Gifts for concreters run $30–$100 and answer to one reality: the trade starts at 4am, runs on backs, and the concrete doesn't wait for anyone. A funny concreter tee is $34.95–$39.95; the rest of the budget goes to the hands and skin the slab eats for a living.
1. A concreter tee (the slab-life truth)
Our concreter tees are $34.95–$39.95 on heavyweight 220gsm AS Colour cotton, printed to order in Melbourne. The pour: Concreting — Me Back Is Gone, a cooked roo bent over the screed, spine filing its resignation; Fresh Pour — Something Walked Through It for every slab the wildlife has personally signed; and Beat the Set — Or Have a Kip, the koala who let the slab sort itself out.
2. Hands and skin, in bulk
Concrete is brutal on skin — quality gloves by the multipack and proper barrier cream are the gifts that get used every single pour and bought by almost nobody for themselves. Add serious sunscreen and electrolyte sachets for the summer slabs and you've built a $30–$50 kit he'll actually finish.
What not to buy
A screed, float or trowel — finishing tools are personal, broken in, and not up for committee input. Also skip "concrete evidence" pun mugs, and anything that needs assembling — his day started at 4am, the goodwill's used up.
FAQ
How much should I spend on a concreter's gift?
$30–$100 covers it. The tee stands alone at $34.95–$39.95; tee plus the hands-and-skin kit lands a complete, daily-use gift around $85. Sorting the whole crew — three tees saves $10, four saves $15, automatic at checkout.
What size tee should I get?
Size up if unsure — the work's physical and layered on cold-morning pours, and printed-to-order means change-of-mind returns including wrong sizes aren't covered. The size chart on each product page settles it in thirty seconds.
When's the Christmas cutoff?
First week of December, latest. Every tee is printed to order in Melbourne, standard delivery runs 8–15 business days door to door, and the December queue stretches like a hot slab. Express at checkout for the late finishers.
Mixed trades to buy for? The general tradie guide covers the lot, and the full crew's in Tradie Tees & Smoko Gear.