Facilities managers evaluate surfaces on total 20-year cost, not opening price. Here is how resin bound performs against the two most common alternatives on schemes we've delivered for care homes, schools and estate managers.
Capital cost per m²
Tarmac £50–£80. Block paving £110–£150. Resin bound £160–£190. Resin bound sits at the top of capex — which is exactly why life-cycle analysis matters.
Planned maintenance over 20 years
Tarmac: two resurfaces at year 8 and year 15 (each ~£40/m²). Block paving: re-sanding every 3 years, one major relay of vehicular areas. Resin bound: annual jet wash and top-up of any localised trip hazards — typically <£3/m²/year across the estate.
Insurance and slip claims
Care-home and school clients cite slip-risk as a decisive factor. Resin bound achieves >65 pendulum test values wet — comfortably above HSE guidance. Wet block paving frequently fails the same test at joint edges.
Aesthetic durability
A 20-year-old resin surface with regular care looks 90% as good as day one. A 20-year-old tarmac forecourt looks tired at year 10. This matters for hospitality, retail and residential care marketing.
How to specify
Ask contractors for a written 20-year maintenance schedule with costed line items. Resi-Tech supplies this as standard on every commercial quote so procurement can compare like-with-like.
