Concrete resurfacing cost is driven by five things: area and shape, finish choice, how much preparation the slab needs, access, and any drainage correction. Resurfacing a sound slab typically costs around half of removing and re-pouring the same area. There is no honest square-metre rate, because preparation varies per slab — which is why we quote on site, free.
Why there is no square metre rate worth quoting
Every resurfacing quote is two jobs added together: the preparation, which depends entirely on the condition of your slab, and the finish, which depends on what you choose. Two driveways of identical size can differ by thousands because one needs three hours of grinding and the other needs two days of crack repair, joint replacement and level correction before anything decorative happens.
That is why we quote on site. A contractor who gives you a firm square metre rate over the phone is either padding it heavily to cover the unknown, or is planning to discover extra costs once the grinder is running. Both end badly.
The five things that move the price
- Area and shape. A large open driveway is cheaper per square metre than the same area split into a path, a landing and three steps. Edges, cuts and detail take the time.
- Finish choice. A sprayed single colour is the most economical. Stencil work adds a second colour and layout time. Exposed aggregate is a thicker wet-cast layer with more material. Stamped and timber look finishes are hand-finished and sit at the top.
- Preparation required. A sound slab that just needs grinding is the cheap case. Crack cutting, joint replacement, spall repair, coating removal and level correction all add labour before the finish begins.
- Access. A driveway a truck can park on costs less than a courtyard where every bag is carried through the house. Steep or terraced sites add handling.
- Repairs and drainage. If water is sitting on the slab or running the wrong way, correcting falls is part of the job. Skipping it means the surface fails early and everybody wastes their money.
How resurfacing compares to replacement
As a rule of thumb, resurfacing a sound slab costs roughly half of removing that slab and pouring a new one, and it takes days instead of weeks. The saving is not in the decorative work — it is in the demolition, the disposal, the new concrete and the four weeks of curing you do not have to sit through.
The comparison stops being favourable when the slab has failed structurally. Paying to overlay a slab that is still moving buys you a beautiful surface with the same crack through it by the following summer. On those jobs replacement is cheaper over any horizon longer than a year, and we say so in writing.
What should be itemised in a written quote
Ask for the preparation and the finish as separate lines. If the quote is a single number with no breakdown, you cannot tell whether the grinding and repair work has been costed or hoped away.
- Preparation: grinding, coating removal, crack and spall repair, joint work
- Finish: system, colour, pattern and the build-up in millimetres
- Sealer: product type and number of coats
- Cure times: when you can walk on it and when you can drive on it
- Licence and insurance details — ours are QBCC 1109935 and fully insured
Where people lose money
The two most expensive decisions we see are both about preparation. The first is accepting a quote that skips the grind, because the price looked better — those surfaces delaminate, and the second attempt costs more than doing it properly the first time. The second is resurfacing a slab that needed replacing, usually because nobody tested it.
The cheapest job on your property is the one that gets done once. That is not a sales line; it is the reason our quotes take longer to produce than a phone estimate.
Short answers
Is resurfacing cheaper than new concrete?
For a structurally sound slab, generally around half the cost, because there is no demolition, no disposal and no new pour. For a failed slab it is not cheaper at all, because the fault reappears through the overlay.
Do you charge for quotes?
No. The measure, the test grind and the written quote are free across our service area.
Does a bigger area cost less per square metre?
Usually yes — setup, masking and mobilisation are fixed costs spread across the area. Small, detailed areas are the expensive ones per metre.
Written by the Decorative Concrete Resurfacing crew from work carried out across South East Queensland. Last reviewed . QBCC licence 1109935.
Send a photo of the slab.
We will tell you whether it can be resurfaced, what finish suits it, and what it costs — before anyone turns up with a grinder.