A plain concrete patio costs $4 to $12 a square foot installed. Stamp it and the same slab runs $9 to $30. That is the whole decision in two lines — and the reason people get quotes three times apart for what looks like the same patio.
Concrete lasts 30 to 50 years with basic care, which makes it one of the better value-per-year surfaces you can put in a garden. Here is what each finish costs, what the sizes work out to, and the two things underneath that decide whether it cracks.
Cost by finish
| Finish | Installed, per sq ft |
|---|---|
| Plain / broom finish | $4 – $12 |
| Exposed aggregate | $7 – $18 |
| Stained | $8 – $25 |
| Stamped | $9 – $30 |
The slab underneath is identical in every row. What you are paying for above plain concrete is finishing labour — pressing patterns, applying colour, washing back the surface to expose the stone. That is skilled, time-consuming work done in a narrow window before the concrete sets, which is why it costs what it does and why a bad stamped job cannot be fixed afterwards.
Exposed aggregate is the quiet good option. It sits mid-range, hides staining and hairline cracks far better than a smooth finish, and is less slippery wet than stamped concrete — which is worth knowing if the patio is next to a pool.
Cost by size
| Size | Area | Plain | Stained or stamped |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 | 100 sq ft | $400 – $1,200 | $800 – $3,000 |
| 12 × 12 | 144 sq ft | $600 – $1,700 | $1,150 – $4,300 |
| 12 × 14 | 168 sq ft | $700 – $2,000 | $1,350 – $5,000 |
| 20 × 20 | 400 sq ft | $1,600 – $4,800 | $3,200 – $12,000 |
One thing worth noticing: a 10×10 patio is small for actual use. A table with four chairs pulled out needs roughly 12×12 before it stops feeling cramped, and the jump from 100 to 144 square feet costs a few hundred dollars on a plain slab. Of all the places to economise on this project, floor area is the worst one — the crew, the forms, the pour and the finishing are largely the same either way.
Thickness, base and reinforcement
- Four inches is standard for a patio. Six inches is for anything carrying vehicle weight — so if a corner of the slab will ever have a car on it, say so before the pour.
- Rebar or wire mesh adds $1–$3 per square foot. It does not stop concrete cracking. It holds the crack together so the two sides stay level instead of one lifting.
- The compacted base is what actually decides the outcome, and it is the part you cannot inspect afterwards.
That last point is the one to press a contractor on. Concrete poured onto poorly compacted fill will settle unevenly and crack, no matter how good the finish looks on day one. Ask what depth of base they are putting down and how it is being compacted — the answer should involve a plate compactor and lifts, not a truck driven back and forth.
And accept upfront that your patio will crack somewhere. Concrete always does. Control joints are cut in specifically to decide where — a slab with properly placed joints cracks along the lines and you never notice.
What is not in the square-foot price
- Removing an existing patio or slab — demolition and haul-away, quoted separately.
- Excavation and grading on a sloped or awkward site.
- Site access. If a concrete truck cannot get close, the mix has to be barrowed or pumped, and that is a real surcharge.
- Sealing. Stamped and stained finishes need resealing every few years to keep the colour; plain concrete mostly does not.
- Steps or a raised edge where the patio meets the house.
- Permit, where a slab over a certain size needs one.
Sealing is the ongoing cost people do not price in. A stamped patio that never gets resealed fades and looks tired in five or six years — at which point you have paid the stamped premium and ended up with the appearance of plain concrete.
The bottom line
Budget $4–$12 per square foot for plain concrete and roughly double that for stamped. A useful 12×12 patio runs $600–$1,700 plain, $1,150–$4,300 finished.
Choose plain or exposed aggregate unless the look genuinely matters to you, spend the difference on going bigger, and put your questions into the base rather than the finish. Thirty to fifty years is a long time to live with a slab that settled because nobody compacted the fill.
If the patio is part of a bigger outdoor plan, our deck building costs compare the timber alternative, and the driveway guide covers concrete versus asphalt over thirty years.
Patio work often comes attached to a bigger project. If a pool is on the list, here is what an inground pool costs in 2026.
Clearing the site first? Removing a tree runs $750–$850 on average — see tree removal costs in 2026.
Working out your own number? Our free renovation cost calculator gives you the range for your size and area in about ten seconds.