Reuse or rebuild?
Resin Overlay & Resurfacing
You don’t always need to start from scratch. If the base beneath your existing drive is sound, resin can often be laid straight over it — saving the dig-out, the spoil and a good deal of cost. The honest question is whether yours is sound.
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The question that decides the cost
Most of the expense of a new driveway is in the groundwork. If your existing concrete or tarmac is structurally sound, that work is effectively already done — and overlaying saves you real money. If it isn’t, laying over a failing base simply passes the failure up into your new surface. Telling the two apart honestly is the whole job.
Either route arrives at the same destination — a finished resin bound driveway, on foundations that will hold it.
Which route is yours?
Overlay on Existing
Laying resin over a sound base you already have.
- Sound concrete, tarmac or stable paving
- No full excavation — less mess and cost
- Faster, tidier, less disruption
- We check it’s genuinely sound first
Choose this if your existing surface is tired but structurally solid.
Conversion to Resin
Building a proper base where there isn’t one.
- Gravel, lawn or failed paving
- A full base built underneath
- Not a cover-up — a proper rebuild
- The only route that lasts on loose ground
Choose this if you’re starting from gravel, grass, or a surface that’s failed.
FAQs
Overlay or convert?
How do you know if my base is sound enough to overlay?
We assess it for structural soundness, level and movement. Solid, stable concrete or tarmac is ideal. Cracked, hollow or moving surfaces are not, and we’ll say so rather than overlay a problem to win the job.
Is overlaying cheaper than a new driveway?
Usually, yes — it skips the excavation, spoil removal and new base, which is where most of the cost sits. But where the base has failed, a proper conversion is better long-term value, and we’ll tell you when that’s the case.
Can you lay resin over block paving?
Sometimes. It has to be genuinely stable, because individual blocks can move and telegraph through the surface. It’s the base we assess most carefully, and sometimes we’ll lay a binder layer first or recommend lifting it.
Can I lay resin straight over gravel?
No. Resin won’t bind to loose stone and last. Gravel has to be removed and a proper bound base built — anyone telling you otherwise is selling you a surface that will fail.
Find out if you can overlay
Book a free site survey. We’ll assess your existing base honestly and tell you which route actually makes sense.