Resin-bonded Information – Types of base

What sort of base should I be putting the resin system onto?

Resin Bound and Resin Bonded systems both require an existing or new sub base to which the resin system is to be applied. A typical existing or newly laid base or substrate can be tarmac, asphalt, concrete or other monolithic material that has been cleaned and prepared.

Resin can be laid on Tarmac or asphalt

The base should be suitable for the loads it’s expected to carry once the resin system is applied. There is no preferred base as this can vary depending on the system used and advice from the resin supplier should be sought prior to application. Surfaces that have fewer joints and are predominately large slab areas such as Tarmac or concrete should provide the best finish. Bases that are made up of paving type products such as block paving, sets or flags ect. are NOT suitable for use as the base for a resin-based system. The amount of cracks or lines below the surface of any resin would ultimately lead to cracks in the resin and failure of the system due to the extreme pressure loaded onto the resin during day to day usage.

Other types of bases

Despite claims by some manufactures that wood decking, paving flags or block paving may be suitable, general opinion within the trade suggests this is not the case. Decking could possibly be coated on an internal application but the poor stability of timber will ultimately lead to cracking in the resin. If a wooden base is to be used, only a proper exterior grade wooden deck surface should ever be considered.

With the exception of applications such as tree pits resin-based surfacing cannot usually be laid on a granular sub-base, such as a layer of Type 1, gravel or sand, no matter how well compacted.

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