Measured and Quoted on Site
Not off a photo. We come out, look at the ground and the access, and price the actual job.
Decorative Concrete
Decorative Concrete in Launceston
Decorative concrete is not one thing, and in Launceston it covers five finishes that behave differently. It is six or seven different finishes sold under one phrase, and most of the disappointment we get called out to look at is the right finish put in the wrong place. Start here and you will not do that.
How We Work
The Ground Gets Done Before the Concrete Does
Excavation, a compacted base and reinforcement to spec, the half that decides how long it lasts.
One Price, and We Take the Mess with Us
One written price for the whole job, not a rate per square metre, and the site is left clean.
Start Here
Choose the Place, and the Finish Chooses Itself
Almost everyone starts by picking a look. That is backwards, and it is how a honed surface ends up somewhere it gets rained on. Answer these four and the list narrows to one or two.
Is It Covered, or Out in the Weather?
Covered opens up honed and polished. Out in the open, grip matters more than looks and exposed aggregate becomes the sensible answer.
Will It Get Wet, and Will People Be Barefoot?
Around a pool this is the only question that matters. Grip and heat decide it, and they rule out two of the six immediately.
Will a Car Drive on It?
That removes liquid limestone entirely and pushes you toward exposed aggregate or plain concrete with a thickened edge.
Is It Inside or Outside?
Polished concrete is an indoor floor. Everything else on this page is outdoor. Getting that one wrong is genuinely a safety problem.
The Finishes
Five Finishes, and What Each One Is For
Each of these has its own page with the detail, the range and what it asks of you. This is the short version so you know which one to open.
Exposed Aggregate
Cement washed off to reveal the stone. The best grip of the lot, and the default outdoors.
Honed Concrete
Ground back to a smooth matte surface. Belongs under a roof, because it is slippery wet.
Polished Concrete
Ground much further, to a genuine mirror. An indoor floor, often the slab you already own.
Coloured Concrete
Oxide through the mix, not painted on. Works with whichever finish you already chose.
Liquid Limestone
Poured limestone, paler and coolest underfoot. Pool surrounds and patios, never driveways.
Not sure which one your job wants? Tell us where it is going and we will narrow it to one.
Side by Side
Every Finish, Side by Side
Every finish on one table, ranked honestly on the things that actually decide it. Read across.
The Mistake We Get Called About
The Right Finish in the Wrong Place
People call us out to look at concrete they are unhappy with. The work itself is almost always fine. The finish was simply wrong for where it went.
Honed Out in the Open
The most common one by a distance. It photographs beautifully and it is slippery in the first Tasmanian winter. Grip additive, or move it under cover.
Polished Concrete Outdoors
Sold as a premium outdoor finish by people who should know better. It belongs inside, and outside it is a genuine hazard when wet.
Dark Colours in Full Sun
A charcoal patio looks superb and is painful on bare feet in February. Colour is the biggest lever on surface temperature there is.
Liquid Limestone on a Driveway
It is softer than concrete and not built for vehicle loads. Beautiful around a pool, wrong under a car.
And Painted Colour on a Driveway
A coating on top of concrete wears through where the tyres run. Colour through the mix does not.
We will walk the space with you and say which finishes actually suit it, and which ones we would not pour there.
What Every Finish Shares
The Half of the Job You Never See
Whichever finish you choose, most of the work and nearly all of the durability is underneath it. A beautiful finish on a bad base fails on schedule.
01
Measure and Set Out
Levels, falls, access and the shape, plus which finish is going where, because some are decided before the concrete is ordered.
02
Dig and Compact
Out to depth and crushed rock compacted in layers. This is what decides whether it is still flat in ten years, and it is invisible the day it is finished.
03
Box and Reinforce
Formwork to the line and the fall, mesh up on chairs in the top third, and expansion joints against anything the slab must not be tied to.
04
Pour and Finish
Placed, screeded, and then treated according to the finish, washed back, broomed, or left flat and ground weeks later.
05
Cut, Cure and Hand Over
Control joints cut early so it cracks where we chose, cured properly, and the site left the way we found it.
What It Costs
Our Launceston Rates, Every Finish
Installed, per square metre. This is the whole range in one place, cheapest finish to dearest.
