Question 1

Is resin or block paving better?

Accepted Answer

Block paving if you might ever need to dig the drive up, because it is the only surface that repairs invisibly. Resin bound if you want a smooth, joint-free, weed-free finish and already have a sound tarmac or concrete base — it is an overlay, so with no suitable base it becomes a two-stage job and a bigger price. The single biggest practical difference is what happens when something has to come up. Block paving lifts, the ground beneath gets sorted, and the same blocks go back with nobody able to tell. A trench for an EV charger cable, a settled bay over an old service run, a drain that needs reaching — all of it costs a day and leaves no mark. On resin bound, any repair is a visible patch that does not blend in with time. The second is what each needs underneath. Block paving is a pavement in its own right: it sits on a compacted stone base and a sand laying course and carries load through the interlock between blocks. Resin bound at 15–18mm is an overlay with essentially no structural strength — it needs a sound, stable, well-drained tarmac or concrete base and will faithfully reproduce any crack or movement in it. If you have a sound old base, resin is excellent value. If you do not, a base has to be built first. On appearance and feel they genuinely differ. Resin is smooth, seamless and joint-free, which makes it the better surface for a wheelchair, a pushchair or bins, and there is nowhere for weeds to grow. Block paving has a laid, defined look that suits many houses better, and offers borders, contrasting courses and patterns that resin cannot. Maintenance splits the same way. Resin wants sweeping and an occasional wash, and keeping the voids from silting so it stays permeable. Block paving wants re-sanding every few years and weeding, though a stabilising sealer reduces both. Neither is onerous, and both are far less demanding than imprinted concrete's resealing cycle. On drainage they are level, provided you specify it. Resin bound is permeable through the mat. Permeable block paving — wider joints filled with clean grit over an open-graded base — achieves the same thing and looks almost identical to conventional blocks. Either keeps a front garden inside permitted development with no application, which is worth having in a town with Macclesfield's surface-water record.

Question 2

Resin vs block paving

Accepted Answer

Block paving if you might ever need to dig the drive up, because it is the only surface that repairs invisibly. Resin bound if you want a smooth, joint-free, weed-free finish and already have a sound tarmac or concrete base — it is an overlay, so with no suitable base it becomes a two-stage job and a bigger price. The single biggest practical difference is what happens when something has to come up. Block paving lifts, the ground beneath gets sorted, and the same blocks go back with nobody able to tell. A trench for an EV charger cable, a settled bay over an old service run, a drain that needs reaching — all of it costs a day and leaves no mark. On resin bound, any repair is a visible patch that does not blend in with time. The second is what each needs underneath. Block paving is a pavement in its own right: it sits on a compacted stone base and a sand laying course and carries load through the interlock between blocks. Resin bound at 15–18mm is an overlay with essentially no structural strength — it needs a sound, stable, well-drained tarmac or concrete base and will faithfully reproduce any crack or movement in it. If you have a sound old base, resin is excellent value. If you do not, a base has to be built first. On appearance and feel they genuinely differ. Resin is smooth, seamless and joint-free, which makes it the better surface for a wheelchair, a pushchair or bins, and there is nowhere for weeds to grow. Block paving has a laid, defined look that suits many houses better, and offers borders, contrasting courses and patterns that resin cannot. Maintenance splits the same way. Resin wants sweeping and an occasional wash, and keeping the voids from silting so it stays permeable. Block paving wants re-sanding every few years and weeding, though a stabilising sealer reduces both. Neither is onerous, and both are far less demanding than imprinted concrete's resealing cycle. On drainage they are level, provided you specify it. Resin bound is permeable through the mat. Permeable block paving — wider joints filled with clean grit over an open-graded base — achieves the same thing and looks almost identical to conventional blocks. Either keeps a front garden inside permitted development with no application, which is worth having in a town with Macclesfield's surface-water record.

Question 3

Should I get resin or blocks?

Accepted Answer

Block paving if you might ever need to dig the drive up, because it is the only surface that repairs invisibly. Resin bound if you want a smooth, joint-free, weed-free finish and already have a sound tarmac or concrete base — it is an overlay, so with no suitable base it becomes a two-stage job and a bigger price. The single biggest practical difference is what happens when something has to come up. Block paving lifts, the ground beneath gets sorted, and the same blocks go back with nobody able to tell. A trench for an EV charger cable, a settled bay over an old service run, a drain that needs reaching — all of it costs a day and leaves no mark. On resin bound, any repair is a visible patch that does not blend in with time. The second is what each needs underneath. Block paving is a pavement in its own right: it sits on a compacted stone base and a sand laying course and carries load through the interlock between blocks. Resin bound at 15–18mm is an overlay with essentially no structural strength — it needs a sound, stable, well-drained tarmac or concrete base and will faithfully reproduce any crack or movement in it. If you have a sound old base, resin is excellent value. If you do not, a base has to be built first. On appearance and feel they genuinely differ. Resin is smooth, seamless and joint-free, which makes it the better surface for a wheelchair, a pushchair or bins, and there is nowhere for weeds to grow. Block paving has a laid, defined look that suits many houses better, and offers borders, contrasting courses and patterns that resin cannot. Maintenance splits the same way. Resin wants sweeping and an occasional wash, and keeping the voids from silting so it stays permeable. Block paving wants re-sanding every few years and weeding, though a stabilising sealer reduces both. Neither is onerous, and both are far less demanding than imprinted concrete's resealing cycle. On drainage they are level, provided you specify it. Resin bound is permeable through the mat. Permeable block paving — wider joints filled with clean grit over an open-graded base — achieves the same thing and looks almost identical to conventional blocks. Either keeps a front garden inside permitted development with no application, which is worth having in a town with Macclesfield's surface-water record.

Is resin or block paving better?

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