Resin Bound driveways / patios

[cman]

Hi all,

Does anyone have experience with Resin Bound? It appears to be popular for driveways; we're considering it for our patio at the rear. The main attraction being a smooth surface (no pointing, cracks, etc.) that is also permeable to allow rainwater to drain...

However it's not been in the UK for longer than 5-10 years and so a question mark around longevity remains. It's also known to be quite costly...

Here is what it looks like :








Block paving in our driveway has been a maintenance nightmare, with hard rain kicking up sand everywhere, and weeds continually growing in between the blocks.

Open to hearing of any other/alternative garden patio options you TZ folk may have positive experience with.

[deanlad]

I’ve not had any call back, or heard anything negative in the several I’ve installed, albeit on driveways.
Equally, as you suggest, suitable for a patio.
It is porous, providing your wearing course is also porous.

Essentially, what increases the price point is the wearing course. Excavation, sub base prep ( levelled and compacted MOT type 1, although type 3 suggested) and then open grade tarmac - which gives the porosity. Can go on concrete, but need to have me any falls, or run off onto lawn or beds.

The cost of the resin( albeit not purchased any since lockdown) was around £30 per sq m for purchase. As an equivalent, Indian sandstone is that now. It’s put down to a depth of 15mm for pedestrian use, 18mm for driveways.
The supplier I purchase from can also supply a one man tutorial, or course in laying, whereby one experienced operative is supplied with relevant equipment/mixer/screws box supplied for what I think a reasonable cost. With another 2/3 helping, usually laid in a day unless a vast area.

I recall the largest area we laid to a finish in a day was~130 sq m.

Done well, it looks lovely and will last….
Hope this helps.

[Boss13]

We went for this and really happy with it. Love the look and the advantages vs. paving that you highlighted were a real attraction.

Went to view quite a few as the supplier we went with gave us a long list of places they had done. After some years it may get dirty of course so key is probably to give it a pressure wash annually according to the supplier.

Ours is fairly recent so cannot comment on longevity but we feel we have made the right choice.

[cman]

Hope this helps.

That is indeed very helpful - thank you!
Great to have such 'first hand' feedback, and from an installer (if you're anywhere near the M40/M25 intersect and interested in taking a look/quoting for approx. 50-60m2) please do PM me, that would be great)

Great point re: wearing course. We would be looking to replace existing 'patio slabs' and who knows what lies beneath (and what would be needed to put it right). Yikes.

I am hearing costs have increased during the pandemic as one of the main suppliers' factories burnt down (??) but unable to validate.

Feel free to throw up any photos you have of completed projects - it can look a little 'plain', so ideas welcomed.

[eagletower]

Had a resin bound driveway laid in my old house. In the time I was there , not one stone came loose. Didnt even jet wash it, and it looked great. No weeding etc

Will do it again at my current house.

[pete-r]

I did a DIY with Resincoat albeit on a small area about 9msq. Mixed up the aggregate in batches in a flexi bucket and laid it with a spade and finishing trowel.

No way I could do a large area myself though and I wouldn’t park a car on it, but it’s been fine to walk on with nothing loose.

[mart broad]

Had a resin bound driveway laid in my old house. In the time I was there , not one stone came loose. Didnt even jet wash it, and it looked great. No weeding etc

Will do it again at my current house.

Had the same installer at my old house and was very happy with the look, finish and ease of use

[barty9]

https://www.sureset.co.uk/ Come highly recommended in the south west

[Rodder]

We went for this and really happy with it. Love the look and the advantages vs. paving that you highlighted were a real attraction.

Went to view quite a few as the supplier we went with gave us a long list of places they had done. After some years it may get dirty of course so key is probably to give it a pressure wash annually according to the supplier.

Ours is fairly recent so cannot comment on longevity but we feel we have made the right choice.

I really can’t see why anyone would choose resin over sandstone at the same price point. Resin just looks so unnatural, but I suppose it’s easy to maintain

[JC180]

Literally no drawbacks from what I can tell other than cost, it always looks great, feels great to walk on and under vehicles, never ponds or floods as its permeable, absolutely love the stuff.

