Published by Concreters Cairns — your local concrete driveway and decorative concrete specialists.
Finding the right concreters in Cairns shouldn’t mean gambling on a stranger from a directory listing. Whether you’re pouring a brand-new driveway, resurfacing tired concrete before the wet season, or comparing quotes from three different contractors, this guide covers everything a Cairns homeowner or business owner needs to make a confident decision.
We’ve pulled together current pricing, the Australian standards that govern driveway thickness, the difference between a concreter and a ready-mix supplier, and a practical checklist for vetting any contractor you’re considering — including us.
Who Are Concreters Cairns?
We’re a team of local, licensed concreters servicing homeowners and business owners across Cairns and the surrounding suburbs. Unlike large civil contractors who chase mining and infrastructure work, our focus is squarely on residential and light-commercial concrete: driveways, patios, pool surrounds, and decorative finishes that hold up to the Far North Queensland climate.
Every job is completed by insured, QBCC-licensed tradespeople who live and work in the region — which matters more than it sounds, because concreting in the tropics is genuinely different from concreting in Melbourne or Sydney (more on that below).
Read more about our team and approach.
Our Concreting Services in Cairns
Concrete Driveways
A driveway is usually the largest single concrete surface on a residential block, and the first thing visitors see. We design and pour driveways that balance strength, drainage and street appeal, whether you want a simple broom-finished slab or something more architectural.
See our full concrete driveways service for pricing, process and finish options.
Exposed Aggregate & Coloured Concrete
Exposed aggregate is one of the most requested decorative finishes in Cairns, and for good reason: it’s slip-resistant even when wet, which matters through a wet season that regularly delivers over 2,000mm of annual rainfall. It also hides everyday marks and stains better than plain grey concrete.
Explore our exposed aggregate driveways gallery and finish options.
Concrete Resurfacing & Stencilling
If your existing concrete is structurally sound but looking dated, cracked at the surface, or simply the wrong colour, resurfacing and stencilling can transform it without a full demolition and repour. This is often the most cost-effective way to upgrade a driveway, patio or pool surround.
Learn more about our concrete resurfacing and stencilling service.
Concrete Cleaning & Resealing
Decorative concrete needs periodic sealing to stay protected from UV, mould and water penetration — three things Cairns has in abundance. A clean-and-reseal service extends the life of your concrete and keeps colours looking fresh.
Find out more about our concrete cleaning and resealing service.
How Much Does Concreting Cost in Cairns?
This is the question almost every homeowner asks first, and the honest answer is “it depends” — but that’s not much help when you’re trying to set a budget. Here’s what actually moves the price up or down, backed by current market data.
Average Cost of Concrete Per Cubic Metre in Cairns
Ready-mix concrete in the Cairns region typically runs somewhere in the $180–$300 per cubic metre range for a standard mix, depending on the strength grade (MPa), aggregate size, and whether the finish is decorative. Regional Far North Queensland pricing tends to sit toward the upper end of national averages because of freight distance from major supply hubs, though this varies supplier to supplier.
How Much Is Concrete Per m² in QLD?
When a job is quoted per square metre rather than per cubic metre, you’re paying for the finished, installed slab — materials, labour, reinforcement and finishing combined. Across Queensland, typical supplied-and-installed pricing looks like this:
| Finish Type | Typical Cost per m² (installed) |
|---|---|
| Plain concrete slab | $80 – $130 |
| Exposed aggregate | $120 – $200 |
| Stamped / stencilled / decorative | $150 – $250+ |
| Coloured concrete | $100 – $180 |
For context, a standard single driveway of around 40m² in a plain finish generally lands somewhere between $3,200 and $5,200, while the same area in exposed aggregate might run $4,800 to $8,000. Larger double driveways, sloped blocks, or sites with difficult truck access will sit higher again.
What Affects Your Final Price?
- Site access – A steep, narrow, or obstructed driveway means more hand-work and less machine efficiency.
- Excavation and base preparation – Removing an old slab or building up a proper compacted base adds cost but is not optional if you want the job to last.
- Slab thickness and reinforcement – Thicker slabs and steel mesh cost more but are essential for driveways carrying vehicles.
- Finish – Plain broom finish is the cheapest; stencilled and multi-coloured decorative finishes take longer and cost more.
- Drainage and falls – In a high-rainfall climate like Cairns, correct falls and drainage detailing are non-negotiable, and a lazy quote that skips this will cost you later.
- Weather and timing – Pours are scheduled around the wet season; a rushed pour into bad weather is a false economy.
For guidance on what a compliant building contract should include, the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) publishes free contract and consumer protection resources.
Concrete Driveway Thickness and Australian Standards
Driveway thickness isn’t a matter of taste — it’s governed by Australian Standards and determined by the weight of the vehicles using it.
Under AS 3727.1 and AS 2870, the benchmark thicknesses used across Australia are:
- 75mm minimum for foot-traffic-only pavements: paths, patios and alfresco areas.
- 100mm minimum for driveways used by standard passenger vehicles and SUVs under 3 tonnes gross vehicle mass — this covers the vast majority of residential driveways.
