Resin Driveways in Leicestershire

Resin costs less than most people expect

Resin bound surfacing carries a reputation for sitting at the top end of the price list. In practice the cost is driven by the same things as any other drive: the area, the condition of what is already there, and how much groundwork is needed before anything is laid.

If your existing concrete or tarmac is sound, resin can be laid straight over it. That removes the dig-out, the muck away and the sub-base, which is where a large part of the cost of a new driveway normally sits. On those jobs resin frequently comes in at or below a comparable block paved drive.

If the base is broken, moving, or was never laid properly in the first place, it needs taking up and doing again. We will say so at the quote stage rather than lay a new surface over a problem and let it come back in two years.

What resin bound surfacing is

Natural aggregate is mixed with a clear resin in a forced action mixer, then trowelled out over a prepared base to a consistent depth. Every stone is coated, so the finished surface is bound the whole way through rather than stone sitting loose on top.

The result is a smooth, seamless surface with no joints and nothing for weeds to root into. It is permeable, so rainwater drains through the surface rather than running off it, which is what makes it suitable for front gardens without the drainage problems that solid concrete brings.

Resin bound and resin bonded are not the same thing. Resin bonded is a coat of resin with stone scattered over it while it is still wet. It photographs similarly, but the stone is only held at the surface, it is not permeable, and loose stone comes away over time. Everything we lay is resin bound.

Where resin works

• Driveways. Smooth enough to wheel a bin or a pushchair across, firm enough for vehicles, and no loose stone tracked into the house.
• Front paths and entrances. One continuous surface from pavement to front door, with no trip edges between slabs.
• Garden paths. Resin takes a curve without cutting, so paths follow the line of a lawn or a border instead of stepping around it.
• Patios and seating areas. Often used as the open area within a stone patio, which keeps the cost down across a large space without losing the detail.
• Around pools, steps and level changes. Textured, and it drains, so it does not hold surface water.
• Bin stores, side returns and awkward corners. The places where cut slabs never quite work.

Mixing resin with paving and natural stone

Some of the best results are not resin on its own. A resin area edged in block paving, or an Indian sandstone patio running into a resin surface, gives you the detail where you see it up close and a clean open surface everywhere else.

That is also where the budget goes furthest. Stone across an entire garden is expensive. Stone at the terrace and the edges, with resin through the middle, reads as one designed space and costs considerably less.

Because we design and build gardens as well as lay driveways, those decisions get made at the drawing stage rather than on site.

Why clients choose us for resin work

Preparation is what makes a resin drive last

Resin is a surface. It is only ever as good as what sits underneath it, which is why the preparation matters more than the colour of the aggregate.

That means checking the existing base before quoting, setting falls so water runs off the drive rather than towards the house, fitting proper edge restraints so the surface has something to finish against, and laying to a consistent depth across the whole area. Thin patches are where resin fails first.

What this means in practice
None of the preparation shows in a photograph of a finished drive. All of it shows three winters later. If the base is rushed, the surface is the thing that gets blamed.

Areas we cover

We typically carry out resin and paving contracts throughout Leicestershire, Warwickshire, Derbyshire, and Rutland, though have done work further afield.
So whether you’re in Leicester, Loughborough, Syston, Market Harborough, Melton Mowbray, Charnwood, Hinckley, West Leicestershire, Rutland or beyond, we’ve got you covered.

If you want to browse more local coverage, you can view our areas we cover page. If you are comparing surfaces, you may also want to read about our paving contractor services in Leicestershire, or see how resin fits into a wider garden design project.