September 2026 · 4 min read · East Edge Concreting
Exposed aggregate vs coloured vs plain vs honed: which finish where?
Four finishes come up on nearly every quote. None of them is the right answer everywhere. Here's how they compare on look, grip and maintenance — and where we'd put each one.
Plain grey, broomed
Standard grey concrete with a broom dragged across the surface before it sets. The broom lines give grip. It's the simplest finish and the cheapest to pour, and it does the job on a shed apron, a side path or a driveway where the budget is going elsewhere.
Downsides: it shows everything. Tyre marks, rust from the barbecue, a dropped bit of oil. It also reads as "builder's concrete" next to a finished house. We poured a broomed driveway at Wyee for a client who wanted exactly that: clean, plain, no fuss.
Coloured concrete
Same broomed or trowelled surface, but with an oxide mixed through the concrete so the whole slab is coloured, not just the top. Charcoal, sand tones, greys. It lifts a plain slab a long way for a small step up in cost, and because the colour runs full depth, a chip doesn't show grey underneath.
Downsides: colour will fade a shade over the years in full sun unless it's sealed and resealed, and it still shows marks more than a textured finish. We've poured coloured driveways at Summerland Point and Catherine Hill Bay.
Exposed aggregate
The stone in the mix becomes the surface. Cowra white, basalt, limestone, or a blend, with an oxide in the paste. It's the most forgiving finish for marks, has the most grip of the four, and it's what most people around the lake picture when they say "a nice driveway".
Downsides: it has to be sealed and resealed to hold its colour, and the washed texture collects grit, so it needs a hose-down now and then. Poured badly, it can look patchy — stone exposure has to be even across the whole slab.
Honed (and polished)
The slab is poured flat, cured, then ground back with a diamond machine to expose the stone as a smooth, flat surface, and sealed. Honed is a matte grind; polished takes it further to a sheen. It gives a seamless, almost stone-tile look — the finish on our circle pool surround was honed by a specialist grinder after we poured it.
Downsides: it's the most expensive of the four because of the grinding, and a smooth surface is slippery when wet unless an anti-slip additive goes into the sealer. Around a pool that additive is not optional.
Where we'd put each one
Rules of thumb, not laws. Your site, your house and your budget move these around. And you don't have to pick one: a common combination is an exposed driveway with a honed or coloured border band, or a honed alfresco stepping down onto exposed paths. Bands and borders also hide the control joints we have to cut anyway.
- Driveway — exposed aggregate first, coloured second, plain broomed if budget is tight
- Side paths and bin pads — plain broomed or coloured; nobody sees them
- Alfresco and patio — honed for a clean indoor-outdoor look, or exposed if it runs into the driveway and you want it to match
- Pool surround — honed with anti-slip in the sealer for the seamless edge, or exposed aggregate if grip and a natural look matter more
- Front entry and stairs — exposed aggregate; it's grippy and it hides foot traffic
Common questions
- Which concrete finish needs the least maintenance?
- Exposed aggregate hides marks better than the others but still needs resealing every few years. Plain broomed needs nothing but shows every stain. Honed and coloured both rely on their sealer to keep their look, so budget for resealing.
- Is honed concrete slippery?
- It can be when wet, because the surface is ground smooth. Around pools and on outdoor steps we use a sealer with an anti-slip additive. On a covered alfresco it's less of an issue.
- Can you pour coloured concrete with a broom finish?
- Yes. Coloured concrete is just a standard mix with an oxide through it, so it can be broomed, trowelled or even exposed. Broomed is the usual choice for driveways because of the grip.