This page compares resin bound and block paving as categories of surface, with prices taken from the bands on our two service pages. It doesn't rank installers or product brands, and we haven't put either surface through any tests of our own. The better choice depends on your drive, your ground and what you value, so we've set out the trade-offs rather than picking a winner.
Resin bound and block paving are the two most expensive surfaces we cover, and they're often the final two on a homeowner's list. Both look smart, both last well on a good base, and both can be laid to suit most frontages. They differ most on four things: what the base costs, how they handle water, how they're repaired, and how they age.
Side by side
Resin bound and block paving compared on the points that most often decide between them. Costs are the installed bands shown on our resin bound and block paving pages.
| Resin bound | Block paving | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical installed cost | £3,500 – £8,000+ | £3,000 – £7,000+ |
| What sets the price | Whether the existing base can be kept or a new one is needed | Block type (concrete or clay), laying pattern and edging |
| Permeability | Permeable, if the base beneath drains | Standard blocks impermeable; permeable blocks available |
| Planning (England, front garden over 5 m²) | Generally no application if it drains | Standard blocks need drainage to your own land or an application |
| Repairs | Patch repairs possible but tend to show | Individual blocks lifted and relaid |
| Weeds | Few, if kept swept | Can grow in sand joints |
| Routine upkeep | Sweep, keep pores clear | Sweep, weed, re-sand joints |
| Typical install time | 2–4 days | 3–5 days |
| Look | Seamless, one colour blend | Pattern and border options, more traditional |
Cost: it's about the base, not the surface
On price ranges alone, block paving starts lower. But resin's range is split by scope, not size. If your existing tarmac or concrete drive is sound, resin can be laid over it, and the job sits in the lower resurfacing bands (roughly £3,500 to £6,500). If a new base is needed, it moves into the £6,500 to £8,000+ band. Block paving almost always means digging out the old drive, building a new sub-base and laying the blocks on sand, so its cost is mostly the full rebuild every time.
So for a drive with a good existing base, resin can come out competitive with mid-range block paving. For a drive that needs digging out anyway, block paving is usually the cheaper of the two. Our cost guides for resin bound and block paving break down each range, and our guide to laying resin over an existing driveway explains how to tell whether your base can stay.
Water and planning
Resin bound lets water through. Standard block paving with sand joints doesn't, and in England more than 5 square metres of it in a front garden draining onto the road needs planning permission. That gap narrows in two ways. Permeable block paving exists and is treated like resin for planning, though it costs more than standard blocks and needs an open-graded sub-base. And resin laid over a sealed old base drains along the top of that base, so it only stays out of planning if the water ends up on your own land. Our guide to permeable vs impermeable driveways has the detail.
Repairs and wear
This is block paving's strongest card. A cracked block, a stain that won't shift or a patch that's sunk where a skip once sat can be lifted out, the bedding corrected, and the blocks put back or swapped for spares. Done well, it's hard to see afterwards. Ask the installer to leave you a few blocks from the same delivery, since later batches can differ slightly in colour.
Resin can be repaired, but a patch of new resin rarely matches the surrounding surface exactly, especially once the original has weathered. Cracks that come up from a moving base are hard to hide. In its favour, resin has no joints for weeds or sand loss, so routine upkeep is lighter. Our guide to driveway maintenance by surface compares the two.
How each one ages
- Concrete blocks fade gradually; clay pavers hold their colour much longer. Our comparison of block paving materials covers the difference.
- Resin quality varies. UV-stable resins are made to resist yellowing, and lighter aggregates show the difference most. Ask what resin system the installer uses.
- Both depend on edging. Block paving creeps sideways without a firm edge course; resin needs a restrained edge so it doesn't crumble at the margins.
- Both suffer on a poor base. Sinking blocks and cracked resin are usually sub-base or base failures rather than faults in the surface itself.
Which suits which drive
Resin bound tends to suit a drive with a sound tarmac or concrete base, a front garden where permeability avoids a planning application, and owners who want a smooth, modern finish with little routine upkeep. Block paving tends to suit a drive that's being dug out anyway, a period house where a traditional pattern fits, and owners who value being able to repair small areas invisibly. Plenty of drives could go either way, which is when comparing full quotes on the same specification matters most. Our pages on resin bound driveways and block paving driveways cover the installation process for each.
Frequently asked questions
Is resin bound cheaper than block paving?
It can be if your existing tarmac or concrete base is sound enough to resurface. If a new base is needed, resin bound usually costs more than block paving for the same area.
Which lasts longer, resin or block paving?
Both can last many years on a well-built base, and how long either lasts depends far more on the sub-base, edging and drainage than on the surface choice. Block paving has the advantage that damaged areas can be relaid without visible patching.
Does block paving need planning permission when resin doesn't?
In England, standard block paving over 5 square metres in a front garden needs planning permission if its water runs to the road, while resin bound on a draining base generally doesn't. Permeable block paving, or draining standard blocks to your own garden, avoids the need to apply.
Can you mix resin and block paving on one drive?
Yes, and it's common to use a block paving border or banding with a resin bound centre. The blocks act as edging for the resin. Check that the drainage works across both surfaces.
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