Selston resin driveway enquiry received this week.  Although to be fair it is  incorrect to say Selston resin driveway as it is actually  balcony.

This Selston resin balcony enquiry has come about as a result of the Selston resin driveway project we had completed for the client a few years ago.   Cost will be a consideration  for this client as will the different available options to cover the balcony area as it is not a foregone conclusion we have the job.  Whilst you can’t apply the same logic and requirements as you would to resurfacing a driveway it certainly doesn’t harm to read up in as many places as possible.

We found this on a forum on the  internet

Afternoon all – the time has finally come for me to sort out our front driveway. We’ve lived in the house for 3 years now and my wife parks on the front grass and it’s starting to feel all a bit too pikey.

I’ve only got a streetview image from before me moved in (The area has been tidied up massively since the Google Streetview picture was taken);

The area is 6m*2.9m.

Ideally we wanted to extend the block paving across but the few quotes we had about 18 months ago just came in too expensive for it to be worthwhile (we’re planning on moving in a few years and my wife hasn’t minding parking on the grass). The main reason for getting it sorted is just for it to look nicer.

With all of the above taken into account and my preference for making it look nicer for as little cost I think we’ve decided to put gravel down. Plenty of other houses down the road have gravel driveway so it won’t look out of place, it should be cheap(ish) to complete and won’t take much time.

What am I looking at to gravel the area? I’d like to do the work myself (or with friends) over one weekend and think I’ve got a rough idea of the plan;

Day1 – dig out existing soil (roughly 20cm deep), have soil (3.5m3) collected by ‘grabber truck’
Day2 AM – lay hardcore down (10cm)
Day2 PM – have MOT Type 1 delivered from GravelMaster, rent whacker and compact down to fill 4cm-5cm and gaps
Day2 PM – lay gravel into gravel holders which fills remaining 5cm-6cm

Anyone have any tips or advice? I’m unsure of how to get rid of the soil at the moment as that seems like it’s going to be very costly?

Rough man maths seems to suggest – 6m*2.9M*20cm = 3.5m3

Each Travis Perkins bag is going to be roughly 0.5m3 so I’d need rougly 7 bags across all 3 materials. Cost roughly of £370.

and the feedback and input the poster receives is quite varied.

Resin Bonded  Gravel and Resin Bonded  Aggregate providing an alternative to the usual options  for your driveway path or patio.  If it’s not broke don’t fix it. 

We are based in Nottinghamshire  and we have completed anti slip surfacing  in Skegby,  Aspley,  Bilsthorpe, Bulwell,  Clay Cross, Cotgrave, Huthwaite,  Mansfield Woodhouse, New Houghton, Pentrich,  Ravenshead, Sellers Wood, Shirebrook,  Sutton Bonnington, Toton, Warsop, Worksop, Underwood, Pinxton, South Normanton

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The  resin driveway industry is very active at the moment and this evidenced by the wide ranging enquiries we have been receiving all year. This interest in the resin driveway industry ranges from residential to commercial from pathways to forecourts and from care homes to stately homes.  There does not seem to be any hotspots (area wise)  which shows how wisdespread and more common place the use of resin is for both existing and new surfaces.

We had a recent enquiry (out of our work area)  asking for a reputable company local to them.  Unfortunately we are not able to recommend as we are not affilifated to any company withing the resin driveway industry

“Hi

Thanks for the email and apologies for the delay.   It is difficult to say  who is reputable as we have been working with resin for over 14 years now and have seen a lot of fledgling companies come and go.

Are you looking for bound or bonded?  Or do you know the difference (and there is bit more info on our site for you on resin bonded versus resin bound)  and that can have a bearing on the company you would choose.

We are an independent company and are not affiliated to any large concern or any other resin company.  So it is very difficult for us to “recommend”.  See our post on “credible installer”

We do tend to say have a look locally for commercial works and see if they can help.  If not they may a man who does as they say.

Also the more you look round the more you will see examples of work.  Supermarkets use bound for the treepits for example.

There are three large national Companies  who we tend to refer people to as a starting point – www.sureset.co.uk  www.ronacrete.co.uk and www.addagrip.co.uk .

I think some of these train installers so that may help.

We have a leaning to the bonded as our business is founded on reusing existing surfaces rather than the new install systems meaning a non porous surface onto a  non porous surface (concrete tarmac imprinted concrete). Resin bound is porous and in our experience is subject to the freeze thaw process which is how tarmac gets  potholes and concrete spalls so with resin bonded it prevents the ingress of water.

There are different qualities and different properties for each product

• Resin bonded                                                    Resin Bound

• Non porous                                                        Porous

• Anti slip                                                              Additives may be required

• Can be completed in a day                             Needs more preparation work

• Can be virtually weed free                             Can be susceptible to weed moss and algae

• Can be virtually maintenance                       Needs some maintenance.

I would just start and have a look more local and you will see there are a lot more resin works completed commercially so even if the installers are only  commercial they may be able to recommend a residential installer.

