Resin

This matters more than anything else on this page. Resin bound means the stone is mixed with resin in a forced action mixer and trowelled down as one solid, permeable mat. Resin bonded means loose stone is scattered over a coat of resin — it looks similar on day one, sheds stone for years, and is a fraction of the cost to install.

We only fit resin bound. If a quote you have had elsewhere is noticeably cheaper, it is worth asking them which one they are actually pricing.

The surface is completely smooth and continuous, so there is nothing for weeds to root into and nothing to sink or rut. Pushchairs, wheelchairs, bikes and wheelie bins all roll across it without catching. It does not get kicked into the lawn the way gravel does.

Because water passes straight through it into the base below, it is fully SuDS compliant and normally avoids the need for planning permission on a front driveway.

Resin is a surface course, not a structure. It needs something solid underneath — either a properly laid permeable tarmac base or an existing driveway in genuinely good condition.

If your current drive is sound, we can often lay straight over it, which keeps the cost down considerably. If it is cracked, moving or poorly drained we will say so rather than lay a beautiful surface over a problem that will telegraph through within a year.

Very little to do. A stiff brush now and then, and a pressure wash on a wide fan setting once or twice a year if you want it looking its best. No re-sanding, no weeding, no re-sealing.