One of the first established multi-discipline brands in the UK resin bound gravel market, PermaPave pulls together the most popular and best quality products to provide an offering unlike any other.
We pride ourselves on the supply of high-quality aggregates, polyurethane resin binders, tools, machinery and accessories, all at highly competitive prices.
Our brands and partners are some of the best names and most renowned manufacturers in the industry and are known worldwide.
We bring these top brands together, making them available to you all in one place!
Resin bound gravel is a type of surfacing where the installer mixes a quantity of washed and kiln-dried decorative aggregate with a specially formulated polyurethane-based resin binder to create a highly attractive and fully permeable, strong stone surface. This type of surfacing is now growing massively in popularity due to it’s high weight-bearing properties, durability, permeability and low-maintenance nature.
Once laid it does not migrate like loose gravel, and does not require re-dressing with sand unlike block paving. As the gravel is “locked-in” by the binder, the surface looks as good as the day it was laid, for many years after its installation.
As the surface is porous and allows water to pass through it and, in turn, soak into the ground, it is fully SUDS compliant. This means that you are likely to have little or no issue with planning permission if looking to rejuvenate an existing block-paved, tarmac or concrete driveway.
Unlike resin bonded gravel, in which the resin is poured and spread with a squeegee and the gravel scattered across the surface, the surface is unlikely to erode as all of the gravel is encased in resin, effectively giving a flat and even surface. This surface can be made to be anti-slip by the inclusion of a Chelford-52 sand or crushed glass used either in the mix with the gravel and resin, or scattered over the surface during the curing period, which helps to add a rougher texture to the upper surface, increasing grip for tyres and pedestrians.
Our kits are expertly designed to offer installers the absolute best in the industry. By pairing our double strength aliphatic resin with superior washed and
kiln-dried aggregates, installers can be confident that their job will proceed with the same level of quality, every time.
Each colour blend you have seen is available to order as simply aggregate alone, ready to be mixed with your choice of resin or as a resin bound kit, containing the washed and dried aggregates, our BBA approved double strength resin and kiln-dried sand.
Each kit contains
There is no hard and fast, guaranteed way to calculate the precise amount of materials needed. The approximation for coverage of our standard resin bound gravel kits is around 3.55m² when laid at 18mm. Deviations in the surface texture and porosity can affect this figure and we recommend a 10% over-order (or contingency) to help protect against surface fluctuations.
We have created a resin bound gravel kit calculator which will help to work out how many kits you require to cover an area at various depths. You can find this on any of the resin bound gravel pages.
For more detailed spreading rates, see the technical information section further on this guide. To work out the number of required packs, divide the total area by the coverage of your selected kit at the required depth.
So for the example above, the 160m² driveway will require 46 packs as 160 ÷ 3.55 = 45.07 and the number has been rounded up to the nearest whole number.
Preparing the surface ready to lay resin bound gravel on top, is probably the most important aspect of the whole project. If the gravel is laid onto an unprepared, damp, granular base, there is a great danger the surface will crack, the finish of the surface may have dark patches or spots, the resin may react with the moisture and begin to foam, to name just a few.
The importance of properly preparing the base and choosing the right weather conditions are absolutely paramount to the success of the install. By following some simple guidance as set out below, you can help to negate these potentially massively damaging issues during the installation process.
The first step towards creating a beautifully finished resin bound surface would be to remove any existing block-paving, concrete or tarmac surface.
If removing block paving from the area, the blocks may be recycled later by using the bricks as edging around the installation should this be a desirable style of edging.
If there is no existing surface in place, you may skip this process.
Once the existing surface has been removed, the area should be carefully excavated to a depth which is appropriate for the type of installation carried out.
Advice should be sought on the required depth for your particular installation, taking into account the firmness of the ground and the total weight of traffic using the surface.
A recommended minimum depth would be to excavate to 220mm.
Around the edges of the installation, an appropriate load bearing edging should be installed . We recommend products such as pre-cast concrete kerbstones, block-paving bricks or plastic lumber which do not rot over time and provide a solid edge around the installation.
These should be installed according to the relevant manufacturers instructions however if guidance is needed, please contact our helpful team who will happy to advise on other suitable products.
Once the perimeter edging has been installed properly and securely, then a base layer of MoT type 3 should be laid at the required depth. The minimum recommended depth of hardcore should be 150mm but this depends on a number of factors including sub-grade stability and intended use for the surface.
This layer of MoT should be compacted using a roller or vibro-plate (whacker) to ensure the base is consolidated. If you need advice regarding the sub-base thickness, please contact us.
