Measured and Quoted on Site
Not off a photo. We come out, look at the ground and the access, and price the actual job.
Exposed Aggregate
Exposed Aggregate Concrete in Launceston
Exposed aggregate is the most-asked-for finish in Launceston and in the country, and for good reason: it grips when it is wet, it hides everything a plain slab shows, and the stone in it is a choice rather than an accident.
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.
What It Actually Is
Concrete With the Cement Washed Off the Top
It is not a coating, a topping or a treatment. It is ordinary structural concrete with the surface paste removed while it is still green, so the stone that was always in the mix ends up on top.
The Stone Was There All Along
Every concrete mix is stone bound in cement. On a plain slab you never see it. Here the top two or three millimetres of paste is washed away and the aggregate becomes the surface.
Which Is Why It Is Not a Wearing Layer
There is nothing on top to wear through, because nothing was added. The finish is the slab, so it lasts as long as the slab does.
The Blend Is Chosen Before the Pour
The stone comes in the truck. Which one you pick is decided at the quote, not on the day, because it has to be ordered in the mix.
And the Timing Is Everything
Washed too early and the stone falls out. Too late and it will not come off at all. It is the part of the job that has a window rather than a method.
The Range
Six Blends, and What Each One Does
The stone decides the colour, the grip and how much it hides. These are the blends asked for most often here, and every one of them is a real mix you can order.
Honey and Amber
Warm golden pebble, the most-chosen blend in the country. Hides leaf stain and tyre marks better than anything else on this page.
Charcoal and Black
Dark river stone with a deep grey matrix. Sharp against a light rendered house, and it holds heat, so keep it out of a bare-foot area.
Bluestone
Cool blue-grey with white quartz through it. Reads as considered rather than decorative, and it suits a modern facade.
Silver and White
Pale stone with translucent quartz. The coolest underfoot of the six, which is why it turns up around pools.
Coral and Red
Terracotta and russet stone with cream flecks. Warm and traditional, and it sits well against red brick.
Granite
Finer speckled grey and black with white feldspar. Less pebble, more texture, and the most subtle of the six from a distance.
Ask at the measure and we will show you the real blends in daylight, because stone reads differently in a photo than it does on the ground.
Against the Alternatives
Exposed Aggregate, Honed or Plain: What Changes
The three finishes people actually decide between on an outdoor slab. Read across rather than down.
Tell us the area and where it sits, and we will price it in all three so you can compare properly.
Where It Belongs
Exposed Aggregate Driveways, Paths, Patios and Pool Surrounds
Exposed aggregate is an outdoor finish. Inside, it is uncomfortable underfoot and impossible to keep clean, which is what polished concrete is for.
Exposed Aggregate Driveways
The biggest single area of concrete on most houses and the one that collects the most marks. An exposed aggregate driveway hides what a plain slab would show for years, which is why it is the most common use of this finish by a distance.
Paths and Side Access
Comfortable underfoot, grippy in a Tasmanian winter, and it does not show the leaf stain that a narrow shaded path collects.
Patios and Entertaining Areas
Cooler underfoot than a solid dark colour, and forgiving of spilled food and drink in a way a honed surface is not.
Pool Surrounds
The safest surface around water, because the stone is proud of the cement and grips a wet foot. See our pool surrounds page for the rest of that job.
Steps and Level Changes
Grip where it matters most. A wet honed step is where people slip; a wet exposed aggregate step is not.
How It Is Made
Poured, Then Washed Back
It is one pour, and the finish happens in a window of a few hours while the concrete is still green. Everything before that is the same as any other slab.
01
Measure, and Pick the Stone
Levels, falls and the shape marked out, and the stone blend chosen so it can be ordered in the mix rather than decided on the day.
02
Dig Out and Roll the Base
Out to depth, crushed rock in and compacted in layers. Exposed aggregate is structural concrete, so the base does the same work it always does.
03
Box up, Steel In
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 Place
Placed, screeded and floated as normal. At this point it looks like an ordinary grey slab, because it is one.
05
Wash Back and Cut
The surface paste is washed off within the window, revealing the stone. Control joints cut early, then it is left to cure.
