Resin bonded driveways & surfacing
In short
A coat of resin spread over the base with dry aggregate scattered onto it, giving a textured, loose-gravel look with excellent grip. It is not permeable and it is not the same product as resin bound — the difference matters for drainage, planning and how the surface behaves.
Also called: Resin bonded gravel · Scatter coat resin · Anti-slip resin surface · Bonded stone driveway
Signs you need this
- A steeply falling drive, ramp or path where grip matters
- Wanting the appearance of loose gravel without the loose gravel
- A sound existing tarmac or concrete base to bond to
- Steps or a threshold where a smooth surface would be a hazard
- A budget that does not stretch to resin bound over the whole area
- A drainage solution already in place or planned separately
Resin bonded and resin bound get confused constantly, including by people selling them, so it is worth being precise. Resin bonded is a coating: resin is spread onto the prepared base and dry aggregate is broadcast over the wet resin, so the stone sticks to the surface in a single layer. Resin bound is a mix: stone and resin are combined in a mixer and trowelled out as a mat several stones deep. They look different, behave differently and cost differently.
The look is the first difference. Bonded gives a rough, natural, loose-gravel appearance because the top of each stone is exposed and uncoated. Bound gives a flatter, smoother, more uniform finish. If you want a drive that reads as gravel but stays put, bonded gets closer to that look than bound does.
Grip is where bonded genuinely wins. That exposed, angular stone gives a high-friction surface, which is why bonded systems are used on ramps, steep slopes, wheelchair approaches and highway anti-skid applications. On a drive that falls steeply — and there are plenty of those on the ground east of the town — it is a serious argument in its favour.
The trade-offs are equally real. It is not permeable: the resin coats the base completely, so water runs off it, and in a front garden that means the same planning and drainage rules as tarmac or concrete apply. Some stone will come loose in the first weeks, which is normal but worth expecting. And because it is a thin coating over a base, it depends on the base just as completely as resin bound does — arguably more, since there is less material to bridge anything.
It also needs a sound, clean, dry substrate to bond to. Tarmac or concrete, prepared properly: weeds and moss removed, oil contamination cut out, cracks treated, the surface dry and free of dust. Resin will not bond to a damp base or to a contaminated one, and a bond failure shows up as the coating lifting in sheets rather than wearing gradually.
Where it is often the right answer is on an area that is not a driveway at all — a steep path, a ramp, a set of steps, a threshold where grip matters more than looks, or a small area within a larger scheme. It is also a reasonable budget alternative to resin bound on a sound base, provided the drainage question has been answered separately.
What the job covers
- A clear explanation of bonded versus bound before you choose
- Base assessed for soundness, and prepared, cleaned and dried
- Weeds, moss and oil contamination removed rather than covered
- Cracks routed and treated before any resin goes down
- Resin applied evenly and aggregate broadcast to full coverage
- Excess loose stone swept off once cured
- Drainage designed separately, since the surface is not permeable
What it costs
We don't publish a price for this yet, because a number pulled out of the air is worse than no number at all — your contractor has to honour it. On driveways it would also be close to meaningless: the groundworks are usually the biggest single factor, and how deep the dig has to go varies enormously house to house. You'll get a firm price for your actual job when they ring you back, before any work starts. The quote itself is free and there's no obligation either way.
Common questions
What is the difference between resin bound and resin bonded?
Bound is stone mixed with resin and trowelled out as a permeable mat several stones deep — smooth, seamless, drains through. Bonded is resin spread on the base with stone scattered onto it — rougher, high grip, not permeable. They are different products with different prices and different drainage consequences. If a quote just says resin, ask which.
Does resin bonded need planning permission?
In a front garden, the same rule applies as for tarmac: more than five square metres of impermeable surface needs permission unless the water is directed to a permeable area within your property. Resin bonded is impermeable, so it needs a drainage solution — a channel to a soakaway, or falls to a lawn or border — designed in.
Will stone come off it?
Some will, in the first few weeks, and that is normal — the surplus that was never fully embedded gradually sweeps away. What is not normal is stone continuing to come loose after that, which points to too little resin, resin that had started to cure before the stone was broadcast, or laying in poor conditions.
Is it cheaper than resin bound?
Generally yes, because there is far less aggregate and resin in a scatter coat than in a 15–18mm mat. Against that, it is not permeable, so you may be adding the cost of drainage that resin bound would have avoided. On a like-for-like basis including drainage, the gap is often smaller than it first looks.
Need this doing in Macclesfield?
Tell us the job and it goes straight to our local contractor — one call back, usually the same day. Free quote, no obligation.