FAQ Blog – Coloured Surfacing
We’re often asked about coloured asphalt / macadam (tarmac) and resin bound surfacing options to give a personalised finish to our clients’ projects. Below is a summary of some options to give you an idea of their applications and cost implications.
Red Surfacing
The most common coloured surfacing laid to residential driveways, apart from standard black, is a Red pigmented surface course. This comes in a standard Asphalt Concrete (AC) surface course, or a harder wearing Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) surface course. For any areas which will have vehicular usage, like a driveway, we would always use an SMA designed for this purpose.
This option is quite cost affective, and for most smaller driveways, the extra cost for material is often worth the extra mark up for those who are looking for an alternative to black. It is readily available and easy to lay. By adding a red pigment to the binder, and using a naturally occurring red-ish stone, this wears and keeps its red colour. This can give you a nice finish that can compliment surrounding buildings and edgings.
Other Coloured Macadam
Most larger suppliers also offer their own range of other coloured macadam. Products such as SuperColour (Aggregate Industries), UltiColour (Tarmac – the brand), and Natratex (Bituchem) offer a ride range of vibrant colours using coloured aggregate and pigment, but these do come at a significant cost with minimum quantity orders, so aren’t always suitable for small domestic driveways. These products are more commonly used in commercial and construction industry projects and require accreditation from the suppliers in order to lay these projects. Of course, Edwards Surfacing are an approved surfacing contractor to install Supercolour and UltiColour and as such our operatives are experienced in laying these materials.
All of these coloured macadams can be hand or machine laid and can give a quality and contrasting alternative to black tarmac.
Resin Bound Surfacing
Resin Bound Surfacing, or Resin Bound Gravel, is becoming a popular choice as a hard wearing decorative finish for driveways, footpaths and car parks despite being a more expensive alternative. In terms of cost, for a domestic driveway, it sits between red macadam and the more expensive UltiColour/SuperColour macadams. It is a common finish for domestic works due to the many varieties of finishes, from rustic to modern, it can complement any type of property. Resin Bound surfacing provides a smooth, low maintenance surface with similar durability to tarmac. It’s porous and is made with range of natural and recycled aggregates. The finished product is a seamless bound paving surface, which is flexible and resistant to cracking and it can be applied onto asphalt and concrete, or other similar stable surfaces.
Resin Bound surfacing is an excellent product and well worth looking into as an option for your driveway.
For more information or to discuss solutions for your driveway, you can contact us here.
Mark Edwards
Surveyor, Edwards Surfacing
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