Adhesive, gum, cement, superglue, plaster etc, comes to your mind when you hear the word Resin. Resin bound systems are highly versatile, and can be used for a wide range of surfaces including; Driveways, Paths, Patios, Parks & Gardens, Concourses, Car Parks, Cycle Paths, Terraces, Bridges, Schools, Towpaths etc.
If you are considering having a resin driveway installation on your property, it helps to understand what the process entails.
We have helped several home owners in the UK install resin drives that include full groundworks and sub base preparation. Contact us anytime for a free quote.
By definition, it can simply be referred to as a rigid or fluid synthetic biological elastomer which is used as the basis of plastics, adhesives, varnishes, or other products. There are varieties of resin which can be used for your driveway installation.
The most reliable resin suitable for your driveway installation includes; the UV stable polyurethane resin as well as the non-UV stable polyurethane. Although these resins can differ in quality depending on the manufacturer.
The amount required for your driveway installation varies as each enterprise has completely unique scrutiny and condition. Generally speaking though, a driveway costs from around £50 per square metre upwards taking into consideration the capacity of the area, the existing flooring and the kind of composite used.
There are various types of resin available but we usually recommend our clients to opt for the resin bound UV and the resin bound Non UV.
When it comes to choice of stone colour, Beige, silver and black should not be used for this type of resin. This type of resin is limited to certain stone colours. Our installers have about 20minutes of trowel time once the two parts are blended together with the aggregates which of course is temperature dependent.
These types of resin are used when beige, silver and black colour aggregates are used in the Mix. Our installers have about 20minutes of trowel time once the two parts are mixed thoroughly with the aggregates to achieve a homogenous mixture.
For temperatures below 150C a little amount of catalyst can be added to accelerate or speed up the curing time.
The primer C is used on a concrete sub-base to facilitate the adhesion between your resin bound and that of the concrete. Our installers can supply and install the primer on the day of the project, the mode of application for the primer is usually with rollers to ensure a strong bond between the surfaces, in about 20 minutes of the application.
The surface will become sticky this is the point at which we have to install the resin bound on your driveway surface. The primer usually comes in 5L tins at £24.99 + Vat, coverage depends on how porous the base is, and generally each tin will cover 50 Sq. Meters.
Before installing resin bound driveways or resin bonded driveway, it is paramount that you take into consideration some few things which may have a negative or positive impact on your driveway.
Generally, it is advisable to carry out resin driveway installation when the weather is favorable which of course our team of experts can let you know the best time and weather conditions that will be suitable.
The period you choose to install a new driveway surface is very important which is why our experts usually take their time to consider the climate outside and the humidity level when they set the installation date.
For driveway installation, it is important that you consider the base on which the installation is to be made. The sub-base is usually seen as the footing or groundwork for your new driveway and as such, it must be polished, rigid and should be shaped to match the layout of your driveway. If your base is not suitable, the surface of your driveway may be threatened and this will have a negative impact on your overall installation.
If there is excess water pooling or poor water drainage it will deteriorate your driveway surface spontaneously. Our experienced driveway installation team have a good knowledge on how to pitch water away from your driveways and they ensure that water found on the surface does not have the opportunity to build up and cause the surface to deteriorate.
This is the reason why it is important that the sub base for your driveway installation is one that allows for proper drainage.
You can have resin installed on to a block paving, tarmac or an absorptive or permeable asphalt. This new paving option gives room for water to penetrate through the surface. The beautiful thing about this is that you will never have to deal with pooling water or poor drainage because the water is able to flow through the asphalt surface.
Laying resin driveway is not a shabby work to do. Your driveway installation involves full groundwork and sub-base preparation using the right method or procedure.
Before the installation, you need to check that the material beneath it is in a good condition because the fitness of your resin bound paving is dependent on this. Also, the overall permeability of your resin drive will depend in part on what lies underneath.
It doesn’t matter if you’re establishing a new sub-base or overlaying an existing surface, the preparation work of the sub-base is key to a long lasting excellent resin bound paving completion.
If the to do is to remove your current surface which may include; soil, flags, grass and block paving and scrape back or dig down until you smack a solid or rigid ground.
