Resin Driveway Glossary

Aggregate: The natural stone, gravel or quartz used in a resin surface. Graded into sizes such as 1–3 mm and 2–5 mm.
Aliphatic resin: A UV-stable polyurethane resin that keeps its colour in sunlight. Used for exposed drives, patios and paths.
Aromatic resin: A cheaper, non-UV-stable resin that yellows and darkens in sunlight. Suitable only where it will be covered or shaded.
Article 4 direction: A council direction that removes some permitted development rights in an area, sometimes including front-garden paving.
Binder course: The layer between the sub-base and the resin, usually porous asphalt or concrete, that gives the resin a firm, level surface.
Blend: A mix of aggregate colours and sizes that gives a resin surface its finished colour.
Broadcast: Scattering loose aggregate onto wet resin, as in a resin bonded surface.
Building warrant: In Scotland, the approval needed before certain building work starts. Not normally needed for a domestic drive.
Channel drain: A linear drain set into a drive, usually across a garage door or the bottom of a slope, with a grate on top.
Compaction: Pressing down each layer of sub-base with a plate compactor or roller so it does not settle later.
Conservation area: An area of special architectural or historic interest where extra planning controls can apply.
Cure: The chemical hardening of resin after mixing. Affected by temperature and moisture.
Damp-proof course (DPC): A barrier in the wall of a house, usually about 150 mm above ground. Drives should stay below it.
Dig-out: Excavating an old surface and soft ground to make room for a new base.
Dropped kerb: A lowered kerb and strengthened footway that lets vehicles cross the pavement. Also called a vehicle crossover.
Edging: The restraint fixed around a resin surface, such as setts, block, steel or timber, that holds its edge.
Forced-action mixer: A paddle mixer that coats every stone evenly with resin. Essential for consistent resin bound.
Formation level: The level of the ground after excavation, on which the sub-base is laid.
Geotextile: A fabric membrane laid under a sub-base to separate it from soft ground and stop weeds coming up.
Haunching: Concrete placed behind and under edging to hold it in place.
Highway authority: The council (or DfI Roads in Northern Ireland) responsible for public roads and pavements.
Kiln-dried aggregate: Aggregate dried to remove moisture before mixing. Damp stone stops resin curing properly.
Muck-away: Removing excavated spoil from site by skip or grab lorry.
Open-graded sub-base: Crushed stone with no fines, leaving voids that let water pass through and be stored. Used in permeable builds.
Overlay: Laying resin directly on an existing sound tarmac or concrete surface without digging it out.
Permeable: Letting water pass through. A permeable drive lets rain soak into the ground below.
Permitted development: Building work that can be done without a planning application, subject to conditions.
Porous asphalt: An open-textured asphalt that lets water through. A common binder course for permeable resin drives.
Primer: A coating applied to the base before resin to improve the bond.
Resin bonded: A system where aggregate is scattered onto a resin coat. Textured, grippy and not permeable.
Resin bound: A system where aggregate and resin are mixed and trowelled into a smooth, permeable surface.
SAB approval: In Wales, approval from the council's SuDS Approving Body for new construction with drainage implications of 100 m² or more.
Setts: Small, cube-like paving stones, often granite, used as edging or borders.
Soakaway: An underground pit or crate system that lets collected surface water soak into the ground.
Sub-base: The compacted layer of crushed stone that carries the load under a drive.
SuDS: Sustainable drainage systems: managing rainwater where it falls rather than sending it straight to drains.
Threshold: The step or sill at a doorway. Drive levels are planned around thresholds.
Trowel: The flat steel tool used to spread and finish resin bound by hand.
Type 1: A well-graded crushed stone sub-base that compacts tightly. Used where the build does not need to be permeable.
UV stability: The ability of a resin to resist yellowing and darkening in sunlight.
Vehicle crossover: Another name for a dropped kerb.
Voids: The small gaps between stones in resin bound that let water through.

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