Whole Jobs
What a Finished Job Comes To
Worked examples at real sizes, so you can see roughly where your job sits before you call. These are indicative ranges only. Final pricing depends on site conditions and finish requirements, which is what the free measure settles.
32m² Driveway, Plain32m² at our plain / broom finish rate$1,900 – $3,850
32m² Driveway, Exposed32m² at our exposed aggregate rate$3,200 – $5,750
32m² Driveway, Stamped32m² at our stamped / custom design rate$4,500 – $8,950
$0$4k$9k
What It Depends On
What Changes the Price of Decorative Concrete
Roughly, plain broom is the base, exposed aggregate and coloured sit above it, and honed, polished and liquid limestone sit above those. What moves it is mostly not the finish.
The Finish Itself
One extra operation for exposed aggregate. Several days of machine work for polished. That is the range on this page.
What Is There Now
An old slab out, carted and tipped. On a tight site the removal can cost more than the pour that replaces it.
Area and Shape
Square metres set the bulk, but curves, returns and small awkward areas cost more per metre because the boxing takes longer than the pour.
Access for the Truck
Chuted straight off the truck is one price. Pumped or barrowed through a side gate is hours rather than minutes.
The Ground Underneath
Soft or reactive ground needs more base, deeper edges or more steel, regardless of which finish goes on top of it.
Sealing
Optional on exposed aggregate, part of the job on honed, polished and limestone. Worth settling at the quote rather than after the pour.
The Next Step
Get a Price for Decorative Concrete
Tell us what the area is and where it sits, covered or open, wet or dry, walked on or driven on. We will tell you which finish it should be.
What Happens After You Send It
- We come out and measure it, free, and look at the ground and the access.
- You get one written price for the whole job, not a rate per square metre.
- If you go ahead, you get a start date and the same crew from quote to pour.
Would rather talk it through? (03) 6724 3698, or send the details through the contact page.
Decorative Concrete Across Launceston
- Kings Meadows
- Newstead
- Norwood
- Prospect
- Riverside
- Trevallyn
- West Launceston
- East Launceston
- South Launceston
- Youngtown
- St Leonards
- Mowbray
Plus the wider Launceston area. See every suburb we cover.
Common Questions
Decorative Concrete Questions We Get Asked in Launceston
What is decorative concrete?
It is an umbrella term for concrete finished to be looked at rather than just walked on, exposed aggregate, honed, polished, coloured, liquid limestone and stamped are all sold under it. They are genuinely different products with different costs and different correct uses, which is why the word on its own tells you very little.
Which decorative finish is best?
There is no best, only a best for the place. Exposed aggregate outdoors and around water, honed under a roof, polished indoors, liquid limestone where bare feet meet summer sun. Decide where it is going first and the list narrows to one or two.
Which is the cheapest decorative finish?
Plain broom, and it does nothing wrong. Above that, coloured concrete and exposed aggregate are the affordable step up. Honed, polished and liquid limestone cost more because they are extra operations rather than an extra ingredient.
Can decorative finishes be applied to an existing slab?
Some can. An existing slab can be ground to honed or polished if it is sound and thick enough, and liquid limestone can go over the top of it as an overlay. Exposed aggregate and coloured concrete cannot, both have to be poured, because the finish is the slab rather than something applied to it.
Do decorative finishes need sealing?
It depends which. Exposed aggregate is genuinely fine unsealed. Honed, polished, coloured and liquid limestone all benefit from it, and for the last three it is part of the job rather than optional. Anywhere near water, a sealer needs a grip additive in it.
How long does decorative concrete last?
As long as the slab, which on a proper base is decades. The finishes that are the slab itself, exposed aggregate, honed, coloured, have nothing on top to wear off. The ones that involve a coating are the ones with a maintenance cycle, which is worth knowing before you compare two quotes.
Free Measure, Fixed Price
Find Out What Your Job Costs
One call and we come out, measure the real thing and put a price in writing. It costs nothing and there is no salesman in it.
One call. We measure it and put a fixed price in writing. Costs nothing.
- We come and measure itOn site, tape out, so the price is for your job and not a guess off a photo.
- A fixed written priceOne number you can hold us to. Not a range, not a rate, not an estimate.
- The crew who quotes it pours itThe bloke standing in your driveway is the bloke who does the work. Who you are dealing with.
- Measured on site, not guessed
- Fixed written price, not a range
- The crew who quotes it pours it
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