Coloured Concrete Driveways

A coloured concrete driveway replaces the familiar pale grey with a tone chosen to suit your home: warm sandstone, deep charcoal, soft terracotta or anything in between. The colour comes from oxide pigments mixed through the concrete, so it runs through the slab rather than being painted on top. With a colour-tinted sealer over the finished surface, it can give the front of a house a crisp, finished look without the texture of exposed aggregate. Rowville Concrete quotes coloured driveways for homes in Rowville and surrounding suburbs.

How concrete is coloured

There are two main ways to add colour to a driveway:

• •Integral (through-mix) colour. Oxide pigment is added at the batching plant or into the agitator truck, colouring the whole mix. If the surface wears or chips, the colour underneath still matches. This is the most common method for new coloured driveways.
• •Surface colour. Colour is applied to the surface, either as a dry-shake hardener worked into the fresh concrete or as a colour sealer on cured concrete. Colour sealers are also a common way to refresh existing driveways. See concrete sealing.

Many coloured driveways use both: integral colour for depth, with a matching tinted sealer to even out the tone and add protection.

Choosing a colour

Colour charts are a starting point, but concrete colour depends on more than the oxide. The cement's natural colour, the finish, the weather on pour day, curing conditions and the sealer all affect the final result. A few practical tips:

• •Look at samples outside. Colours read differently in daylight than indoors or on screen.
• •Think about the whole frontage. Roof tiles or Colorbond, brickwork, render, the garage door and window frames all interact with the driveway.
• •Mid tones are forgiving. Very dark colours show dust and tyre marks, and very light ones show oil. Mid greys, sandstones and earthy tones hide everyday marks better.
• •Expect some natural variation. Concrete is a natural material, and slight differences in shade between pours, or across a large area, are normal.

Finishes that pair well with colour

• •Broom finish for grip, with the colour giving a smarter look than plain grey.
• •Smooth trowelled border around a broomed centre, often in a contrasting tone.
• •Stencil or stamped patterns, where colour is essential to create the look of pavers, tiles or stone. See stencil and stamped concrete.
• •Coloured matrix with exposed aggregate, where tinted cement sits between the stones. See exposed aggregate driveways.

How a coloured driveway is built

The groundwork is the same as any driveway. Where colour adds steps is in consistency and finishing.

1. 01Site look and colour selection. We measure, check levels and access, and go through colour options against your home.
2. 02Excavation and base. Old surfaces are removed and a compacted crushed-rock base is laid.
3. 03Formwork and reinforcement. Forms are set to the planned falls and mesh is placed on chairs.
4. 04Consistent batching. On larger driveways poured in more than one load or on different days, keeping the mix and pigment dose consistent matters for an even colour.
5. 05Pour and finish. The coloured concrete is placed and finished in the chosen texture, and joints are cut or tooled.
6. 06Cure and seal. After curing, the surface is cleaned and sealed with a clear or tinted sealer.

Caring for a coloured driveway

UV exposure, foot and car traffic, and weathering gradually wear the sealer, and surface colour can soften over time, particularly with surface-applied colours. Regular sweeping, prompt cleaning of oil and fertiliser spills, and resealing when the surface starts to look dull help keep the colour strong. Harsh acid cleaners can damage coloured surfaces, so check a product's suitability before using it.

Coloured concrete for replacement driveways

A lot of coloured driveways replace old grey concrete that has cracked or sunk. If your current driveway is structurally sound and the problem is purely looks, a colour seal or a spray-on overlay may give a new colour without a full re-pour. See concrete resurfacing. If the slab is failing, our driveway replacement page explains what's involved.

Coloured paths and patios to match

Many owners carry the same colour through to side paths, the front entry and the backyard entertaining area so the whole property feels connected. See concrete patios and our pathways and footpaths hub.

Where we quote

We quote coloured driveways across Rowville, Lysterfield, Wantirna South, Knoxfield, Glen Waverley, Narre Warren North and the rest of the suburbs on our locations page. See all driveway options on the driveways hub.