Exposed aggregate driveways in Kalkallo

An exposed aggregate driveway is a normal concrete slab whose top layer of cement paste is washed away soon after the pour, leaving the stones in the mix showing. A published Melbourne cost guide lists it at $125 to $210 per square metre laid, or $5,050 to $9,450 for a typical driveway. This site does not lay concrete itself: it sends your details to an independent concreter near Kalkallo, who prices the job and carries it out under their own terms.

Why do so many new homes choose exposed aggregate?

The finish has three practical points in its favour. The stone surface hides tyre marks and dust better than plain grey, and the hipages cost guide notes it can be cleaned if oil or grease gets on it. It gives cars good traction, provided the right stone is used on a slope. And the colour of the stone carries through the finish, so it can be matched to bricks, render and roof colour on a new house.

The trade off is cost and skill. The wash-off has to be timed to the setting of the concrete on that day. Too early and stones loosen; too late and the paste will not come off evenly. That timing is why it pays to see a concreter’s finished exposed work before you sign.

Stone, cement and colour choices

Exposed aggregate is ordered as a special mix from the concrete plant, with the stone named in the order. The CCAA data sheet on residential driveways and paths gives a sample specification: a nominal 10 mm aggregate made of brown river gravel with some crushed white quartz. Points to settle with your concreter:

Choice	Options	What it changes
Stone size	Smaller stones or larger stones	Smaller stones feel smoother underfoot; larger stones read as more textured
Stone shape	Rounded river gravel or angular crushed stone	The CCAA guide says steep pavements may need angular stone for grip
Cement colour	Grey, off-white or white	Changes the colour between the stones; check the plant can supply it
Oxide	None or a pigment in the mix	Tints the paste between stones
Sealer	Penetrating or film-forming	Affects sheen, stain resistance and slip

Ask to see a sample board or a driveway already laid with the same mix. Stones in a brochure photo can look quite different on a wet slab in a Kalkallo street.

How do exposed aggregate, plain and stamped compare on price?

Finish	Melbourne range laid	Typical driveway
Exposed aggregate	$125 to $210 per square metre	$5,050 to $9,450
Plain concrete	$79 to $160 per square metre	$2,725 to $6,300
Coloured concrete	$100 to $210 per square metre	Ask for a measured quote
Stamped or stencilled	$125 to $210 per square metre	Ask for a measured quote

All four ranges are from the same Melbourne guide verified in October 2026; the price per square metre includes formwork, mesh, the pour and the finish, with excavation and old concrete removal priced on top. Our concrete driveway cost guide for Kalkallo sets out the extras in more detail, and plain and coloured driveways covers the cheaper finishes.

What the concreter will want to know

• Driveway area, shape and the fall from the garage to the street.
• Whether any paths, a porch or an alfresco area should match the driveway.
• Your stone and cement choice, or a photo of a finish you like.
• Where the pits, downpipes and sewer openings are.
• Whether the nature strip crossing is built and whether it needs replacing.
• Truck access and where the wash-off water can be contained.

That last point matters on a new estate. Wash-off water carries cement fines, and the slurry should be caught on site rather than run into the kerb and the stormwater pits. Ask how the concreter handles it.

What the work involves

The base and formwork are the same as for a plain slab: topsoil out, crushed rock compacted, mesh on chairs, forms set to level. After the pour and screed, the concreter either sprays a surface retarder or waits for the right set, then washes and brushes the paste away to the depth agreed. Joints are cut or tooled in a pattern planned before the pour. A good layout keeps panels close to square and puts joints at corners, pits and changes of width, as the CCAA guide shows.

Curing still matters on an exposed finish. The CCAA guide sets at least 3 days for driveways that carry light vehicles. Sealing comes after the concrete has cured, according to CCAA’s sealers data sheet, which also notes that acrylic sealers are widely used on driveways and exposed aggregate and that an external surface may need resealing every 12 to 24 months.

Grip on a steep driveway

If your block falls toward the street, read this first. The CCAA driveway guide warns that smooth aggregate finishes may be unsuitable on steep pavements, especially once a sealer goes on, and suggests angular stone in those cases. The sealers data sheet adds that penetrating sealers leave more of the surface texture working for grip, and that silica or carborundum grit can be added to the final coat. Discuss this before ordering the mix, not after.

What a careful concreter will not do

• Promise a stone colour without showing a sample of that mix.
• Wash off without testing the set first in a corner.
• Seal the slab before it has cured.
• Let cement slurry run down the gutter into the drains.
• Pour the council crossing in exposed aggregate without approval; in Hume the consent conditions call for plain concrete where there is a footpath unless council approves otherwise. The vehicle crossing guide explains the permit.

Where exposed aggregate is common nearby

Exposed finishes suit homes across the corridor, from Kalkallo north into Beveridge and south across Donnybrook Road into Mickleham. If the new driveway has to match an existing exposed path, bring a photo of the old surface so the stone can be matched as closely as the plant allows.

What to do next

Gather your measurements, a photo of the finish you like, and photos of the garage, the slope and the nature strip. Then ask for an exposed aggregate quote and an independent concreter can follow up with you.

Send a job enquiry