However, in case of a new sub-base being built up and fitted we advise that your pavement and edgings are fixed in place and laid onto a concrete bedrock using a mixture of gravel and binder in their appropriate ratio usually 3:1.
This will consecutively give an exceptional stable mix and help frame the area of your new resin installation sub-base, the edging must be haughty of your finished sub-base by 15-20mm to give an edge for the resin bound mixture to finish.
Preparing your edges for your drive installation is very straightforward usually, we can install it against house walls, Block edging, Pin kerbs, wood, or aluminium beading.
The edging profiles are available in either a straight or a flexible length, these act as a retainer for the resin bound aggregates, and they provide linear definition and edge protection where it is required.
The standard or recommended lengths for the edging is about 2.5 meters.
All our resin bound installations are installed at a minimum of 15mm to 18mm for driveways and 12mm to 15mm for walkways respectively. We have installed over thousands of projects at these depths and we have never for once had a report of cracking from our clients.
Most companies are happy with our services and some are willing to install depths as little as 12mm for driveways, but we usually let them know this is a Red Flag and the surface will not last 10 years. Our installation teams will use a screed sledge to insure a minimum of 15mm to 18mm throughout every installation.
It is paramount to get the correct quantity of aggregates you require so as to prevent wastage or the need for extra request. Our experts will be able to tell you the required quantity needed to get the job done to your satisfaction.
Generally, the formula for calculating the amount of aggregates needed for a project is given as- installation area x 72. You can add about an extra 10% of this amount in case you need more during installation. It is always better to have a little more than needed.
The cost of the resin driveway installation is largely dependent on the size of the drive and the amount of groundwork required before the resin can be installed. Usually your installer will need to assess whether installing your driveway over the preexisting surface is the best choice for you.
For example a tarmac surface or asphalt surface is generally considered a good option for sub bases. For concrete on the other hand, you may need to ask an expert to confirm it is suitable or if you’ll need to excavate the area and remove the concrete before laying a new sub base.
Similarly, If you have a grassed or stoned area underneath, groundwork in this case is inevitable. Before your driveway installation can be done, the existing surface will be excavated. All of these are factored into the overall cost of installation.
Depending on the size of area to be installed, a resin drive cost per square meters could be around £40-80. Usually the larger the surface area of installation, the lower the cost of installation per square meter.
| Area size | Cost per m2 | Total Cost |
| 10m2 | £80 | £800 |
|---|---|---|
| 20m2 | £70 | £1400 |
| 40m2 | £60 | £2400 |
| 100m2 | £50 | £10,000 |
Prevention they say is always better than cure and so when laying a new imprinted concrete driveway, putting two sheets of weed control or landscape fabric underneath will prevent weeds from growing through the concrete.
However, if you still find weeds growing on your driveway you can apply the following measures outlined below to remove weeds from walkways as well as cracks in your driveways;
Malt, distilled, white vinegar and even apple cider can be used to stop the spread of weeds in your driveways. This can be applied by simply spraying it on the affected areas.
This may be done more than once if you have weeds with deep tap roots. Ensure you carefully pour the boiled water directly on the unwanted weeds alone.
Since cornmeal has the ability to inhibit germination it is important that you use this weed control method only in areas where you are not going to try to grow desired plants from seeds. It can also be used on bare ground to keep weed seeds from germinating.
A minimal amount of salt is required to kill weeds, and the area should be irrigated on a regular basis to dilute the salt if in the long run you decide to plant there again. However, it is safest to only use this method in areas where you have no future plans for growing anything at all.
If you need a quote, our resin driveway expert installers will be at your property to survey and give you a free quote.
When carrying out a driveway installation project, our goal is complete customer satisfaction. We include a 15-year guarantee on all new drives, for complete peace of mind. We provide best driveway installers in the near me locations such as Liverpool, London, Glasgow, Chester, Leeds and much more.
Weather conditions such as rain, humidity, dew, wet aggregate or any other ground moisture can pose a big threat to your resin bound system. When moisture is mixed with resin it reacts instantly producing gas bubbles which will appear as foam or clouding within the resin.
Usually, we advise our clients not to walk on our finished resin surfaces for a minimum of 24 hours after installation, although we recommend a minimum of 48 hours to fully dry, so this should be put into consideration when planning your scheme throughout the winter period.
