Gold Coast concrete guides — Concrete guides.
Plain-English answers from Gold Coast concreters, grouped by topic.
Driveways
Cost, finishes, thickness, pavers and council crossovers. Service: Concrete Driveways
- What affects the cost of a concrete driveway? — The price of a concrete driveway on the Gold Coast is set by six things: area, finish, removal of the old surface, slope and access, base preparation, and council crossover work.
- Exposed aggregate vs plain concrete — Exposed aggregate has the top layer of cement washed away to show the stone, which gives a textured, decorative surface that hides dirt and tyre marks.
- Concrete vs pavers for a driveway — A concrete driveway is one reinforced slab, so it resists sinking, weeds and loose edges and needs little upkeep.
- How thick should a concrete driveway be? — Most residential driveways for cars are 100 mm thick with SL82 steel mesh on bar chairs, poured over about 100 mm of compacted road base.
- Driveway crossovers on the Gold Coast — A driveway crossover is the section of driveway between your property boundary and the road, crossing the council verge and kerb.
Decorative & outdoor finishes
Choosing patterns and pool finishes, and keeping them looking new. Service: Decorative Concrete
- Stencil vs stamped concrete — Stencil concrete uses paper stencils and a coloured surface layer to create flat tile, brick or stone patterns.
- The best non-slip concrete finish for a pool surround — Salt finish and exposed aggregate are the most popular non-slip concrete finishes for pool surrounds on the Gold Coast, because both have natural texture that grips when wet and lighter colours stay cooler underfoot.
- How to clean and reseal decorative concrete — Decorative concrete such as exposed aggregate, coloured and stencil should be cleaned and resealed about every two to three years on the Gold Coast, sooner on busy driveways in full sun.
Slabs & new builds
House slabs, shed slabs and what happens after the pour. Service: Concrete Slabs
- How long does concrete take to cure? — New concrete can usually take foot traffic after 24–48 hours and cars after about 7 days.
- Waffle pod vs raft slab — A waffle pod slab sits on top of the ground on a grid of polystyrene pods, with concrete ribs between them, so it needs little excavation and suits flat, stable sites.
- Shed slab guide: size, thickness and footings — A shed slab should be sized to your shed kit's exact external dimensions, usually with a small allowance so the wall sheeting sits just past the slab edge to shed water.
Repairs, care & coastal conditions
Why concrete cracks, when to resurface, and building near the beach. Service: Concrete Repairs
- Why does concrete crack? — Concrete cracks mainly because it shrinks slightly as it dries, and because the ground under it moves.
- Should you resurface or replace your concrete? — Resurfacing suits concrete that is structurally sound but looks tired: stained, faded, patchy or with minor surface cracks.
- Concrete near the beach: what's different on the Gold Coast — Close to the beach, salt in the air and ground water can reach the steel inside concrete and make it rust, which cracks and lifts the surface over time.
Floors & coatings
Ground, polished and coated floors for homes and garages. Service: Polished Concrete
- Polished, honed or grind and seal concrete? — All three are ground concrete finishes.
- Epoxy vs flake vs polished concrete garage floors — Epoxy coatings give a seamless, colourful, chemical-resistant garage floor that is easy to clean.
