Resin bonded gravel driveway ?

tyllwyd

We've got an ugly concrete driveway in front of our house, and for various reasons it isn't practical at the moment to dig it all up and lay a new one.

I was looking around for any cheaper options, and I came across the idea of a resin bonded gravel layer on top of the concrete. It looks great in the pictures - does anyone have any real life experience?

ormus

ive got no personal experience of it, but it certainly isnt a cheap option.

knowloads

Most applicators will want to start a fresh and pull up old concrete making it a bit expensive. They will want to give a warranty.

iamcornholio

You can DIY this. If the existing concrete is sound, then its just a matter of scrapping off any loose stuff, filling any dips or holes and then coating.

You can get the resin, binder and top coats from various online suppliers and the garvel or whatever can be sourced locally if you like. You may need to buy some special rakes or squeegees or mixing paddles for the application, but it will still be all cheaper than getting a firm in. It really is not that hard or "specialist"

You may get at least 10-15 years out of it, may be much more, as it depends on the prevalent weather that the drive gets, and the sun breaking down the resin bond. Good drainage is a must.

Another probelm for drives, is that cars tend to be driven in the same place, and wheels turned in the same spot, and so particular areas may get more wear and degrade sooner. But thats not to say that as a whole, the surface wont last long.

Prepare the base well, apply it properly and it can be one of the best looking drives you can get - especially if you incorporate some other paving, and think about the design a little

MrWasp

I'd give a gravel supplier a ring to find out how much you should expect to pay or for some advice. Contacting someone who does the resin bonding will more than likely not give you an unbiased opinion. This company supplies resin bonded materials... http://derbyshireaggregates.com/specialist-aggregates.html

dmxr100

If you're looking to DIY and, as I was, a little daunted by the idea of getting all the gravel/resin and tools and doing it all from scratch, have you considered getting some resin bound gravel panels?

They're preformed, interlocking panels so no need to mess around with setting resin etc.

Found a website that supplies them here - coregravel.co.uk/products/corebond-resin-bound-paving

Good luck

tyllwyd

That looks like a really cool product - it is a shame, but our driveway doesn't have an even slope so I don't think it would be suitable. But I'll remember it if we ever move anywhere with a more sensible drive!