Resin driveway any one got one?

[Lazurus]

Moving house in the Spring and would like to have the drive and front lawn done with resin, this is supposedly porus and therefore doesnt need planning. Anyone done the same? any pointers or probelms? Will be using a contractor as do not have the time or equipment to do a decent job myself.

 

[sunnybob]

Lawn resin coated?
is it me?
What am I out of touch with now?
:roll: :roll:

 

[Lazurus]

No its to change the lawn to a hard standing - I have just found a product called Ecogrid, looks a good alternative to the resin and maybe a DIY alternative.

 

[marcros]

it may be a different product, but there was a company around here advertising. they said that it needed something like a block paved or concrete surface underneath, so removing a lawn would require you to put down another finished surface first. The one that they were trying to sell was to cosmetically rejuvenate an old surface.

 

[Jake]

I think they lay porous asphalt as the base for the resin layer if starting from scratch with a water permeable end result.

 

[sunnybob]

it may be a different product, but there was a company around here advertising. they said that it needed something like a block paved or concrete surface underneath, so removing a lawn would require you to put down another finished surface first. The one that they were trying to sell was to cosmetically rejuvenate an old surface.

Thats only a brushed on resin sealing coat over stamped concrete, which is what I have over my outside area. I have to renew that every three or four years to give the stamped concrete a wet look.

15 years ago in the UK I used a very strong fibre glass grid that was 6ft square over a lawn, for car parking. I just laid two of them over the grass and the weight of the vehicle sank it into the ground. No need for contractors.
I though he had come up with a way to seal the grass to stop it growing :shock: =D>

 

[SammyQ]

Ecogrid or equivalent does work. Fairly straightforward to install, may need some digging and/or levelling depending on soil. Rocks, big stones, gravel concentrations can make it bumpy. Be prepared for a "grunt" of a day laying and then a second, levelling. Better to remove a soil layer, install, then sweep semi-screened soil back on, tamp, level and re-seed.

Sam

 

[Geoff_S]

Interesting. I was wondering about this a few years ago but went for tarmac in the end. I think I'm glad I did because of the ground heave/swell/whatever it's called. Some big cracks in the tarmac, but never mind, it's only tarmac.

What would happen to a resin driveway in this instance? Would the cracks just be more expensive?

 

[SammyQ]

Geoff, the stuff I've seen used is like a shallow milk crate that you fill and roller flat, then seed. Units link together on all four sides. You can get a big brother product called summat like 'landscape matting' that is used on cuttings etc to stabilise 'new' soil on steeply sloping sides. Both are susceptible to ground movement and heavy vehicles rolling over them; that can leave shallow ruts.
Tarmac, provided it has been properly underpinned by 2" sharp stone, blinded with quarry dust, is more durable.

Sam

 

[Doug71]

Someone in my village had a resin drive laid over a very tired looking concrete driveway, looked lovely for a few weeks. I saw the firm that laid it come back at least three times to re lay one area, a bigger repair every time. A year on there was a skip outside and a different company there ripping up the resin and doing it all again. When the resin was lifted you could see a cracked area of concrete, the new firm looked to stick some kind of mesh over the crack. I guess it's only as good as what's underneath.

 

[Tris]

There is a load of info on this and other permeable paving options on A J McCormack's site, just search for pavingexpert. Not the easiest site to navigate but it has all the relevant specs and standards for each type.

 

[Lons]

My neighbour has a double width drive which he had tarmac laid in place of the original chippings. This lasted many years until he was talked into having a resin coat laid over the tarmac with small, maybe 5 or 6mm light coloured chippings rolled into it. Looked great for a couple of months and he was pleased until he noticed loads of loose chippings coming off it, had the firm back several times then eventually gave up and just lives with it.
Now a mess, bare in many places, cracked and badly discoloured but as he's in his eighties and has no intention of moving says he doesn't care anymore.

I can't remember the company or specifics of the resin but decided very quickly it wasn't for me and I just ordered 30 tonnes of 20mm granite chippings which are easy enough to maintain, drains well and looks ok in the setting of my house though not suitable everywhere.