- 150mm minimum for driveways that see occasional use by heavier vehicles between 3 and 10 tonnes, such as small trucks or concrete trucks doing deliveries.
Some local councils set stricter minimums than the national standard — for example, Brisbane City Council requires 125mm for household driveways. It’s worth checking with your local council or your concreter whether Cairns Regional Council has any specific requirements for your street.
Two extra points worth understanding:
- Steel mesh reinforcement does not increase load capacity — it controls cracking. Thickness is what carries the load.
- You cannot fix under-specified thickness after the fact. Getting this wrong is one of the most expensive mistakes in residential concreting, because correcting it means breaking out and repouring the entire slab.
A qualified concreter will always confirm the expected vehicle loads for your driveway (including moving trucks, caravans, or boat trailers) before recommending a thickness — this is a conversation worth having at quote stage, not after the pour.
For the full technical detail, the Housing Industry Association’s guide to AS 2870 breaks down site classification and slab design requirements in plain language.
Ready-Mix Concrete vs Hiring a Concreter
This is a common point of confusion, especially for owner-builders and DIY renovators searching for terms like “ready mix concrete Cairns” or “Boral concrete Cairns.”
Ready-mix suppliers — companies like Boral, Hanson (now Heidelberg Materials), Holcim, and various independent Cairns batching plants — manufacture and deliver the wet concrete itself, by the cubic metre, straight to your site. They don’t install it, form it up, finish it, or guarantee the workmanship.
Concreters are the tradespeople who do everything around that delivery: excavation, base preparation, formwork, steel placement, ordering the correct mix and volume from a supplier, the actual pour, and the finishing (broom, exposed aggregate, trowel, stencil, or sealed).
If you’re building a driveway or slab as a homeowner, you almost always need a concreter, not a direct account with a concrete supplier — the concreter handles the supplier relationship, the correct mix specification (MPa/N-grade), and the timing of the pour, which matters enormously in a climate where a sudden downpour can ruin an unprotected slab.
Concrete Finishes: Which One Suits Your Cairns Property?
| Finish | Best For | Pros | Consider |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain / broom finish | Budget-conscious slabs, sheds, back-of-house areas | Lowest cost, fast to install | Least decorative |
| Exposed aggregate | Driveways, pool surrounds, entertaining areas | Slip-resistant, durable, hides marks | Slightly higher cost, needs periodic sealing |
| Stencilled / stamped | Feature driveways, entries, patios | High street appeal, mimics pavers/stone | Highest cost, needs quality sealing to last |
| Coloured concrete | Matching a colour scheme or theme | Customisable, moderate cost uplift | Colour can fade without sealing |
| Polished / honed | Indoor floors, showrooms | Low maintenance, modern look | Best suited to interior slabs |
For most Cairns homes, exposed aggregate remains the sweet spot between cost, durability and the practical need for a non-slip surface during the wet season. Browse examples of each finish in our project gallery.
Concreting in a Tropical Climate: What Cairns Homeowners Need to Know
Concrete work in Far North Queensland faces conditions that don’t apply to most of the rest of the country, and this is where local experience actually shows up in the finished product.
- Wet season timing. Pours scheduled between November and April need contingency planning around sudden tropical downpours. An experienced local concreter builds weather buffers into the schedule rather than gambling on a clear window.
- Humidity and curing. High humidity slows some finishing processes and speeds others; getting the timing of stencilling, sealing or exposing aggregate right takes local know-how, not just a textbook cure time.
- UV exposure. Cairns gets intense, near-equatorial UV year-round, which accelerates fading in coloured and sealed concrete if the wrong sealer is used.
- Drainage is not optional. With average annual rainfall well above the national average, correctly graded falls and drainage points are essential — a driveway that pools water after rain is a design failure, not bad luck.
- Termite and soil conditions. Reactive soils and termite management requirements common in tropical Queensland can affect base preparation and slab design, particularly for house slabs adjoining a new driveway.
See how these factors play out in practice across our completed Cairns projects.
How to Choose the Best Concreter in Cairns
With dozens of concreters, contractors and directory listings competing for “concreters Cairns” searches, here’s a practical checklist for separating a genuinely good local operator from a name on a list.
- Check the QBCC licence. Any concreter working on residential projects in Queensland should hold a current QBCC licence — you can verify this directly on the QBCC register in under a minute.
- Confirm insurance. Public liability insurance protects you if something goes wrong on-site. Ask for it in writing, not just verbally.
- Read recent reviews, not just the star rating. Look for detail — did the crew turn up on time, clean up after themselves, and match the finish they promised? Directory sites and Google Business Profiles are both worth checking.
- Ask for local examples. A concreter who’s poured driveways in your specific suburb understands the soil, drainage and council requirements better than one who hasn’t.
- Get a written, itemised quote. It should specify area (m²) or volume (m³), thickness, mix grade, finish, and what’s included (excavation, disposal of spoil, reinforcement, sealing).
- Be wary of the cheapest quote by a wide margin. “Cheap concreters in Cairns” searches are common, and price matters — but a quote significantly under everyone else’s is usually missing scope, not offering a discount. Thin slabs, no reinforcement, and skipped base preparation are the classic corners cut.
