“The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Truth”
So, you have had your new patio or path laid either by yourself or a “Professional” that knows their stuff… And the big decision is how do we finish this project to make it not only look great but add serious integral strength to the overall build?
In The Olden Days…..
In years past great builds would be finished by craftsmen weather pointing traditional sand and cement mixes on their hands and knees for days on end. The mix must be perfect, too wet & the slab stains, too dry and the mix has not enough strength to hold up over time. Good old programmes like Ground force aired on the bbc were notorious for telling the public to “Sweep in” a bone-dry mix of sand and cement and all will be ok! Wrong.
In the right hands a stunning traditionally pointed paved area is hard to beat but with everything needed to be done on time and on budget this is a rare thing now indeed.
The New Way……
For over a decade now modern resins crept into the trade in various forms, the UK climate was notorious for holding up projects and builds and something needed to change for everyone to get laid and get paid….
Resins were going to revolutionise the landscaping and new build world and take over the whole way we approached the final steps that allowed our businesses to hand over projects to clients and ultimately hand over invoices to get those all-important funds to then roll onto the next project with no reliance on perfectly dry days.
They were easy to install
Non weather dependant
Porous to allow for drainage
Available in various colours
Flexible and moved with the seasons
Non boring to ants
These tubs started to appear in every builder’s merchant and DIY store with labels like “Easy” and “Simply sweep in” attached to their fancy branding. It was too good to be true… A product anyone can install simply by brushing these magic granules into your patio gaps that come in fancy colours and stop the dreaded weeds coming through that everybody hates.
In truth these products just swept in held very little strength and integrity even in the rights hands these products once weathered, and you want to start cleaning & maintaining your surfaces would ultimately fail and the homeowner would have to once again sweep more back into these gaps year on year.
For me the biggest problem in the landscaping world has been cheap, poorly installed resin products and I believe it’s costing the industry millions each year. For us here personally we must tell clients that unfortunately all of their grout needs to be replaced and in many cases the patio is less than a year old. It’s not what we want and it’s certainly not what homeowners want to hear.
If the installer has used a poor product and not installed it to correct depth & methods, then unfortunately the repair bill to replace can become very big indeed. Putting 1mm of jointing compound over concrete is not gonna last and unfortunately the installer will be long gone because as to the naked eye it looked great on the day it was laid.
Longevity is the Key here
Although more expensive initially a proper two-part resin installed well will be cheaper in the long run and last many many years. These two-part products are expensive, but they are the real deal. They are designed to drive a car on. Large tubs can cost your tradesmen anywhere upto £120 per tub for the real deal products but ultimately your installer should happily put a warranty on the jointing. We have dealt with many cases of even the most seemingly well reviewed trustworthy companies failing to come back to put right failed jointing because they know full well what’s involved in making it right and don’t want the costs. Unless you get it in writing from your installer you will be unable to stake claim to any form of compensation at all so the key here is to ask your installer
- What product it is exactly that’s being installed?
- What type of written guarantee are they offering with their install
These two questions alone could save you thousands in the long run.
Good resins come in two parts with the coated sand-based product in the tub and the resin hardening agent that is then mixed in with a paddle mixer like you would see a plasterer mixing his plaster.
Be prepared to pay for quality
The problem as always is the money! The sale of any project for any landscaper or Restoration company if based on money alone is hard then adding these products onto the quote is going to undoubtedly make that tradesmen look overpriced but please look at what that extra cost offers long term in terms of value through quality product and a warranty that they will fix any issues over a set period free of charge.
So, homeowners if you get some quotes for your surface options around the home the more expensive quotes could in many cases be more expensive for good reason and in the long run end up saving you a small fortune in repair costs.
I have many more blog posts on resins to come but for now just remember
Not all products are made equal
Nothing cheap is ever cheerful
Ask your installer which products they use
Ask for guarantees in writing
Until next time keep those good resins flowing and your work coffee strong 😁
If you’re a homeowner get your tradesmen a brew or two it’s surprising the amount of “Above & beyond” for free you will get from a tradesmen that feels appreciated
Patrick
Director & Founder
Paveclean Pro Ltd