Ask your local highways who installed locally on the roads and they may be able to help as a lot of commercial companies work alongside residential installers within the resin driveway industry.

Remember one shoe does not fit all, so any company worth their salt will advise not sell.  It depends what your surface is, what the drainage is like why you want the Resin.

Hope that helps?  By all means if you want any more  info just  drop an email. We like to include free advice on our site, and when we  get enquiries such as yours it gives us a good opportunity to use the information on our site.

Call us now  01623 623986. We are based in Mansfield .  No sales men. Contact Simon or Faith and have a chat about the options available for your concrete imprinted concrete or tarmac driveway path or patio.

From where we are based in the East Midlands (the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire border) we can resurface your driveway path or patio. Providing you with a weed free alternative to the usual block paving, imprinted concrete, tarmac, and concrete options. Beeston, Bolsover, Burton Joyce, Clowne, Daventry, Edwinstowe, Gedling, Kirkby in Ashfield, Loughborough,  Matlock, Newthorpe, Old Whittington, Radcliffe on Trent,  Sheffield, Sleaford, Stone, Walesby or Wollaton.

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We were contacted recently  – resin resurfacing hardcore driveway question was the purpose.  Can we install it and if so how much and all this for a mile long driveway!

We advised as follows

“Unfortunately your project is outside our operating area.  Resin Bonded Stone may be an option for you but I would say you would find it prohibitive due to cost.  As a guide £40 per sqm would be a good indicator. Based on a mile long  drive at say only at  1m wide this would equate to 5280 sqm at £40 per sqm = £211,200.00  (purely guide figures here).

In answer to the resin resurfacing hardcore driveway question   there are two potential  options with the surface.  Resin bonded and resin bound.  The resin bonded is used on the roadways (albeit on a very superficial and commercial level) and is designed to resurface existing surfaces such as tarmac or concrete.  The surface  down at present is basically a compacted hardcore and this type of base is more suited to resin bound surfacing  – which is not really suitable for vehicles and it is more expensive (£75 per sqm)  Below is some information I have sent to a previous enquiry and it provides a little more background with regard to the two resins

“I don’t know if you realise but we work primarily with resin bonded and in order to lay this surface, there would need to be a concrete or tarmac base first.

Once this has been laid you would be looking at about £12600  to £15000 to resurface the area with resin bonded then.

 There are two resins that are used by most companies.  Some use bound some use bonded.  We use the resin installation that is suitable and fit for the purpose.

 For example, if you put resin bound on the driveway, then you would be using a less tensile strength for a driveway,  than is really suitable.  In addition resin bound driveways are susceptible to weed and moss growth and require maintenance.

 Resin installations came about as a result of resurfacing roadways.  It started with resin bonded which is impermeable, and provides and aggressive anti slip property.  With the highlighting of permeability requirements and suds compliance, resin bound which is porous came  about.  However not everyone realises that the suds compliance does not dictate that surfaces have to be permeable it merely instructs the need to manage any new run off water”. 

A key thing to realise is that the resin resurfacing works came first and in order to resurface,   not to actually lay a new surface”

Belper, Ilkeston Matlock, Sutton in Ashfield, Kirkby in Ashfield, Chesterfield,   for your driveway path or patio resurfacing.  Anti slip, moss and weed resistant, there is no better option to resurface your existing concrete, tarmac or imprinted concrete.  Disability discrimination approved –  see out local installations.

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One interesting enquiry for resin bonded aggregate for Mansfield patio garden area  has come through over the weekend.

This customer has a patio that she is looking to have resurfaced.  The patio is currently a carpetstone surface which to be honest  we do not see very often ( alternative to block paving for some).

The B&Q website says  “Recreate a little piece of rustic magic in your garden with these Bradstone Carpetstones. This unique paving solution arrives already laid on a flexible mat that can be easily cut, making it the ideal solution for those awkward and intricate garden designs”

It goes on to say

• Suitable for patios, paths and driveways
• Easy to cut-out as required using just a pair of scissors
• Easy to interlock for the awkward and intricate areas
• 2 units required per m²
• When laying, a joint width of 10-15mm is recommended
• Half Circle also available
• Also available in Rustic Red

On speaking with this customer, the comment made was that  currently there are a lot of weeds.  This is one of the reasons the client is looking towards the resin bonded aggregate as this will eliminate this.  It would also reduce the slipperiness in winter time.  I am not really sure if we will be able to resurface this carpetstone  as with such a lot of grouting areas, the danger in putting a surface such as resin bonded aggregate  down is the fact that these grooves will need filling ( weight of a vehicle not being an issue on a patio) but will still show through.

We are intending to go out and complete an assessment of this resin bonded aggregate enquiry  for  a Mansfield patio  and will be able to determine the suitability.

So remember whether it is a driveway path or patio, concrete, imprinted concrete, tarmac or slabs in some cases, call us for a free no obligation quote.  If we can’t help then we won’t leave you in the lurch, there are so many alternatives available now.