 

[Lazurus]

this seems fairly typical of all the reviews of resin drives, so it will be type 1 geomembrane sand then ecogrisd or similar then angular gravel, porus easy to maintain and looks good. Seems the way to go.

 

[Hlsmith]

The geomembrane goes under the type one to stop in sinking into the mud
Although for better drainage type 2 might be better as type one has alot of fines as doesn't drain as freely
Some people put a second membrane down before sand some don't as sometimes it allows the sand to move whereas without it the sand will grip to the stone and leave less undulations over time
Supposedly

 

[RogerS]

This site claims the stuff is permeable and OK for planning BUT ....

....when they use the word 'seep' that suggests to me one huge fudge and am gobsmacked that they managed to con the planning authorities that this stuff is OK to replace a front lawn or driveway. 'Seep' as in a gentle, wafted drizzle maybe. The sort of rain we have, it's a load of rollocks. That rainwater is going to run straight off the surface and into the road. 'Flash flood' ...bring it on.

I could be wrong though ...often am...and so what I'll try and do is have a word with a local guy, Gary, who lays this coloured stuff at various F1 circuits around the world like this stunning one. No prizes for guessing where this one is !

 

[SammyQ]

Roger, I agree re the biblical rain we're having presently. What I have seen, back 'home' in Bellschaft, where heavy impervious clay underlay skimpy (think 2") topsoil, we regularly used 'field drains' across driveways and soakaways of 4"-6" stones, protected by membrane, before topping.
The field drains were simply clay pipes laid end-to-end in the old days, but more modern practice (cheaper?) has been trenches - up to 2' deep - filled with 2"-4" sharp stone, membrane protected and about 4" good soil on top. The trenches and drains were always angled downhill, no particular fall, the 'batter' being nearasdammit 1-in-80 as you could get to emulate sewer 'fall'.

HTH, Sam.

 

[AJB Temple]

I've seen a few of these done locally in Tunbridge Wells and would avoid like the plague as they deteriorate fast and people don't spend enough getting the base layer right.

If it were me I would scrape off top soil as necessary (and in my case re-use elsewhere), lay type one crushed stone to a decent depth (depends on site) and power roll it, then lay a layer of self binding limestone or rag stone (not gravel or pea shingle), level and then power roll that as well. It is definitely permeable, and very easy to repair as needed. Cost effective, and will last a very long time as all that is needed is a bit of topping up occasionally.

At my place I had to scrape off a veritable beach of pea shingle, basically spread onto clay with a bit of sand to bind. This excellent job was done by former owner. The drive is about 50 metres and leads to a parking area about 40m by up to 7m, then garages (block paving there - job lot bought on-line from over order on a lorry park - cheap as chips). Entire job took under a week on my own, with numerous lorry loads of stone in 8 wheelers, and a 3 tonne digger and 1 ton dumper and small sit on vibrating roller all hired for the job. It's quite enjoyable to do.

 

[RogerS]

French drains work. For a short while at least. They are a joke and pointless. The idea of laying a semi-permeable membrane on top is laughable. The argument is that it stops the fines from blocking up the stones below. Sure...certainly does that. Just that it then forms an impermeable layer of clay/fines on TOP of the membrane thus preventing the water from draining away.

You can't beat an open drain.

 

[SammyQ]

French drains work. For a short while at least. They are a joke and pointless. The idea of laying a semi-permeable membrane on top is laughable. The argument is that it stops the fines from blocking up the stones below. Sure...certainly does that. Just that it then forms an impermeable layer of clay/fines on TOP of the membrane thus preventing the water from draining away.

You can't beat an open drain.

Beg to slightly differ RogerS. I agree that open drains are THE answer, but are not always practical. My experience includes a four-rugby-pitch space, where one corner was low, and so wet the water buffalo migration route passed through it. Sand-slitting every summer for five years proved useless, but once trenched and stoned as per above, it dried to the point a scrum no longer dug itself a shallow grave and a speedy winger no longer hydroplaned.
I think a lot depends on substrate ( clay type and profile/ surrounding soil type), the depth of trenching and the grade of stone used. Dunno, just speculating.

Sam