Large curved exposed aggregate driveway in Brisbane restored to brand-new appearance via a 3-stage pre-treatment, high-pressure surface clean, and post-treatment finishing process. The work-in-progress before image captures the surface cleaner equipment in action — showing the technique rather than just the contamination.
Before & After
What We Did
Driveway assessment
Inspected the full driveway surface — a large curved exposed aggregate slab with significant contamination buildup including embedded dirt, oil staining, organic growth, and general weathering. Confirmed the underlying aggregate finish was sound and the driveway was a candidate for restoration rather than resurfacing.
Pre-treatment application
Applied a pre-treatment solution across the full driveway surface to break down embedded contamination before the mechanical clean. Pre-treatment is what allows the high-pressure phase to actually clear the deep contamination rather than just lifting the surface layer — heavily contaminated exposed aggregate doesn't respond fully to pressure alone because dirt, oil, and biological growth embed into the porous stone surface and need chemistry to release.
Dwell time
Allowed the pre-treatment to dwell across all sections, breaking down embedded contamination and preparing the surface for the high-pressure phase.
High-pressure surface cleaner wash
Worked the entire driveway with a flat-surface pressure cleaner attachment — the rotating heads visible in the before image. Surface cleaners deliver even, controlled high pressure across exposed aggregate without damaging the stone finish or grout lines, and produce a uniform clean that hand-wand work alone can't match. Overlapping passes ensured no streaking or missed sections across the full driveway curve.
Edge & detail hand-wand work
Hand-cleaned the driveway edges, expansion joints, and the transition between driveway and adjacent grass and garden beds with a wand at appropriate pressure. Surface cleaners can't reach edges, so detail work is what makes the result look complete rather than obviously machine-cleaned.
Post-treatment finishing
Applied a post-treatment finishing pass to lock in the result and slow future contamination buildup. Post-treatment on freshly cleaned exposed aggregate significantly extends the time before the next clean is needed and helps prevent organic regrowth in the porous stone.
Final rinse & inspection
Final rinse to flush any remaining residue away from the property to the gutter line. Walked the full driveway to confirm uniform finish from top to bottom across the curve.
The Result
The driveway was restored from a heavily contaminated, weathered surface to a brand-new appearance — original aggregate colour and texture fully revealed across the full curved driveway. The 3-stage pre-treatment, surface clean, and post-treatment process delivered a deeper clean and longer-lasting result than basic pressure washing alone.
Driveways treated with the full pre/post-treatment process typically hold up significantly longer than basic pressure-washed driveways — often 2–3 years before a maintenance clean is needed, versus 12–18 months for pressure-only cleaning. Post-treatment locks in the result and slows organic regrowth in the porous stone surface.
Suitable For
Heavily contaminated exposed aggregate and decorative concrete benefits significantly from pre-treatment and post-treatment alongside the high-pressure phase. Pressure alone removes surface contamination but leaves embedded staining and accelerates regrowth — the full 3-stage process delivers a deeper clean that lasts considerably longer.
This Brisbane property had a large curved exposed aggregate driveway that had built up years of accumulated contamination — embedded dirt, oil staining from vehicle traffic, organic growth, and the general weathering that exposed aggregate is particularly prone to because the porous stone surface holds dirt and biological matter more readily than smooth concrete. The driveway was structurally fine, but visually it had reached the point where it was significantly impacting the kerb appeal of an otherwise well-presented home.
The before image captures the work in progress rather than the original contaminated state — the rotating surface cleaner attachment is visible mid-pass, with hoses running back to the trailer-mounted pressure unit and the contaminated section of driveway visible to the right of where the operator is working. That mid-job framing is genuinely useful for showing how the work actually gets done: surface cleaners with rotating high-pressure heads deliver even, controlled pressure across exposed aggregate that hand-wand work alone can’t match, producing a uniform finish across large surfaces.
The job ran as a 3-stage process: pre-treatment, high-pressure surface clean, and post-treatment finishing. The pre-treatment stage is what separates a proper driveway restoration from basic pressure washing. Heavily contaminated exposed aggregate doesn’t respond fully to pressure alone — embedded dirt, oil residue, and biological growth need chemistry to release before the mechanical phase can clear them. Pre-treatment breaks down that embedded contamination during the dwell phase, which means the high-pressure work actually clears the depth of staining rather than just lifting the surface layer. The post-treatment finishing pass at the end locks in the result and slows future contamination buildup, which significantly extends the time before the next clean is needed.
The result here is what the after image shows: the original honey-coloured aggregate fully revealed across the entire curved driveway, with the stone texture and colour reading as if the driveway is brand new. Suitable for any exposed aggregate, decorative concrete, or stamped concrete driveway, plus footpaths, pool surrounds, and commercial concrete surfaces where the contamination has built up beyond what basic pressure washing can clear in a single pass.
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