Speed Of Resin Bound Paving Installation Compared To Porcelain Tiles

Choosing between resin bound paving and porcelain tiles for your project can be difficult if you’re going on appearances alone – and appearances aren’t a good enough reason for such an important decision. Installation time is one of the most important factors to consider; in fact, it might be the deciding factor.

Find out how the speed of resin bound installation compares with that of outdoor porcelain tiles and discover a few other reasons why SureSet is the better option.
Installing Resin Bound Paving
Whether you’re installing resin bound paving or any other type of paving or tiles, you will need to make sure the surface on which your preferred option is properly prepared. When it comes to resin bound, the good news is that you can install it on an existing surface such as concrete or tarmac. Unless there is major damage to repair first, prepping the surface should not be particularly time-consuming.

If you’re starting from scratch, you will need to lay a suitable sub-base, such as SureCell – this should not take too much time. You also should ensure edging is in place to make sure the paving looks neat and doesn’t spread beyond the area to be paved. Along with this, for private gardens and patios, you can use a compacted crushed stone base which makes a suitable surface to lay resin bound onto. Doing this would save you time, cost and materials compared to using porcelain tiles as you would need additional materials for this like mortar.

Mixing the resin with the aggregate shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes. One of the key elements in laying the resin-aggregate mixture is to work quickly and thoroughly. The resin bound mix should be poured onto the area to be paved and then spread evenly with a lute, before being hand floated to a compact, uniform level. The paving should be at least 12mm thick.

It helps to get experts to install a resin bound driveway or other outdoor areas perfectly, but thanks to SureSet DIY kits, you can try small areas yourself without the need to invest in expensive equipment.

The greater part of the time it takes to install resin bound paving is dedicated to allowing the paving to cure before use. SureSet is suitable for use by pedestrians after six to eight hours, and it’s suitable for use by regular vehicles after 12 to 16 hours of curing. We recommend you wait 24 hours to ensure the surface is fully cured before heavy vehicles drive or park on the surface.
Installing Outdoor Porcelain Tiles
Compared with resin bound, installing outdoor porcelain tiles takes a great deal of time and effort. One of the biggest cons about the time it takes to install porcelain tiles for a commercial project is that it can negatively impact trade. The area to be tiled will be out of bounds to people for much longer than if you use SureSet resin bound paving.

Let’s take a closer look at how to lay outdoor porcelain tiles and the cons involved.

The long process of tiling a surface begins with carefully planning ahead, as you’ll want the finished surface to look symmetrical. In most cases, this means sketching different tile layouts, remembering to include cuts and grout lines, and to take floor obstructions and door thresholds into account.

You’ll need to think about the finished floor height as the substrate height could be raised by a few centimetres thanks to backing boards and adhesive – and that’s before you’ve even considered the depth of the tiles.

While you can lay resin bound paving on a variety of existing surfaces, the same cannot be said about laying outdoor porcelain tiles.

When you’ve finally prepared the base, you’ll need to prepare the outdoor porcelain tiles. You’ll need to use specialist equipment to do that, otherwise you risk damaging the tiles. Next, you’ll need to mix the adhesive and then measure each tile placement to ensure they’re perfect. When all the tiles are in place, it’s time to grout. Once that’s done, you’ll need to wait between 24 and 72 hours for it to dry.

As you can see, laying outdoor porcelain tiles definitely isn’t quick and easy work. It’s more expensive, takes time, and it’s labour-intensive – and people won’t be able to use the area for a few days. This might not be too much of an issue if you’re tiling at home, but if it’s a walkway, outside area, or another space at a commercial property, it could cause disruptions that negatively impact business.
Environmental Considerations
In this day and age, the time it takes to install permeable resin bound paving versus porcelain tiles might not be your only consideration when making a choice. You may also be considering using outdoor porcelain tiles because they’re environmentally friendly.

If that’s the case, you’ll be pleased to know that SureSet also is kind to the environment. Apart from playing a role in the fight against urban flooding, our resin bound paving is made using sustainably and ethically sourced, as well as recycled, materials. What’s more, our tubs and eco resin batching machine are made using post-consumer plastic.

When you consider cost, installation time, and eco-friendliness, the choice becomes clear. Ditch the idea of laying outdoor porcelain tiles and choose SureSet resin bound instead. Don’t hesitate to contact our friendly team for more information.

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