Exposed aggregate is concrete with the surface taken off. The slab is poured with the chosen stone through the mix or seeded onto the top, the fresh surface is treated so the top few millimetres stay soft, and the next day it is washed back to reveal the stone. The result grips underfoot, hides the marks a plain grey driveway shows within a month, and gives the frontage a finish that most estate design guidelines in Thornton, Chisholm, Aberglasslyn and Huntlee now expect.
What moves the price
Guide rate $130 to $185 per m² supplied and laid. Four things move a job within that range:
- The stone. Local gravels and blends from the Hunter’s quarries sit at the bottom. Imported pebbles, white quartz and specialty blends sit at the top, and the supplier’s price per tonne carries straight through.
- Seeded or through-mix. Seeding a premium stone onto a standard load can cut the stone cost on a large driveway. Through-mix gives a consistent surface at every edge and cut.
- The size and shape. Exposed aggregate is placed and finished in one continuous operation, so a long driveway with a porch, a path and steps is more finishing per square metre than a plain rectangle.
- Sealing. A slip-resistant sealer is usually a separate line and is reapplied as it wears.
Where it runs to
Inside your boundary the finish is your choice. At the boundary the council’s rules take over, and the three councils on this site say different things. Maitland keeps the kerb, gutter and layback plain but generally allows a special surface across the footway if it is not slippery. Cessnock asks for plain uncoloured concrete with a non-slip finish on the crossing. Port Stephens accepts any non-slip finish including some aggregate. The clean answer on most jobs is a full-depth joint at the boundary with the stone stopping there, and the Section 138 guide sets out the approval each council needs for the crossing itself.
Under the stone
The finish does nothing for the slab. Exposed aggregate on the floodplain clay of Maitland, Morpeth and Raymond Terrace needs the same cut and compacted base, mesh on chairs, 100 mm thickness and early joints as any other driveway, and a decorative surface makes a crack more visible, not less. Joints are planned so they land where the eye expects them, at changes of direction and at the porch line. The specification sets it all out.
Same finish, other slabs
Exposed aggregate suits patios and alfresco slabs as well as it suits driveways, and a front path in the same stone ties the frontage together. It is heavier work than a shed slab needs, though a small apron at the roller door in the driveway stone is common. Where an old driveway is coming out first, removal adds about $35 per m².
Bracket the area with the calculator, read the cost guide, then ask for a measure and a look at the sample boards.
Rates on this site are guide figures for planning a budget. Your price is the written quote after the concreter has seen the block, and it can sit outside the guide where ground, access or a small area call for it.