$130 to $185 per m², supplied and laid. Prices may vary with site conditions and variations.
Exposed aggregate is the finish that carries a frontage. The stone does the work plain concrete cannot: it hides tyre marks and leaf stains, it grips underfoot in the wet, and it gives a big grey surface a colour and texture that suits both the rendered townhouses and the original brick veneer streets of Greater Dandenong.
Choosing the stone
Stone is chosen at the site measure from sample boards held against the house in daylight, because a small wet sample indoors reads nothing like forty square metres in the sun. Local stone blends keep the cost down; imported quartz and river pebbles bring the whites, creams and charcoals that local stone cannot. The choice is recorded in the written quote so what is delivered is what was picked.
The reveal
The pour is standard; the finish is timing. A surface retarder goes on behind the screed, and the next morning the top layer of cement is washed off to reveal the stone. Washed too early the stone tears out, too late and nothing reveals. It is the most time-critical finish in residential concreting, and it is the reason exposed aggregate is priced above plain grey.
Sealed after cure
Once cured, the surface is sealed. A penetrating sealer keeps the look natural and the grip high, which is what we steer alfresco areas and sloping driveways towards; a film sealer gives the wet look and richer colour. Resealing every three to five years keeps it up.
Where it goes
Exposed aggregate runs across driveways at $130 to $185 per m2, patios and alfresco areas within the patio range, and paths poured alongside either. The cost guide compares it against coloured and plain finishes, the specification page covers what sits under it, and the calculator prices your area in ten seconds.
Where we pour exposed aggregate concreting
Dandenong, Dandenong North, Dandenong South, Keysborough, Noble Park, Springvale and nowhere else: one council, known inside out.