Had the pathways around the house done a few years back and the driveway a year ago. I literally wouldn't use anything else. Block paving is a maintenance nightmare, pattern imprinted concrete is slippery, gravel is messy and dusty, tarmac fades and wears etc.

[hogthrob]

There's a newly laid bonded resin driveway up the road from me. It looks great during the day time. At night, the street light catches it so that you can see ripples all the way across it - I assume they're trowel marks from when it was laid, and that it hasn't been properly levelled.

It's put me right off, tbh.

[g40steve]

What’s life span for driveways & any rippling?
Our patio is south facings & gets seriously hot underfoot in the summer, would this be problematic?
JC180 what price per m2 did yours work out at?
Agree about the block paving being a maintenance nightmare!
I understand they sprinkle glass dust on the resin to give it a non slip surface.

[yumma]

It has been in the U.K. a lot, lot longer than 10 years. It is good. Although only as good as the substrate it is laid upon as the resin stone layer is only approximately 10mm thick and has no significant structural integrity. Get a good sub-base and it will be fine.

[adrianw]

Literally no drawbacks from what I can tell other than cost, it always looks great, feels great to walk on and under vehicles, never ponds or floods as its permeable, absolutely love the stuff.

Had the pathways around the house done a few years back and the driveway a year ago. I literally wouldn't use anything else. Block paving is a maintenance nightmare, pattern imprinted concrete is slippery, gravel is messy and dusty, tarmac fades and wears etc.

That does look great

[casbar]

Had our driveway and patio done last year. Very pleased, great company did the work and also got an independent guarantee. Ours was laid by a company in Dorset.

[Mj2k]

We did ours and extended the drive to accommodate a third car. It also goes around the side of the house. We love it - if we could justify being able to do the rear patio & my outdoor cooking area we would love to have it done.

[walkerwek1958]

What happens when it gets oil dropped on it?

With it being permeable I`m assuming the stain could be scrubbed with detergent and (hopefully) the stain would disappear, but it's also likely that the oil will become bonded to the resin surface by a process of adsorption (not absorption, that's different). The result could be an expensive mess.

Oil dripping onto any driveway is a problem, but before committing to the expense of resin I`d need to know how it's going to behave. Driveways are used for vehicles, vehicles can drip oil.

[Weirdfish]

We did ours and extended the drive to accommodate a third car. It also goes around the side of the house. We love it - if we could justify being able to do the rear patio & my outdoor cooking area we would love to have it done.

And they also managed to blend in your manhole cover as well, lol!

[Seamaster73]

I understand they sprinkle glass dust on the resin to give it a non slip surface.

They do? A cousin of mine has this kind of surface on her driveway and it’s absolutely treacherous when its the least bit frosty.

[JC180]

What’s life span for driveways & any rippling?

Lifespan is dependent on a number of things, substrate, thickness, quality of the resins etc. The rippling is a non issue unless lit at night by a low floodlight, tarmac is far worse for this and is exacerbated by ponding.

Our patio is south facings & gets seriously hot underfoot in the summer, would this be problematic?

No, the resin never softens like tarmac in high temperatures so no issue with ridges or stickiness on hot days.

JC180 what price per m2 did yours work out at?

£42 psm from memory, 18mm thick minimum on a pre prepared tarmac sub base.

Agree about the block paving being a maintenance nightmare!
I understand they sprinkle glass dust on the resin to give it a non slip surface.

They do indeed, its never slippery but I would not want to fall on it as it can graze badly especially when freshly laid.

[Mj2k]

And they also managed to blend in your manhole cover as well, lol!

Yes, it has a sunken tray normally used in factory floors that they fill with the resin.

We hated the old round one and was rusting and wobbling. They cut out a larger rectangle to sink this one into.

It has 4 large screws that I remove and thread in 4 lifting bolts to remove. I have not tried yet.

Sod’s law it is bonded in place lol.

[Michael 38]

We have this at work a word of warning if it’s icy don’t put ordinary rock salt on it as it crumbles and cracks the resin you have to use a special one