Resin Driveway Issues Due to Poor Installation

We are all aware of the benefits of having resin driveways installed as opposed to traditional concrete or paved driveways. However, a poor installation or insufficient preparation can lead to the following problems occurring after time.

• Installation at Incorrect Depth – The recommended minimum depth for installing resin bonded driveways is 15mm. Installation at a lower depth can lead to problems, such as cracks forming on the surface and patches of resin ‘lifting’ from the surface. However, there are occasions where you can install at a lower depth, such as on patios or pathways where the weight placed on the surface is typically reduced, as well as the chance of movement.
• Surface Cracking in the Resin – Cracks will typically appear in a resin bonded surface where poor materials have been used by the installer, or where an insufficient quantity of resin has been mixed with the stone.
• White Patches on the Resin – These can form after the installation where moisture is present as the resin was curing. Water produces small air bubbles in the resin and may not appear until after a few weeks from your installation. Your installer should have taken appropriate steps to ensure that no moisture is present in the stone, ensuring that the surface is completely dry before being laid. Ideally, the weather needs to stay dry for around 4 hours after the install is complete
• Colour Changes in the Resin – If your installer has used a non-UV stable resin with black, silver or beige coloured stone, you will find that your bonded resin driveway may discolour over time. With this colour stone, a UV stable resin should have been used when installing your driveway. Golden coloured stones are not affected.
• Breaking Up of Resin Surface – An extremely common problem, there may be several factors that cause this issue. The most common factor is movement in the sub-base causing a crack that expands to the surface. An incorrect mix of resin and stone, or indeed poor quality resins, can also lead to holes appearing in your driveway. A specialist installer will use specialist mixing equipment to ensure that the correct mix of stone and resin is used, and not just a typical cement mixer. Most specialist installers will also use a priming agent on the concrete base to ensure that no decontamination can occur, which also can cause the resin material to break up.
• Joints Appearing in the Resin Surface – Resin bonded driveways are intended to be installed as a seamless surface. However, if your driveway in installed in high temperatures, joints can appear if the contractor is not working quickly enough. This problem is rare as we don’t usually experience such high temperatures in the UK.
• Stripes Appearing in the Resin Surface – The appearance of stripes in the colour of the resin on your driveway is usually caused by slight differences in the various mixes your installer may use during the installation. Your installer should be able to reduce this affect by rotating the mixture of each batch being laid. In addition, this issue can be avoided by mixing stone without the resin for one mixture, which will remove any dust from the stone.
• Sub Base Movement – If you have installed your driveway onto block paving or paving slabs, this can often result in movement of the sub base, causing an uneven finish to your final resin bonded driveway.

If you have experienced any of the above issues with your installation, please contact us and speak to a resin surfacing expert. In many cases, we may be able to rectify the problem without the need to completely resurface your driveway.

Contact us on 07896 535051 or 01656 723945 to speak to one of our installers directly, or send us a message on our contact page and we will get back to you.