Once the MoT layer has been laid and compacted, then an appropriate permeable geotextile membrane should be spread across the top.
This membrane should be of a weight of no less than 110 grams per m2. Any joins should have a 100mm overlap and should be fixed into place with either plastic fixing pegs or galvanised steel U-Pins. This will ensure the optimal suppression of weeds as well as keeping the build-up layers separated and will negate sand wash-out.
After the geotextile membrane layer has been laid and secured, a bedding layer of sharp sand should be laid at approximately 10mm in depth, the upper surface of which should be completely level and checked with a spirit measure.
This is not a fixed depth as this layer is intended to smooth out any undulation present in the hardcore layer, the depth may vary slightly.
This bedding layer can be lightly compacted using a whacker plate.
After the sand has been spread and compacted lightly, the area should be covered using a suitable ground reinforcement layer. This can be of a tarmac, concrete or X-Grid® ground reinforcement grid type.
We recommend the use of X-Grid® as there is no time wasted between laying the reinforcement layer and floating the resin as there is no curing needed unlike concrete or tarmac. Contact us for more details.
Tarmac should be laid at >50mm depth and concrete at >80mm depth.
If using X-Grid® as your reinforcement layer, the grid should be filled with chippings with a diameter of no larger than 20mm. Care should be taken to ensure that as much excess dust is removed from the stone as possible. Gravel requirement can be calculated by:
area x 72 = stone required in kg
Once evenly distributed across the whole X-Grid® layer, the limestone and grid should be lightly compacted using a light vibration plate (whacker) to ensure it is sufficiently bedded into the sharp sand and that the limestone fill is as level as possible.
75% 2-5mm Gravel + 25% 1-3mm Gravel OR 50% 2-5mm Gravel + 50% 1-3mm Gravel
An additional 5% coarse sand or crushed glass can optionally be added
By working in this way, you will have no surprises towards the end of your job as you’ve counted all the bags already and ensured they’re mixed to the correct formula.
All bags of aggregate should be stored in a dry location as any moisture within the aggregate will affect the overall finish of the resin and may cause instability.
Depending on the intended purpose for the surface, the top resin bound layer depth can be adjusted, meaning each pack can cover a different surface area depending on the thickness. For an approximate guideline on the required thickness, please see the table “Spreading Rates”.
There are two main types of polyurethane resin which are used for resin bound surfacing. The two are known by a variety of different names such as: standard, UVR, aliphatic, aromatic, UV stable, non-stable and other manufacturer specific names. The differences between the two are as follows: Non-UV Stable (aka aromatic, standard resin) is the least expensive resin which has a slightly more yellow tone and gives a honey-like tint to the aggregate with which it is mixed and will slightly yellow over time with the effects of UV rays from daylight. UV-Stable (aka aliphatic, UVR) is a premium resin which is clear and resistant to the effects of UV rays from daylight. This should be used in situations where the natural colour of the aggregate is to be retained or to negate the honey tones produced by gravel mixed using a standard aromatic resin.
In order to work out the required depth of MoT type 3 to install as a sub-base, you must first calculate the CBR value of the existing soil present at the proposed site. Use the below table to indicate the stiffness of the ground before using the table to determine the sub-base thickness required.
The MoT type 3 hardcore sub-base depth will vary from project to project dependent on the volume and weight of the traffic using the surface as well as the ground stiffness.
See the table below to work out the required sub-base depth, for determining the CBR value of the existing sub-grade soil please refer to the table “Sub-grade Strength/Ground Condition”.
If using X-Grid® as a sub-base layer in place of a tarmac or concrete base, the grid should be filled with a suitable and appropriate medium to provide maximum stability and durability of the installation.
We recommend filling the X-Grid® with angular gravel with a stone diameter of up to 20mm. Limestone chippings are a cost effective and suitable choice for the fill, however it can be substituted for another material which meets this criteria.
Once the grid has been filled, we highly recommend the use of a vibrating plate compactor (whacker) to consolidate the gravel and help the X-Grid® to bed into the sand layer below.
If you are in any doubt regarding your choice of grid-fill material, please seek advice from our helpful and knowledgeable team.
If installing onto an existing concrete or tarmac base then there is a little work to be done to ensure that the base is sound and suitable for use.
Firstly, the surface should be carefully inspected for cracks, crumbling, algae, weeds and other debris. If cracks are present then these should be cut into a ‘V’ shape to prevent the crack from reflecting upwards into the resin surface.
Porous or open grade concrete surfaces should be coated with a primer product in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions to enable a cohesive bond with the resin and to prevent degradation.
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