Resin patios
A resin patio is a resin bound patio: a continuous garden floor in natural aggregate, trowelled on site so there are no joints to weed and no slabs to lift. Permeable, slip-resistant and laid across the UK by the Soft Surfaces Group.
What is a resin bound patio?
A resin patio, also called a resin bound patio, is natural aggregate mixed with a clear, UV-stable resin and trowelled over a prepared base, so it cures as one smooth, porous surface.
It is the same system we lay on resin bound driveways, sized and finished for a garden rather than for a car. What you get is an outdoor floor with no joints for weeds to find, no flags to rock loose and no loose stone tracking indoors. The aggregate sits locked in the resin, so the colour you choose is the colour it stays.
Is a resin patio the same as resin bound?
Yes. A resin patio and a resin bound patio are the same surface: the resin patios we lay are all resin bound, natural stone set in UV-stable resin as one porous sheet. "Resin patio" is simply the shorter, everyday name for it. We do not lay loose resin-and-gravel or resin bonded on patios, because bound is what stays smooth, permeable and joint-free underfoot.
Why choose resin bound for a patio?
Resin bound gives you the look of natural stone without the joints that let a patio down. Set against slabs, block paving or timber, it holds level, sweeps clean and keeps its colour, so the space you sit out on in May still looks right in October.
Against paving slabs
Slabs meet at joints, and joints are where the trouble starts: weeds root in them, they lift in frost, and one settled corner becomes a trip. A resin bound patio cures as a single sheet, so there is no joint to fail and nothing to re-point every spring.
Against block paving
Blocks give you a lot of lines and a lot of sand to lose. Resin bound keeps the natural-stone look while skipping the jointing, so it stays level underfoot and sweeps clean rather than growing a green film between every unit.
Against timber decking
Decking looks lovely for a season or two, then it greases up in the rain, silvers off and asks to be oiled. A resin surface shrugs off wet weather, keeps its colour under UV-stable resin, and never needs sanding back.
Is a resin bound patio slip-resistant and permeable?
Yes on both counts: the trowelled aggregate gives a textured, grippy surface underfoot, and because the whole build is porous, rain soaks straight through it.
Grip comes from the stone, so for a shaded or north-facing patio we can specify a coarser aggregate that keeps its bite when wet. The porosity is what makes it a sustainable drainage surface: water goes down through the surface instead of running off it, which is why there are no standing puddles to step around. The detail of how resin bound stays SuDS-compliant is covered in the permeable guide.
What does a resin bound patio cost?
That is the fitted starting point. A smaller patio often sits a little higher per square metre than a large driveway, because the day rate and materials spread over fewer metres, and access, the state of the old base and the aggregate you pick all move the figure.
Indicative only. Your real figure comes after a free site survey, once we have seen what is under the old surface.
The full breakdown of resin cost per square metre, what the price includes and overlay versus a full dig-out, lives in the cost guide. For a figure against your own patio, a free site survey is the only honest way to price it, once we have seen what is under the old surface.
What colours suit a patio?
A patio can take any blend in the range, from warm golden gravels to cool greys and near black. Warmer golds suit traditional brick and stone; cooler tones sit well against render and contemporary glazing. It is worth choosing against your house and the light the garden gets, because the patio is in view from indoors all year.
How is a resin bound patio laid, including over existing slabs?
A resin bound patio is laid by hand in a day or two, and it can often go straight over existing slabs.
Sound, well-drained concrete or old flags that are not cracked or hollow can be cleaned, primed and resurfaced, which saves the time and cost of a dig-out. Ground that has already failed is taken up and rebuilt first, so the finish always sits on something solid. Here is how a typical patio goes in.
- 1
Survey and set the levels
We measure the area, check the falls so water runs away from the house, and agree the blend and edge details with you before anything is lifted.
- 2
Prepare the ground, or the existing slabs
Sound, well-drained concrete or old flags can often take resin bound directly once cleaned and primed. Tired or cracked ground is dug out and rebuilt so the finish has something solid to sit on.
- 3
Lay the permeable base
Where we build up from scratch, an open-graded sub-base goes down so rain can soak through the whole build-up rather than pooling on top.
- 4
Mix and hand-trowel the resin
Kiln-dried aggregate is mixed with the UV-stable resin on site and trowelled out by hand to a smooth, even finish, worked around planting beds, steps and manhole covers.
- 5
Let it cure
The patio is usually walk-on ready within a day, give or take, depending on weather. We clear the edges and leave you a surface that is ready to live on.
How do you look after a resin bound patio?
Looking after a resin bound patio is mostly a brush and the occasional wash.
A stiff broom clears leaves and grit, and a gentle jet wash a couple of times a year lifts grime out of the texture. There is no re-pointing, no annual sealing and no sanding back, so the weekends stay yours. The full routine, including what to do about moss in a shaded corner, is in the guide to looking after a resin bound surface.
Putting a path in to match? See resin bound paths and walkways, laid in the same blends.
Ready for a firm price on your patio?
Book a free site survey and we will measure up, talk through the blends and give you an exact quote for your resin bound patio, with no obligation.