Ronacrete

[Overworked]

I just rang this firm after seeing it mentioned on your web site and was told that their resin bonded aggregates (Ronadeck) was unsuitable for non commercial driveways and that the web site info was misleading. They were not helpful on precisely what the difference between a commercial and non commercial driveway was and kept on going on about the my sub base being wrong They said it should be concrete or asphalt not limestone

I got the impression (cynic that I am) that this product was being aimed at the trade only and not DIY's like myself

Anyhow some clarification is needed on the web site

Mike ???

[lutonlagerlout]

they are right ,you cannot do resin bound aggregate on limestone
limestone is just the subbase
you need to get it tarmaced or concreted then apply the resin
hope this helps
LLL

[lutonlagerlout]

as an addendum simeon osen at ronacrete, is very helpful. i think the prefferred subase is mot type 1 ,followed by 80 mm bit mac (2 courses) then the resin,then the agg.
i think a days training is about £395 which is a wise investment as if you noise it up it is VERY unforgiving
you definately cannot spread it on limestone
hope this helps
LLL

[lutonlagerlout]

as an addendum simeon osen at ronacrete, is very helpful. i think the prefferred subase is mot type 1 ,followed by 80 mm bit mac (2 courses) then the resin,then the agg.
i think a days training is about £395 which is a wise investment as if you noise it up it is VERY unforgiving
you definately cannot spread it on limestone
hope this helps
LLL

[Overworked]

as an addendum simeon osen at ronacrete, is very helpful. i think the prefferred subase is mot type 1 ,followed by 80 mm bit mac (2 courses) then the resin,then the agg.

I accept that concrete or ashphalt would be needed as a base but this was not the primary issue, They were adamant it was not suitable for a non commercial driveway I would have thought that provided the base was correctly installed the issue of commercial or uncommercial was irrelevant

Mike

[TarmacLady]

Overworked, it's not a matter of correctly or incorrectly installed -- in many types of construction (whether for drives or other structures) there are two methods of going about it -- a residential process and a commercial process -- and it's often amazing how much the two can differ.

I'm certain that they very nice folks at Ronacrete were not in any way trying to keep you from buying their product -- far from it -- but were trying to keep you from splashing out on a product that will not work in your circumstance.

[lutonlagerlout]

i hear ya mike,you may be right and if so then its a pretty negative business ploy on their part
if its suitable for commercial then its definately suitable for domestic as commercial is a higher spec
maybe they just dont want the motorway maintenance brigade doing it and making their product look shoddy
i know another firm who do it and they wanted a grand for a days training,i looked last night and its £295 at ronacrete
worth every penny
cheers LLL
or should i say LLL (D) as in 500

[Suggers]

I reckon Sim's sunning himself in somewhere sunny, as usual, otherwise he'd have been in here like a ferret with the proverbial.... :laugh:

[simeonronacrete]

Hello everybody! Sorry but I overlooked this post, hence I didn't reply.

It's very simple really. Everything has to be right for a resin bonded aggregate surface to look good, and to last. Done well it'll provide you with an attractive, close bound stone finish, with few stones picking out, no bald patches, no resin grinning through, no ponding of water when it rains or after you wash your car, no cracks or joints, with a uniform spread of aggregate and no surface irregularities showing through the few mm thick surfacing.

But it's very easy to get it a little bit wrong and end up with all of the bad bits mentioned above. Too many contractors have "had a go" to the disappointment of them and their clients. We get called in to explain why and have to pile the blame on to the contractor, not something we enjoy doing, but if people read the data sheets....what do they say... "If all fails refer to Instruction Manual"!

There are many contractors who have enough experience to get it right first time and we always point our clients in their direction. They also know, importantly, how to form the sub-base - see our Substrate Build Up Guide at www.ronacrete.co.uk.

Laying Resin Bonded Aggregate isn't as simple as it looks, it isn't "coat and scatter", it isn't "roll and throw", it's a technique, a skill, a craft, and anyone who thinks different is heading for an unsatisfactory layer of half bonded stones on their driveway.

Think back to when you learned to ride your bike. Once you had it sussed, it was easy, nothing to it, you couldn't believe why you couldn't ride it before. It's the same with Ronadeck Fast Grip. But you don't want to fall off and graze your knee on your own one-off driveway job, do you?

And remember the words of John Ruskin..."It's unwise to pay too much, but it is worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money--that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot--it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest quote, it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better."

Happy laying!