Last updated October 2026
Resin bound can go over existing tarmac or concrete if the base is sound, clean, dry and level, and that is the cheaper way to a resin drive: about £60 to £100 per m2 at typical UK prices, against about £120 or more when the old drive has to come out. Cracked, sunken or crumbling bases, block paving and slabs are not suitable. A visit tells you which one you have.
Keeping a sound base is the single biggest saving on a resin drive.
| Option | Typical UK price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Resin over a sound existing base | £60 to £100 per m2 | MacColl & Stokes, MyJobQuote, Trade2Base, Oltco |
| Resin layer only, on a sound base | £45 to £70 per m2 | Trade2Base |
| Dig-out and new sub-base, then resin | about £120 per m2 or more | MacColl & Stokes; Checkatrade |
| Breaking out the old surface where it cannot stay | £15 to £35 per m2 | Trade2Base |
| MOT Type 1 sub-base plus a new tarmac base | add £25 to £40 per m2 | Trade2Base |
Can resin go over tarmac?
Yes, if the tarmac is sound and is “clean, dry and free from loose materials”, which is Ronacrete’s rule for an asphalt base. SureSet adds that the tarmac must sit on an adequate granular sub-base. Tarmac that is rutted, crumbling at the edges or patched in several places is not sound, and resin laid over it will follow the same cracks.
Can resin go over concrete?
Yes, if the concrete is strong and sound, but the manufacturers set different rules. Ronacrete asks for a minimum design strength of C35 and says new concrete must be at least 28 days old. SureSet allows new concrete after 7 days, then primed, and asks for existing concrete to be primed and given a crack reduction membrane. Ask which system your installer uses and follow that manufacturer’s rule.
How it works
- 01Send photos of the driveRough size, what is there now and your postcode.
- 02We visitThe ground under the drive, the levels and where the water goes are checked.
- 03Written priceThe base, edging and drainage as their own lines.
When does the old drive have to come up?
When it is cracked, sinking, breaking up, or already permeable. MacColl & Stokes says a cracked or permeable base needs lifting, disposal and a new compacted MOT Type 3 sub-base, and Oltco notes that new sub-base work or levelling adds cost. The New Driveway Company warns that overlaying worn surfaces is one of the main causes of failed drives, along with poor drainage.
What goes under a resin driveway?
On a new build-up, a compacted stone sub-base and a bound layer on top of it. Ronacrete specifies an AC14 asphalt binder course 60 to 100 mm thick over a Type 1 or Type 3 sub-base. SureSet also allows a crushed rock base of two compacted layers of 4/20 stone, at least 100 mm in total, with at least 30 mm of resin bound on top.
The type of base also decides whether the finished drive drains. Our guide to resin driveway cost prices each groundwork line.
How thick should a resin driveway be?
About 18 mm for a domestic drive. Ronacrete’s table gives 15 mm for paths, 18 mm for driveways and 20 mm for car parks, Daltex calls 18 mm “the industry minimum standard depth” for driveways, and Oltco says the depth should be at least three times the largest stone. SureSet’s typical depth is 18 mm, with 12 to 24 mm across its range.
Can resin go over block paving or gravel?
No to both as they stand. The New Driveway Company says overlaying block paving or paving slabs is “a big no-no”, and SureSet’s stone base must be two compacted layers, which loose gravel is not. Blocks, slabs and loose stone are taken up and a proper sub-base goes in first, priced as its own line.
Does overlaying change planning?
It can. Resin bound is permeable, but on a solid tarmac or concrete base the water has nowhere to go, and the New Driveway Company warns that this “can cause problems if there is insufficient drainage”. In England, a front drive over 5 m2 needs planning permission unless the surface is porous or the water runs to a permeable area within the property. Our planning permission guide explains how a drain to a lawn or soakaway keeps an overlay within the rules.
What does each option cost?
On a 50 m2 drive, resin over a sound base at £60 to £100 per m2 comes to about £3,000 to £5,000 (our arithmetic). A full dig-out and new base at about £120 per m2 or more starts at about £6,000. MacColl & Stokes puts the extra for lifting a cracked base, new sub-base, edging and a skip on a 50 m2 job at £1,500 to £3,000.
What a base check should cover
- Cracks, hollows and soft spots, tested across the whole drive
- Falls: which way water runs, and whether it reaches the road
- Edges: whether they are restrained or need new edging
- Levels at the door, the garage and any manhole covers
- For concrete: age, strength and existing cracks
- Where the water will go once the surface is resin
What an overlay does not include
- Repairs to drains or manholes under the drive
- Raising door thresholds or air bricks
- The dropped kerb (see dropped kerb cost)
Illustrative example
This uses the overlay table only and describes no real job.
A 40 m2 concrete drive is sound, but a stretch along the garage is cracked. Overlaying the whole drive at £60 to £100 per m2 would be about £2,400 to £4,000; breaking out the cracked 10 m2 at £15 to £35 per m2 adds about £150 to £350 before the new base under that section. The visit decides whether a patch of new base is enough or the whole drive should come up.
Who does the work?
The installers check the base and lay the resin; Alex Winser runs the job end to end and is the person you deal with throughout. The Resin Drive Company is a WeDo Property Services service.
Often needed alongside
- Resin driveways across the UK, with typical prices for every size
- Resin driveway repair, if an old resin drive is failing
FAQs
Do I need to prime concrete before resin?
Under SureSet’s rules, yes: existing concrete is primed and given a crack reduction membrane.
Can resin go over a sloping tarmac drive?
Often, if it is sound. On slopes towards the road, some councils require a drain at the boundary, as Bristol does.
Will an overlay raise the drive level?
Yes, by the resin depth, about 18 mm. Check door thresholds and air bricks before laying.
How long must new concrete cure before resin?
28 days under Ronacrete’s rule, 7 days under SureSet’s.
Can resin go over an old resin drive?
SureSet’s north-west London relay went over the existing tarmac after the failed resin was removed, not over the old resin.
Sources
- Ronacrete, RonaDeck Resin Bound Surfacing data sheet, Oct 2024
- SureSet, Main resin brochure 2025, 2025
- SureSet via Specifiedby, Resurfacing a poorly installed driveway in north-west London, Jan 2025
- Resin Bonded Aggregates (Daltex), BBA certified resin bound, undated
- The New Driveway Company, Why you should buy a resin bound drive, and why you shouldn’t, Nov 2025
- MacColl & Stokes Landscaping, Resin driveway cost UK 2026, updated Oct 2026
- Trade2Base, Resin bound gravel costs UK, June 2026
- Oltco, How much does a resin driveway cost in 2026, Apr 2026
- legislation.gov.uk, GPDO 2015 Schedule 2 Part 1 Class F, 2015 as amended