Afterwards
Sealing, and Whether You Need It
Exposed aggregate is the one finish that is genuinely fine left alone. Sealing is a choice about how it looks rather than a requirement.
Unsealed Weathers Honestly
The stone is the surface and nothing wears off it. Left alone it dulls slightly in the first year and then stays as it is.Sealed Looks Wet
A sealer deepens the colour and adds sheen, which most people like on a dark blend and some people dislike on a pale one. Look at a sealed sample before you decide.It Is Not Permanent
A sealer wears where people walk and drive, so it wants redoing every few years. That is a commitment, not a one-off.Around Water, Grip Comes First
If it is sealed near a pool it gets a grip additive. A gloss sealer on a wet surround is a hazard, whatever it looks like dry.Cleaning Is a Hose and a Broom
No special product, no annual treatment. It is the lowest-maintenance outdoor finish we lay.Ask at the measure and we will show you sealed and unsealed side by side before you decide.
What It Costs
Our Launceston Rates for Exposed Aggregate
Installed, per square metre. Exposed sits above plain concrete and below the honed and polished finishes.
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.
Double Driveway, 60m², ExposedA real job we have priced$6,500 – $10,000
32m² Single Driveway, Exposed32m² at our exposed aggregate rate$3,200 – $5,750
25m² Path, Exposed25m² at our exposed aggregate rate$2,500 – $4,500
$0$5k$10k
What It Depends On
What Changes the Price of Exposed Aggregate
The rates above are the starting point. These are the things that move a job inside them, and they are the reason the firm number comes after a site visit.
Honey, charcoal, bluestone, silver, coral and granite. The stone is chosen at the quote, because it has to be ordered in the mix.
The Stone You Choose
Blends are not all the same price. A standard local pebble and an imported decorative stone are different lines on the invoice before anyone has poured anything.
How Big, and How Many Corners
Square metres set the bulk. Curves, returns and small awkward areas cost more per metre than an open run, because the boxing takes longer than the pour.
Whatever Is There Already
An old slab has to come out and go somewhere. Breaking out, carting and tipping is real money and it is the line most quotes leave vague.
Access for the Truck
If the concrete has to be pumped or barrowed instead of chuted straight off the truck, that is hours rather than minutes.
The Ground Underneath
Soft or reactive ground needs more base, deeper edges or more steel. It is why we look at the site rather than pricing off a photo.
Sealing, If You Want It
An optional line, and one worth deciding at the quote rather than after the pour.
The Next Step
Get a Price for Exposed Aggregate
Send the rough size and where it is, and tell us which blend caught your eye. We come out and measure it properly, free either way.
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.
Exposed Aggregate 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
Exposed Aggregate Questions We Get Asked in Launceston
What is exposed aggregate concrete?
It is ordinary structural concrete with the top few millimetres of cement paste washed off while it is still green, so the stone already in the mix becomes the surface. It is not a coating or a topping, which is why there is nothing to wear through.
Is exposed aggregate slippery?
It is the least slippery concrete finish we lay, because the stone sits proud of the cement and grips a wet foot. That is why it is the standard choice around pools and on steps, and why we recommend it ahead of honed anywhere out in the weather.
Does exposed aggregate need sealing?
No. It is genuinely fine unsealed, and it is the lowest-maintenance outdoor finish we lay. Sealing deepens the colour and adds sheen, which some blends suit and others do not, and it wears, so it has to be redone every few years.
How do you clean exposed aggregate?
A hose and a stiff broom. No special product and no annual treatment. Oil drips want dealing with reasonably promptly, the way they would on any concrete.
How much does an exposed aggregate driveway cost?
The rates above are the starting point. What decides where inside them your job lands the stone you choose, what is there now and how the truck gets to it. It costs more than plain concrete because of the stone in the mix and the extra finishing step, and less than most alternatives to concrete. The measure and the written price are free.
Can you do exposed aggregate over an existing slab?
No. It is the slab itself rather than something applied on top, so it has to be poured. If you have a sound slab you want to change the look of, resurfacing or a topping is the conversation to have instead.
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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