- Ask about warranty. Reputable concreters stand behind their work for a defined period after completion.
Still have questions? Check our FAQs page for more detail before you request a quote.
Concrete Resurfacing, Cleaning and Resealing
Not every tired driveway needs to be demolished. If the underlying slab is structurally sound — no major structural cracking, no significant subsidence — resurfacing is usually the faster and cheaper path to a like-new finish.
Typical resurfacing process:
- Pressure clean the existing surface and treat any mould, oil stains or efflorescence.
- Patch and fill minor cracks or surface imperfections.
- Apply a bonded overlay or decorative coating (including stencilled or exposed-look finishes over existing plain concrete).
- Seal the finished surface for UV and moisture protection.
For concrete that’s already in good decorative condition, a simple clean-and-reseal every 2–3 years (more frequently in high-traffic or high-UV areas) is the most cost-effective form of maintenance. Skipping this is the single most common reason decorative concrete looks worn out well before its structural lifespan is up.
Residential vs Commercial Concreting
While our focus is residential and light-commercial work — driveways, patios, pool surrounds and small business frontages — it’s worth understanding how this differs from large-scale civil concreting in the Cairns region, since some directory listings blend the two together.
Large civil and industrial concreting firms in Far North Queensland handle projects like subdivisions, bridge upgrades, wind farm foundations and government infrastructure — multi-thousand cubic metre pours governed by engineering specifications and tender processes. Residential concreting operates on a completely different scale: single driveways, house slabs and decorative surfaces, quoted directly to homeowners, usually completed in a matter of days rather than months.
If your project is a home renovation, a new driveway, or a decorative concrete upgrade, you want a residential specialist — not a firm set up for mining and civil tenders, and vice versa.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average cost of concrete per cubic metre in Cairns?
Standard ready-mix concrete in Cairns generally costs between $180 and $300 per cubic metre, depending on the strength grade, aggregate type, and whether it’s a decorative mix. Regional freight and part-load surcharges can push this toward the higher end for smaller orders.
How much is concrete per m² in QLD?
For a supplied-and-installed slab in Queensland, expect roughly $80–$130/m² for a plain finish, $120–$200/m² for exposed aggregate, and $150–$250+/m² for stamped or decorative finishes. These figures include materials and labour, not just the raw concrete.
Who is the biggest concrete company?
In Australia, Boral is generally recognised as the largest vertically integrated construction materials company, with an extensive national network of quarries, cement plants and concrete batching operations. In the ready-mix concrete segment specifically, Heidelberg Materials Australia (formerly Hanson), Holcim, and Boral are consistently ranked among the largest suppliers by market share. It’s worth noting these are concrete suppliers, not concreting contractors — for installation, you’ll still need a local concreter.
How thick should a concrete driveway be in Australia?
Under AS 3727.1 and AS 2870, the standard minimum is 100mm for driveways used by regular passenger vehicles under 3 tonnes, and 150mm where heavier vehicles (such as small trucks or caravans) will use the driveway regularly. Foot-traffic-only paths and patios need a minimum of 75mm. Some councils set higher local minimums, so check with your concreter or local authority before finalising a design.
How long does a concrete driveway take to install in Cairns?
Most standard residential driveways are excavated, formed and poured within a few days, though you’ll generally need to wait around 7 days before driving on the new concrete, with full strength reached at approximately 28 days.
Is exposed aggregate worth the extra cost?
For most Cairns properties, yes. The slip resistance is a genuine safety benefit in a high-rainfall climate, it hides everyday marks better than plain concrete, and it tends to hold its resale appeal better than a basic broom finish.
Do I need council approval for a new driveway in Cairns?
Many standard residential driveway replacements don’t require separate council approval, but crossovers, changes to stormwater drainage, or work near easements often do. Check with Cairns Regional Council or ask your concreter to confirm before work begins.
How do I get an accurate quote rather than a rough estimate?
Provide clear measurements or a site plan, mention any access constraints (narrow side access, steps, retaining walls), specify the finish you want, and ask for a written itemised quote rather than a verbal ballpark. A proper quote should always follow a site visit for anything beyond a very small job.
Get a Free Quote
If you’re planning a new driveway, comparing quotes for exposed aggregate, or need a tired old slab resurfaced before the next wet season, our local Cairns team is ready to help. We provide clear, written quotes, use QBCC-licensed and insured tradespeople, and build every job around the realities of concreting in Far North Queensland — not a generic national playbook.
Request Your Free Quote Today and get a straight answer on cost, thickness and finish for your specific property. You can also reach out directly via our Contact Us page.
About This Guide
This guide is brought to you by Concreters Cairns, a locally owned team of licensed, insured concreters serving homeowners and businesses across the Cairns region. From concrete driveways and exposed aggregate finishes to resurfacing and resealing, we handle every job with the local knowledge that Far North Queensland’s climate demands.
Visit the Concreters Cairns homepage to see our full range of services, browse our gallery, or get in touch for a free, no-obligation quote.
Last updated periodically. Prices and standards referenced in this guide are indicative and subject to change — always confirm current figures with your concreter or supplier at quote stage.