Cost
What Shellcrete costs, and what moves the number.
Shellcrete starts at around $20 per square foot installed. That is a starting point, not a quote — the condition of your existing slab, access to the deck, the finish you choose and how much prep is needed all move the final number.
Shellcrete overlay
from $20 / sq ft
- · Surface preparation
- · Shellcrete topping
- · Saw cuts
- · Standard one-year warranty
Every job is quoted after a site visit. Condition of the existing slab, access and finish all move the number.
What moves the number
- Condition of the existing slab
- A sound slab takes a topping. One that is heaving or badly cracked needs work first, and that work is the variable.
- Access
- Mixing and placing material through a narrow side gate costs more in labour than a job a truck can reach.
- Finish
- Exposed shell, honed and polished each take a different amount of work at the surface.
- Size and shape
- A large open deck is more efficient per foot than the same area cut into steps, curves and planters.
- Prep and demolition
- Removing old pavers, coatings or tile before anything can be placed is its own line.
Common questions
How much does Shellcrete cost per square foot?
It starts around $20 per square foot and moves with slab condition, access, finish and prep. Smaller and more complicated decks sit higher per foot than large open ones.
Why will you not quote over the phone?
Because the things that move the price are the things you cannot see from a phone call — whether the slab is sound, how the deck drains, what is already on it, and how a crew gets material to it.
Is it cheaper than replacing the slab?
Usually, when the existing concrete is structurally sound, because a topping avoids demolition, disposal and a full pour. If the slab has to come out anyway, that advantage disappears.