Exposed aggregate is a finish, not a different slab: the same concrete is placed, then the top layer of paste is washed off to reveal the stone in the mix. The result is a natural, textured surface that grips well wet, hides wear better than smooth concrete, and lasts a long time, which is why it is a favourite for pool decks and high-traffic walks. It costs more than a broom finish because the finishing stage is more hand work, and hand work is where the cost of any decorative concrete lives.
The look depends on the aggregate. A standard mix gives a consistent pea-gravel texture; seeding a specific decorative stone or glass into the surface gives a richer, more custom result and costs more again. Either way it needs sealing to keep the stone bright and to make it easier to clean, and that seal wants redoing every few years in this climate.
How Much Does Exposed Aggregate Concrete Cost in Winston-Salem, NC?
What changes
Effect on your price
Square footage
The single biggest driver. Work is priced per square foot, so measure before you call.
Standard mix or seeded stone
Using the aggregate already in the mix is the baseline. Seeding a specific decorative stone or glass into the surface is a richer look and more hand work.
Getting the reveal even
Washing the surface paste off evenly across the whole slab is skilled hand work, and hand work is where the cost of a decorative finish lives.
Sealing, and resealing later
Exposed aggregate needs sealing to keep the stone bright, and that seal wants redoing every few years. Budget for the cycle, not just the pour.
Reinforcement, wire or fiber
Adds roughly 10 to 15 percent over a plain pour. Worth it anywhere a vehicle or a heavy load will sit.
Tear-out of the existing surface
Adds roughly 15 to 25 percent, depending on slab thickness and how easily a machine can reach it.
Concrete truck access
Tight lots, long wheelbarrow runs and pump trucks all add labour to the exact same square footage.
Every job is priced on site. We measure, check the base and the grade, and put a written price in your hand before any concrete is ordered.
What's Included
Same structural slab as any pour: base, reinforcement, joints
Aggregate revealed evenly across the surface, not patchy
Standard mix or a seeded decorative stone, priced side by side
Slip-resistant texture, well suited to pool decks and walks
First seal applied once the slab has cured
A finish that hides surface wear and tyre marks over time
How a exposed aggregate Job Goes, Step by Step
1
Build the slab like any other
Under the finish it is ordinary structural concrete, so the base is compacted, reinforcement is placed, and control joints are planned exactly as they would be for a plain pour.
2
Place and screed the concrete
The concrete is placed and brought to grade. If a decorative stone is being seeded rather than using the mix aggregate, it is broadcast and worked into the fresh surface at this stage.
3
Time the reveal
The surface paste is washed and brushed off at exactly the right moment, too early and stone dislodges, too late and it will not release. This timing window is the skill in the whole finish.
4
Wash, clean and cut joints
The surface is rinsed until the aggregate is evenly exposed and clean, and control joints are cut on the planned spacing.
5
Cure and seal
The slab cures, then gets its first sealer to lock in the stone color and make it easy to clean. That seal is a maintenance item to redo every few years.
How It Works
1. Tell us what you need
Call or text with the rough size and what is there now. A photo of the space answers half the questions before anyone drives out.
2. Get a written price on site
Someone walks the job, measures it, checks access and drainage, and leaves you a written number. Free, and there is no pressure attached to it.
3. We schedule the pour
Once you approve the price the work gets scheduled around the weather window. You get a start date and a realistic finish date, not a vague week.
When to Call
You want a pool deck that grips when it is wet
A driveway or walk that hides wear better than smooth concrete
You like the natural stone look over plain grey or stamped
You are choosing between exposed aggregate, broom and stamped
Stone, Method and Depth of Exposure
Three choices decide what the finished surface looks like, and all three are made before the concrete arrives.
Aggregate selection
Standard local aggregate gives a grey and tan speckle and is the most economical. Specified decorative aggregates, river rounded stone, granite, quartz and coloured gravels, give far more control over the final colour and a more deliberate look, at a higher material cost. Because the stone is the finished surface, this is the choice that most affects the result.
Seeded versus integral exposure
Integral exposure reveals the aggregate already in the concrete mix, which is simpler and cheaper. Seeding broadcasts selected stone onto the surface and embeds it, which allows a specific decorative stone to be used without paying for it throughout the whole depth of the slab. Seeding is more work on finishing day and produces a richer, more uniform result.
