Resin overlays on tarmac & concrete
In short
Laying resin bound over a sound existing tarmac or concrete drive — the quickest and most economical route to a resin finish, with no excavation and no muck away. Whether your base is actually up to it is the entire question, and it gets answered before a price is written.
Also called: Resin over tarmac · Resin over concrete · Resin on an old drive · Resurface driveway with resin
Signs you need this
- A concrete or tarmac drive that is solid but looks past its best
- No rocking, no hollow areas and no standing water
- Wanting a resin finish without the cost and mess of a full rebuild
- Enough clearance at the threshold and damp proof course for a small rise
- A drive with a few patch repairs you would rather not see
- Wanting the job done in days rather than a fortnight
This is the job resin bound was made for. A tired but structurally sound tarmac or concrete drive is close to an ideal base: it is stable, it has already done its settling, and it needs no digging out. Fifteen to eighteen millimetres of resin over the top transforms it in a couple of days, with no excavation, no spoil to remove and no disruption to the levels beyond a small rise.
Old concrete in particular is underrated here. A concrete drive laid in the seventies that is intact and drains properly is stiffer and more stable than most modern tarmac bases, and homeowners often assume it has to come out when it is actually the best foundation on offer. The things to check are the joints and any live cracks, both of which get treated before laying rather than covered.
The suitability test is the same as for any overlay and it is not a formality. The base should feel solid with no rocking, hollow or springy areas. It should drain without ponding. It should be free of map or crocodile cracking, which indicates the base has failed under load. And there has to be room in the levels, because 15–18mm has to work against the garage threshold, the doorstep, the damp proof course and any gully or inspection cover.
There is one requirement specific to resin that catches people out. Resin bound is permeable, so the water passing through it has to go somewhere — and an impermeable tarmac or concrete base will not take it. On a base that falls properly to a drain or an edge, the water runs across the interface and away, which is fine. On a flat base, or one falling towards the house, the water sits at the interface and eventually causes problems. So an overlay on impermeable concrete needs its drainage thought about, and it does not automatically get you the planning benefit that a fully permeable build-up does.
Preparation is where the job is won or lost. Weeds and moss killed and removed rather than buried. Oil-contaminated areas cut out, because resin will not bond to dissolved bitumen. Cracks routed and treated. Potholes and hollows filled and regulated so the mat is a consistent thickness. Edges formed so the resin finishes against a solid arris rather than feathering out to nothing. And, crucially, the base dry — resin will not bond to a damp surface, which is why the forecast decides the date.
Where the existing drive is not suitable, the honest answer is that a base has to be built first. That turns a two-day overlay into a full driveway job with resin on top, and it should be quoted that way rather than being discovered halfway through. A contractor who is willing to lay resin over a moving base without saying anything is a contractor who will be back, or more likely will not be.
What the job covers
- A proper suitability assessment, with a trial hole where needed
- Weeds, moss and oil contamination removed rather than covered
- Cracks and concrete joints routed and treated before laying
- Hollows and potholes regulated so the mat thickness is consistent
- Edge detail formed to give the resin a solid arris to finish against
- Threshold, damp proof course and cover levels checked against the rise
- Interface drainage considered where the base is impermeable
- A straight answer, with a price for a new base, if the drive is not suitable
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
Can resin go over my old concrete drive?
If it is intact, stable and drains, yes — and old concrete is often the best base there is. Slab joints and any live cracks are treated before laying, because they can otherwise reflect through. Concrete that is cracked with steps across it, rocking, or holding water is not suitable and no preparation will make it so.
Do I get the planning benefit if resin goes over concrete?
Not automatically. The permitted development rule is about where the water ends up, not about the top layer. Resin bound over an impermeable base still needs the water to be directed somewhere permeable within your property. Over a fully permeable build-up it does, which is why a new resin drive and a resin overlay are different conversations on that point.
How much does an overlay raise the level?
15–18mm for the resin itself, plus anything needed to regulate hollows first. It is less than a tarmac overlay but still has to be checked against the garage threshold, the doorstep, the damp proof course and any drain cover. Where clearance is tight, the base can sometimes be planed rather than the idea abandoned.
What if my base turns out not to be suitable?
Then a base has to be built, and the job becomes a full driveway with resin on top — which is a bigger price and should be quoted as one before anything starts, not discovered on the second morning. It is genuinely common, and it is the single most useful thing a survey establishes.
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.