured by a concrete contractor where a hoist or heavy bench will sit.
Decisions
Planning an Indoor Asphalt Floor
Three decisions shape an indoor floor: how the base handles ground moisture, how the floor meets the door and what the heaviest thing on it will be. We settle all three on the site visit, before quoting.
Base Prep and Moisture Below the Floor
Many older garages and farm buildings were built straight on topsoil or old pasture, which has to come out. We strip the organic soil, lay geotextile over clay and build up compacted Granular A with a gentle fall toward the overhead door.
Asphalt sheds water but is not a vapour barrier, so eavestroughs and outside grading still need to keep runoff from flowing in under the walls.
Door Thresholds and Transitions to the Driveway
We set the finished floor height to the overhead door's bottom seal so the door closes tight with no gap for snow or rodents. Outside, the floor ties into the driveway or apron with a saw-cut, keyed joint, and our asphalt driveway paving crew can pave both on the same day.
Cars, Tractors and Hoists: Matching the Floor to the Load
Cars, mowers and compact tractors sit well on our standard floor build. Buildings that take loaded grain trucks or large tractors get a deeper base built to our truck-lane spec: 150 mm of Granular A over 450 mm of Granular B, with 60 to 75 mm of HL8 under the HL3.
A car hoist needs concrete footings, so asphalt is not suitable under a lift. We can leave an opening for a concrete contractor to pour the hoist pad.
Our process
How We Pave Inside a Building
Paving indoors uses smaller equipment, more hand work and careful ventilation. A typical single or double garage floor is paved in one day once the base is ready.
Empty and ventilate
The building is cleared of vehicles, fuel cans and stored goods. Every door is opened and fans move the hot asphalt fumes out while we work.
Prepare the base
Organic soil comes out, fabric goes down where needed, and Granular A is compacted with a vibratory plate and roller in lifts.
Bring the mix in
A dump truck cannot raise its box inside a building, so hot mix is tipped at the door and carried in by skid steer.
Hand work along walls and posts
The crew rakes and tamps the mix along walls, skirt boards, posts and door frames where no machine fits.
Compact both lifts
The HL8 binder lift and the HL3 surface lift are each rolled with a small double-drum roller while hot, with a plate compactor at the edges.
Cool down before use
Doors stay open until the floor cools. Walk on it the same day, park cars after 48 to 72 hours and keep heavy equipment out for 2 weeks.
Pricing
Garage Floor Paving Cost Factors
Asphalt garage and shop floors typically cost $4.50 to $7.50 per sq ft before HST, with a $2,500 minimum job. Where a floor lands in that range depends on four things.
- Size: larger floors spread setup and trucking over more area
- Access: door width, headroom for a skid steer and how close a dump truck can get
- Base work: how much topsoil comes out and how much new stone goes in; a sound gravel floor can sometimes be regraded and reused
- Thickness: loaded trucks and large tractors need the deeper truck-lane build
| Building | Floor area | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| Single detached garage, 14 x 24 ft | About 336 sq ft | $2,500 minimum |
| Double detached garage, 24 x 24 ft | About 576 sq ft | $2,592 to $4,320 |
| Implement shed, 40 x 60 ft | About 2,400 sq ft | $10,800 to $18,000 |
If the lane to the building needs paving too, our private road and laneway paving crew can quote both together.
FAQ
Garage and Shop Floor Questions
Owners of garages and farm buildings from Kitchener out to Rockwood and Puslinch ask us these first.
Can you pave a garage with a dirt or gravel floor?
Yes. We remove the organic soil, add and compact Granular A, grade it to fall toward the door and then pave two lifts of hot mix. A gravel floor that is already deep and clean can often be regraded and kept as part of the base.
Will gasoline or oil damage an asphalt floor?
Yes, over time. Fuel and oil soften the binder that holds asphalt together, so drip pans, fuel trays and quick cleanup of spills are what keep the floor solid.
Can I install a car hoist on an asphalt floor?
No. A hoist's posts need anchors set in concrete footings sized by the hoist maker, and asphalt cannot hold them. We can pave the rest of the floor and leave the hoist area for a concrete contractor.
How soon can I use a new garage floor?
Walk on it once it cools, park cars after 48 to 72 hours and keep tractors, trailers and heavy equipment off for 2 weeks. Use plywood pads under any stands through the first summer, while the asphalt is still curing.
Free quote
Get a Quote for Your Garage or Shop Floor
Tell us the building size, what is on the floor now and what you will park on it, and we will visit within 2 to 3 business days. Our crews are WSIB covered and insured, and we send the WSIB clearance and certificate of insurance on request, usually the same day.
- Base and door threshold checked on the site visit
- Two-lift HL8 and HL3 floor, or the deeper truck build where needed
- Garage floor and driveway or lane quoted together
- Shop
- 324 Stirling Ave S, Kitchener, ON N2M 3H6
- Monday to Saturday
- 7:00am to 9:00pm
- Sunday
- 9:00am to 9:00pm