Resin Bound Driveways Laid on a Proper Base

Sweeping beige resin bound driveway through open wooden gates, black kerb at the road and open countryside behind

Resin bound driveways

A resin bound driveway is natural stone mixed with clear resin and trowelled smooth, so rain soaks straight through instead of running onto the road. We lay them across Dorset, Hampshire, south Wiltshire and West Sussex, on a base built to drain as well as the surface does.

Permeable: no planning needed
Stone colours to suit the house
Weeds can’t root through it
Laid over old drives where sound

Get a free quote 03300 433699

Free site visitMeasured and quoted in writing
Fully insuredPublic liability cover on every job
Itemised quotesEvery stage priced separately
Bournemouth basedWorking across the south

Why people choose resin

What a resin driveway is like to live with

It looks smooth and even, with no joints for weeds to grow in and no loose stones to kick onto the lawn. Puddles do not form because water goes through the surface.

The finish is set by the stone you pick. Buff and cream blends brighten a brick house. Silver and grey suit modern render and bungalows. A black or charcoal block edge at the road finishes it off and protects the edge from wear.

Drains through, so it meets the front garden planning rule
No joints for weeds, no loose stones
Jet wash once or twice a year
UV-stable resin, so pale stone doesn't yellow in the sun
Curves, borders and inlays are easy to form

Wide cream resin bound driveway curving round a house, with a round stone inlay and a black edge

The build

How we lay a resin bound driveway

The resin layer itself is thin. What sits underneath decides whether it stays flat and keeps draining.

Check the existing base
If your old tarmac or concrete is sound and level, the resin can go straight over it. If not, it comes up.
Build a base that drains
On a new drive we dig out, lay a compacted sub-base and a porous base layer, so water can carry on down through the ground.
Edging
Block or steel edging set along every open edge so the resin has a firm line to finish against.
Mix and trowel
Stone and resin are mixed on site in small batches and hand-trowelled to an even finish, then left to cure.

Choose your stone

Resin driveways we have laid, by stone blend

The stone sets the colour, and the edging sets the line. These are our own drives; we bring loose samples of each blend to the site visit.

Brick and older houses

Warm and buff blends

Buff, gold and honey blends sit well against red brick, flint and stone, and suit cottages and older houses. Warm colours also hide dust, leaves and tyre marks better than pale ones.

Buff, gold and honey tones
Hides dirt between washes
Suits brick, flint and stone
Pairs with a charcoal edge

Warm orange-buff resin bound driveway with a black kerb and a green five-bar gate at the side

Buff resin bound driveway in front of a white double garage, with a darker edge detail

Render and modern houses

Cream and silver blends

Cream brightens a dark frontage, and silver-grey suits render, bungalows and newer builds. Pale blends show tyre marks sooner, so a jet wash once or twice a year keeps them looking new.

Cream, silver and grey
Lifts a dark or shaded front
Suits render and bungalows
Jet wash to keep it bright

Silver-grey resin bound driveway with black block edging and lawn either side, in front of a bungalow

Cream resin bound driveway with a black block edge at the road, in front of a brick house with a double garage

Light grey-beige resin bound surface in front of a conservatory, with a black edge and rockery stones

The finishing detail

Edges, borders and inlays

A black or charcoal block edge at the road protects the resin where wheels cross it and gives the drive a crisp line. Granite setts make a softer border on period houses, and a round stone inlay marks the middle of a turning circle.

Block edge at the road
Granite sett borders
Round stone inlays
Steps and paths in resin too

A cream resin bound area with a round stone inlay in the centre

Gold resin bound driveway edged with granite setts

Long buff resin bound driveway running down the side of a brick bungalow to a garage, with a black edge at the road

Price

What a resin driveway costs

National guides for 2026 put resin bound at about £60 to £120 per m² fitted. Where your drive lands in that range depends on three things:

The base. Laying over a sound existing drive is the cheapest route. Digging out and building a new base adds the most.
The size. Smaller drives cost more per m² because setting up costs the same.
The stone and edging. Some blends cost more, and block edging, inlays and drainage channels are priced per metre.

Your quote lists each of these on its own line.

Read the driveway cost guide

Thinking about other surfaces? Compare resin with block paving and tarmac, or see all our driveways. Resin also works well for paths and around a patio.

Where the ground changes a resin drive

Around Bournemouth and Poole the ground is sand. It drains, which suits a permeable resin drive, and the edging needs a concrete haunch so the sides do not creep.

On chalk, through Winchester, Basingstoke and Salisbury, flint slows the dig and there is more spoil to take away. On the coastal clay around Portsmouth, Chichester and Worthing, the falls and the base have to give the water somewhere to go.

Each town page has the local detail. The build is the same everywhere: dug out, compacted, then the resin.

Where we lay resin driveways

Dorset

Hampshire

South Wiltshire

Salisbury

West Sussex

FAQs

Resin driveway questions

How much does a resin bound driveway cost?

National 2026 price guides put a resin bound driveway at about £60 to £120 per m² installed. A typical 60 m² drive comes to roughly £3,500 to £5,500 on those figures. The base work is the big variable: laying over a sound existing base costs far less than digging out and building a new one. We price your drive after measuring it. See the driveway cost guide.

What is the difference between resin bound and resin bonded?

Resin bound is stone mixed with resin and trowelled flat, so you get a smooth surface that water drains through. Resin bonded is resin spread first with loose stone scattered on top, which gives a rougher, gravel-like finish and is not permeable. We lay resin bound on driveways.

Does a resin driveway need planning permission?

Not normally. Resin bound is permeable, and in England a permeable front driveway of any size does not need planning permission. The base underneath has to let water through as well, so we build it to suit. Listed buildings and some conservation areas have their own rules.

Can resin go over my existing driveway?

If the existing tarmac or concrete is sound, level and has no deep cracks, yes. That saves the cost of digging out. If it has sunk, cracked or broken up, it has to come out first, or the cracks show through the resin.

How long until I can drive on it?

You can usually walk on it after a few hours and drive on it after a day or two, depending on the weather. We tell you the exact time on the day, because temperature changes how fast the resin cures.

How do I look after a resin driveway?

Sweep it and give it a jet wash once or twice a year to keep the pores open. Clean oil spots up quickly. That is about it. Weeds cannot root through it from below the way they do through gravel or block joints.

Want a price for a resin drive?

We bring stone samples to the visit, check whether your old base can stay, and send a written, itemised quote.