How Much Does a Concrete Patio Cost in the UK?
A plain concrete patio in the UK typically costs about £60 to £140 per square metre installed, according to BuildEstimatory's 2026 price guide, with a pattern imprinted finish adding roughly 30-50% on top. Patio-specific guides land in the same area: landscapingcost.co.uk puts a concrete patio at around £60 to £80 per square metre and adds £20 to £40 for an imprinted finish, so roughly £80 to £120. Those are market ranges, not a quote, and the figure for your garden depends far more on the ground, the access and the dig-out than on the finish.
Concrete patio cost per square metre
Typical UK ranges from the guides we checked (installed, including labour):
Plain or brushed concrete: about £60 to £140 per m2 for flatwork such as patios, paths and drives (BuildEstimatory, 2026).
Pattern imprinted (stamped) concrete: plain concrete plus roughly 30-50% (BuildEstimatory), or around £80 to £120 per m2 for a patio (landscapingcost.co.uk, 2025). Checkatrade's 2026 guide puts printed concrete at typically £80 to £110 per m2.
Exposed aggregate concrete: the guides disagree here. MyJobQuote's September 2026 driveway guide gives about £70 to £100 per m2, while BuildEstimatory's 2026 guide gives £100 to £180 per m2 including preparation, pouring and the surface retarder.
For comparison, landscapingcost.co.uk (2025) gives concrete flag (slab) patios at around £65 to £80 per m2 and Indian sandstone at around £80 to £150 per m2.
The spread looks wide because it is. A small patio behind a terrace where everything goes through the house by barrow is a different job from an open, level garden with side access for a concrete lorry. A stamped patio uses the same pour, colour and sealing process as our pattern imprinted concrete driveways, just on a lighter base because nobody parks on it.
What a patio costs by size
Using those per-square-metre ranges, a rough guide for an imprinted concrete patio:
10m2 (small seating area): roughly £800 to £1,200
20m2 (typical family patio): roughly £1,600 to £2,400
40m2 (large patio or wraparound): roughly £3,200 to £4,800
These are the landscapingcost.co.uk imprinted range multiplied out, nothing more. Smaller patios often cost more per square metre because the fixed costs (getting a team and a concrete delivery to site, setting up, sealing) are spread over less area. MyJobQuote's September 2026 figures for patios of all materials show the same pattern: £550 to £1,350 for 10m2, £900 to £2,500 for 20m2 and £1,400 to £4,600 for 40m2.
What drives the price of a concrete patio?
Dig-out and waste. Breaking out an old patio or lawn and taking the spoil away is real money. MyJobQuote puts removing an old patio at about £18 to £50 per m2 on its own.
Base. Thinner than a drive, but still essential. LABC Warranty guidance gives 75mm as the minimum sub-base and 75mm as the minimum in-situ concrete thickness for a pathway. Soft or made-up ground needs more.
Access. If the concrete can be pumped or barrowed straight from the lorry, it's quick. If it has to go through a house or down steps, labour goes up.
Levels and falls. A patio must fall away from the house and sit at least 150mm below the damp proof course (LABC). A sloping garden may need digging down, retaining edges or steps.
Drainage. Concrete isn't permeable, so water has to run somewhere. A channel drain along the house, or a gully, adds cost. MyJobQuote gives about £850 for a soakaway where one is needed.
Finish. Plain brushed is cheapest. Imprinted adds colour hardener, release agent, stamping and sealer. Exposed aggregate adds the decorative stone and the wash-off.
Borders, steps and shapes. Contrasting borders, curves and cast steps all add time.
What's usually not included?
Check the quote for these, because they're the usual surprises:
Removing an old patio, shed base or concrete footings.
Moving or raising drain covers and gullies.
Steps, walls and edging to lawns.
Making good fences or gates.
Resealing in future (imprinted concrete needs it every few years).
Concrete patio vs other patio materials
On price alone, plain concrete sits towards the bottom and natural stone towards the top. Imprinted concrete usually falls between concrete slabs and natural stone. What you're buying with it is a single slab with no joints for weeds, and a stone or brick look without laying individual units.
Porcelain and sandstone are real stone or ceramic and can be lifted and relaid one slab at a time. Imprinted concrete can't be patched invisibly, so it relies on being built right first time.
Resin bound is the other option we're asked about. Checkatrade's 2026 figures put resin bound driveways at around £120 per m2, a little above printed concrete, but it's permeable, which helps on gardens where water has nowhere to go.
Where to save, and where not to
There are real savings on a concrete patio, and there are false ones.
Sensible savings: a simpler shape with fewer curves, one colour instead of a main colour plus a border, plain brushed concrete for the side return and bin area with the imprinted finish kept for the main seating area, and doing the clearance of plants and furniture yourself before the team arrives.
False savings: a thinner slab, a skimped sub-base, no joints, or sealing with one heavy coat instead of two thin ones. None of those show on day one. They show in the first hard winter, as cracks across the pattern or a white, peeling sealer, and they cost far more to put right than they saved.
How to compare concrete patio quotes
Same area. Make sure every contractor has measured the same square metres.
Same build-up. Ask for the sub-base depth, slab thickness and whether fibres or mesh are included. A cheap quote often means a thin slab; our concrete driveway thickness post explains why that cracks.
Falls and drainage. Ask where the water will go.
Joints. Ask where the control joints will be cut.
Sealing. Ask how many coats of sealer and what type.
Guarantee. Ask what it covers and for how long.
Concrete patio cost questions, answered
Is imprinted concrete cheaper than paving slabs?
Against basic concrete flags, usually not. Against good natural stone or porcelain laid properly, it's often similar or cheaper. The comparison that matters is like-for-like base and drainage.
Can I save money with a plain patio and seal it later?
You can lay plain concrete and seal it, but you can't add an imprinted pattern afterwards without an overlay. Decide on the finish before the pour.
What does upkeep cost?
Mostly your time: sweeping, washing down and resealing every three to five years. Our maintaining pattern imprinted concrete guide covers what's involved.
Drive Tech lays pattern imprinted concrete patios and drives around Wolverhampton, the Black Country and south Staffordshire, plus exposed aggregate concrete for paths and patios. Every price we give follows a free site visit, because the ground and the access set the real figure.
Comments