Resin based gravel drives are appearing in our locality and we get leafletted regularly e.g.
It looks good but what are the pros and cons of this technology? Are there any significant problems with grip, durability, temperature extremes, maintenance, fading colour etc?
It's rather down to personal taste. I reckon it looks ok in an urban pristine setting, but is far too even for my taste. Rather like the difference between machine made and hand made bricks - they both work but look worlds apart.
Longevity must largely be down to the substrate the resin is bonded to, and when eventually a frequently used bit gets eroded, you can't just rake the gravel back to cover it up. Ordinary gravel has it's pluses and minuses though. We have almost an acre of pea shingle - it covers a multitude of sins, and continues to do so even after I've been over it with tractors and excavators, just needs the occasional rake over. Our issue is weeds and protruding membrane. It was laid over a weed barrier by our predecessors and torn bits work up to the top and get caught. Regular glyphosate spraying controls the weeds if you remember to do it in time - daughters wedding this weekend and it's having to be hand weeded as too late for the glyphosate :(
Andrew
Having used it and not used it, I am of the firm opinion that weed control membrane doesn't control weeds at all.
Not in a drive scenario anyway. It may suppress growth when a teaspoon of decorative shingle is laid over grass or flowerbeds from which plants have not been removed, for a few months.
If you can get your hands on some Premazor 57 and mix it with the Roundup. It acts like the old late lamented Simazine and remains active on the surface after the Roundup does its job.
You can still get Sodium Chlorate (Amazon) and that seems to give you several months protection.
Really? I would stock up then, since the sale and use of it is now illegal.
According to one site, "The use of dried aggregates bonded in resin appeared on the UK market around 25 years ago and was originally pioneered in the US market.".
Shirley that means there must be people around with experience of its performance over time? Anyone?
yeh
There does seem to be the odd seller sometimes.
eg. this one:
ignore the picture and read the description.
and this one probably is it as well. (going by the reviews, the listing doesn't mention Sodium chlorate)
Yeah, the can in the picture says "Brushable phenolic paint stripper".
40% solution. It's a bloody expensive way of buying it.Gawd knows what you get here, since the picture shows isopropyl alcohol, potassium permanganate, potassium chlorate & citric acid!
It's a sellers market.
That seller is obviusly being rather more coy, but it sounds pretty much like it is sodium chlorate, not hat I'd be buying it.
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