Stain Removal and General Maintenance Of A Resin Bound Surface

According to an old saying, you can tell a great deal about a person from the shine of their shoes. We believe we can expand the adage to commercial buildings and the condition of their driveways and paths. Resin driveway maintenance is essential if you want to keep yours looking spic and span and if you want to ensure it stays in good condition for years to come.

In this blog post, we take a look at general cleaning path and driveway maintenance tips, and at how you can remove common stains such as oil, brake fluid, and problems such as weeds and ice.
General Cleaning
Leaves, soil, and other natural materials aren’t likely to stain your resin bound driveway or paths. However, they are unsightly, and if they’re left to go slimy or muddy, they can pose a health and safety risk to people who walk on those surfaces.

The good news is that cleaning debris like that is easy. Sweep leaves, soil, and other natural materials with a stiff brush. If dirt or other natural materials have left a few basic stains, you shouldn’t need to do much more resin driveway maintenance than hosing the surface down with clean cold water.

If you’re faced with a few stubborn stains or grime, remove them with a pressure washer with a maximum 150 bar rating and a fan-type lance. Keep the lance at least 200mm above the surface. If chewing gum is stuck to your driveway or path surfaces, harden the individual pieces of gum with freeze spray before using a suitable scraper to remove it gently.

Commercial building driveways can take a beating from all the traffic that use them. If you notice cracks, holes, or other damage, order a DIY driveway maintenance repair kit from SureSet for a quick and easy fix.
Weed Removal
Resin driveway and path surfaces usually are weed resistant. In some cases, the ground they’re laid on is treated with weed killer to help prevent the growth of weeds. However, due to changes in the weather from season to season and to animals such as birds spreading seeds around, weeds occasionally do grow in resin bound driveways and paths.

If you find weeds growing in your driveway or paths, it’s essential that you carry out resin bound driveway maintenance as soon as possible. This will prevent potentially worse issues that require more work in future. If the weeds are seedlings, you can pull them out by hand. Make sure you pull the root out when you do this.

If the seedlings or weeds have taken root, kill them with a mild weed killer. If you use a strong weed killer, water it down significantly before applying it, as strong herbicide can discolour the resin surface. Weeds that are left to grow in your driveway for a long period could damage the surface. Use one of SureSet’s maintenance repair kits to repair it.
Brake Fluid
Brake fluid and resin bound driveways are most definitely not a match made in heaven. A highly corrosive substance, brake fluid can damage your driveway surface. Given the number of vehicles that use driveways and parking areas at commercial buildings, there’s a good chance some brake fluid may leak onto the surface, so be sure to check regularly.

If any brake fluid lands on the surface, our driveway maintenance tip is to wash it off as soon as possible, if not immediately, with warm water.
Engine Fluid/Oil/Fuel
Engine fluid, oil, and fuel can stain the surface of your resin driveway. Oil also can be a health and safety hazard, as it could lead to people slipping and vehicles skidding. Cleaning them off as soon as possible can prevent that from happening. We have different stain remover tips for those substances.

If engine fluid has been spilt on your driveway, our resin bound driveway maintenance tip is to clean it off using car shampoo, washing up liquid, or another mild detergent and warm water.

If oil or fuel has been spilt on the driveway surface, the best oil stain remover is a mild household detergent such as those mentioned above – washing up liquid or car shampoo. Use a stiff brush to apply the detergent to the stain and leave it to sink in for 10 minutes. Next, wash off the oil or fuel using a pressure washer with a maximum 150 bar rating and a fan-type lance held at least 200mm above the surface.
Tyre Marks
Tyre marks are caused by turning the steering wheel while a vehicle is stationary. They’re a common sight at commercial buildings, but they don’t require an intense amount of resin driveway maintenance to remove them.

Clean tyre marks off your driveway’s surface by wiping them with white spirit and washing them with a pressure hose, as above. Depending on the severity of the tyre marks, you might need to wash them with a mild household detergent before using the pressure hose and fan-type lance.
Ice
SureSet resin bound driveways and paths are permeable, which means there’s less chance of ice forming on the surface during winter. Depending on the weather, some ice or frost may form, which could lead to people and vehicles slipping and sliding.

Prevent ice from forming, or remove ice and frost that has formed, by adding a layer of white rock salt to the driveway or pathway surface. The ice will melt, and the water will seep through the tiny holes in the surface. Use a hosepipe to wash away any left-over salt.
Heavy Vehicles And Objects
Resin bound driveways should be laid at a 20mm minimum depth if heavy goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes are going to use them, as they can damage the surface. Resin paving is designed for light vehicle traffic and pedestrian use.

Heavy objects such as skips and machinery should not be dragged across the driveway surface, as they also can damage it. If anyone is to move a heavy metal object across the surface, use wooden planks to spread the load and protect the surface. Care also should be taken when using car jacks.

If a heavy vehicle or metal object damages the driveway surface, use one of SureSet’s resin bound driveway maintenance repair kits to get it looking as good as new.

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