Depth of exposure
A light exposure removes only the very top skin and leaves a subtly textured, sandy surface. A deep exposure removes more paste and stands the stone proud, giving maximum texture and grip but a rougher surface underfoot and one that is harder to sweep. Light exposure suits a patio people walk on barefoot; deeper exposure suits a sloped drive or a pool surround where grip is the priority.
Exposed Aggregate Concrete for Winston-Salem Homes and Businesses
One of the most practical decorative finishes for both, and for the same reason.
Homes
Driveways, patios, walkways and pool surrounds. It is popular because it delivers a genuinely decorative surface with better wet grip than a smooth finish, and because it hides dirt, staining and minor surface wear far better than a plain slab. The tradeoffs to know are that it is harder to shovel snow off and less comfortable to lie on than a smooth patio.
Businesses
Entries, plazas, walkways and courtyards. The commercial case is strong because it provides slip resistance inherently, through texture rather than through an additive in a sealer that wears off, while looking considerably better than a broom finish. It also disguises the traffic wear and staining that make a plain commercial slab look tired quickly.
How Long Exposed Aggregate Concrete Take in Winston-Salem
Exposed aggregate is a normal pour with an unusual finishing day. The stone is revealed by washing the surface paste away at exactly the right moment, and that moment is short, does not wait, and cannot be repeated.
Choose the stone first
The aggregate decides the finished colour, so it is selected before the pour, ideally from a sample of the actual stone rather than a photograph. A supplier's standard mix looks quite different from a specified decorative aggregate, and the price difference between them is real.
Base and forms
Identical to any slab. Subgrade cut, compacted aggregate base, forms to finished grade, reinforcement chaired at mid depth.
Pour and initial finish
Concrete placed, screeded and floated. The surface is deliberately not over trowelled, because the paste on top is going to be removed and working it hard just makes that harder.
Retarder, or seeding
On the common method, a surface retarder is sprayed on to hold the top layer of paste soft while the concrete beneath sets normally. On a seeded job, decorative stone is broadcast onto the surface and embedded instead.
The wash window
This is the whole job. Once the concrete below has set enough to hold the stone but the retarded surface paste is still soft, the surface is washed and brushed to expose the aggregate. Too early and stone washes out and the surface is ruined. Too late and the paste has hardened and the aggregate never appears. The window moves with temperature and it is watched rather than scheduled.
Rinse and detail
Fully rinsed, edges and corners detailed by hand, and control joints cut.
Acid wash if needed
A light acid wash some days later removes any remaining cement haze and brightens the stone. Then it is neutralised and rinsed thoroughly.
Day 28, seal
Sealed after full cure. Exposed aggregate does not strictly require sealing to survive, but sealing deepens the stone colour considerably and makes the surface easier to clean.
More weather sensitive than a plain pour, because heat and wind shorten the wash window without warning and rain during it will wash the surface unevenly. Exposed aggregate is routinely rescheduled on marginal forecasts.
Where we cover
Exposed Aggregate Concrete across Winston-Salem, Kernersville, Walkertown, Rural Hall, Union Cross, Pfafftown, Clemmons, Lewisville, Stanleyville, Belews Creek, King, Germanton, Oak Ridge, Colfax, Summerfield, Stokesdale, Wallburg, Midway and Welcome.
Common Questions
Is exposed aggregate more expensive than a broom finish?⌄
Yes, because revealing and washing the aggregate evenly is extra hand work, and hand work is most of the cost of any decorative finish. It sits between a plain broom finish and full stamped work on price.
Is exposed aggregate good around pools?⌄
It is one of the best choices. The stone texture stays grippy when wet and is comfortable enough barefoot, which is exactly what a pool deck needs. A slip-resistant sealer keeps it that way.
Does it need sealing?⌄
Yes. Sealing keeps the aggregate bright, makes the surface easier to clean, and protects it from freeze-thaw. In this climate plan on resealing every few years, sooner on a pool deck that takes sun and chemicals.
Explore More Concrete Services
Most jobs touch more than one of these. If you are already pricing exposed aggregate concrete, it is usually worth pricing anything else you have been putting off in the same visit, because the mobilisation is already paid for.