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• Not always the case !

It may be obtaining  the materials at a good price is a good way to save some money but just think about

• the labour involved!
• back breaking!

Good crazy paving should  minimise the amount of joints  as these are considered to be a weak aspect of the surface. A good strong substantial base is particularly  important if it is for a driveway as a good solid structure is required to support a vehicle.

When crazy paving is laid due thought  needs to be given  to the different materials used unless all the same materials (for example paving slabs)  from another area are used.  Different thicknesses and differences in  the quality of materials need to be considered.

There are various laying methods and once again this needs to be a major consideration for  the purpose of the surface i.e. driveway, path or patio.

Whilst this does not mean that paths and patios should be installed differently than driveways  they do have a different considerations as they  do not need to support  large weights such vehicles.  Foot traffic does not have the same dictates.

One project we are due to start is a prime example.  Due to the unevenness and unsettled existing crazy paving it is necessary to remove it as it is no longer a solid foundation to support a vehicle.

Having said that it has been down for a long time and was probably well laid originally.

We are  aiming to commence this project in the next few weeks , excavating the existing crazy paving  and laying a suitable  base made to Building Regs. standards.  After the required curing time (varying at different times of the year)   about 6  to  8 weeks we would then look towards resurfacing the new concrete base  with our Resin Bonded Gravel and Resin Bonded Stone

Currently our client is undecided on the colour and design but that is something we will sort out before resurfacing.  Once installed this will ensure that our client has a weed free,  low maintenance and  anti slip  resin driveway.

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Block paving driveway  –  One of the information websites we use has raised the  age old question – – can it be maintenance free?  This particular garden designer had just completed a front garden design including a new driveway.  Their client had asked for any surface EXCEPT  block paving as were concerned with the problem with weeds.

• Is block paving  harder to maintain than other driveway surfaces?
• Is there a trick to keeping this surface looking neat and tidy?
• Can it be maintenance free?
• Should we be looking at tarmac, asphalt, imprinted concrete, concrete or resin bonded stone or gravel (which uses existing surfaces)?

There are various schools of thought on this

“Block paving is  a nightmare to keep weed free without a lot of maintenance, customers just don’t want to pay but usually have to.  A properly prepared and laid tarmac surface is a better option maintenance wise. Gravel is good and maintainable providing again that it is laid and contained properly and the correct size/type is choosen”

” Amilitox + Glyphosate twice a year and it keeps block paving generally weed and moss free. The key is to not let weeds establish and not let organic matter build up in the joints. Gravel is pretty much the same”

“In short there is  virtually nothing maintenance free in the garden and block paving is an ideal environment for weeds to seed in.  Still not much effort to keep on top of it reguarly”

“Block paving driveways are our biggest problem – have a look at this “cleaning paving” page from the Paving Expert – down in the last paragraph there’s two links – one to “sealants for paving” and the other to “block paving sealants” – the guy’s pretty thorough”

” I’ve never found it a problem…… a decent residual weedkiller in the Spring…. I use one called Chikara but have used Pistol as well in the past. Also treat paving with MMC-PRO which will kill off any existing moss and keep it clear for most of the year… it also brings up the block paving like new. So for about £30 a year, you can keep it looking fine.”

“With the banning of 98% of residual pesticides for hard surfaces last April, spot spraying or using Roundup with a narrow fan jet is an option.This and regular ‘traffic’ keeps most block paving areas clear (and a little bit of strimming) ”

“More of a problem is the build up of moss or algae, which is not normally treatable using standard pesticides. Qualgex, MMC Pro etc are effective, following by either: – hard manual brushing, using a Stihl Power brush (highly recommended) or for V large areas using a pedestrian sweeper (ie a Madvac or Green Machine). Often in high traffic area it is resolved automatically after chemical treatment”.

All surfaces need maintenance of some sort or other  – it just needs to be considered when laying.

The problem with spraying is  relative to old style block paving (which I understand is still classed as impermeable & why you allow for drainage to channels etc) would still constitute blanket spraying due to the ratio of the spray width to the 3mm sand gap.

The new SUDS compliant block paving (which should be permeable and porous),  laid with fine grit in between is an interesting anomaly but it is  still suggested  that over 80% of spray would be ‘hitting’ hard surfaces and thus be ‘blanket spraying’

“Targeted” spraying of hard surfaces with residuals is still allowed.

Daily traffic will keep block paving 90% clear, a monthly ‘Roundup’ (other products are available!) application with a couple of MMC’s will keep it looking fine. Laziness is usually the problem – not the paving!

Landscape Juice network “Paving” members comment further on block paving permeability so we will keep our eye on this subject matter and possibly be able to update as more information and deveolpments occur.

It has always been a fallacy (until recently) that block was permeable. Within a few months it would react as any other paving and needed appropriate falls – as many have found to their cost!

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