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Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 7:13 pm
by Ramsey
Hi Guys,

Has anyone got any experience of using Ronacrete Resin Bonded Aggregate? I've looked at the main website page and am planning to do some pedestrian paths with it.

I plan to use it on top of tarmac paths. I will do all the edgings and MOT sub-base etc, then get someone in to lay the tarmac, and then do the Resin Bonded Aggregate myself. Can anyone give me any idea of how much (very roughly) the tarmac will cost me per metre layed?

Cheers,

Ramsey

Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 10:25 pm
by lutonlagerlout
have you any experience with RBG?
apparently its really easy for the uninitiated to fess up and costs you lots of money if you get it wrong

the recommended surface for it is concrete btw

LLL

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 12:07 am
by bobbi o
the expensive part is the resin,hence specifying a dense wearing course,preferably asphalt.look to pay around £25-35 per sq.m for 50 base,30 wearing .(leave 30 days for bitumen to oxidise) be better off and cheaper with rocbinda resin from jobling purser,any agg you want from long rake spar.

easy to do the resin bond. 1 mixing,2 on the squeegees,2 broadcasting the agg. mask off everything,work fast,piece of piss.

got a contact for new method of adding block type pattern with paper templates.pm if you want further info.

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 7:35 am
by lutonlagerlout
have you done RBG bobbi?
i 'm pretty sure ronafix prefer concrete as their bedding layer
LLL

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 1:47 pm
by jay-Manor Driveways
i was of the understanding that tarmac or concrete is fine , anything like blocks slabs etc are not suitable

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 1:49 pm
by Ramsey
Thanks for your replies.

Bobbi thanks for those other names - I have started looking into them as well.

LLL - I know that the proper resin bound stuff that involves mixing the aggregate and resin in a special mixer and then troweling it down is best left to the people in the know, but as Bobbi says, the system (for pedestrian areas) of just spreading the resin using squeegees and sprinkling the aggregate looks manageable.

Ramsey

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 4:17 pm
by bobbi o
lutonlagerlout wrote:have you done RBG bobbi?
i 'm pretty sure ronafix prefer concrete as their bedding layer
LLL

Have you ever laid block or dug a hole in the ground?

why does it matter what rona prefers? who is they?

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 6:12 pm
by lutonlagerlout
yes and yes

by ronafix i meant ronadeck fast grip,one of the Uk's main suppliers of RBG

they prefer concrete as a base

I have seen it done bobbi and yes it does look easy,but so does flying a helicopter,till you try..

so have you laid any yourself?

LLL

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:06 pm
by bobbi o
lutonlagerlout wrote:yes and yes

by ronafix i meant ronadeck fast grip,one of the Uk's main suppliers of RBG

they prefer concrete as a base

I have seen it done bobbi and yes it does look easy,but so does flying a helicopter,till you try..

so have you laid any yourself?

LLL
lager boy,not quite sure why your championing the cause of a company which managed to lose 250k thro trading activity over the last 3 years,but thats an issue you can explain !

your obsession with using concrete as a base for RBA is unfounded and belies your lack of knowledge of the product .

yes, i have vast experience of laying RBA as a contractor. what do you want to know ?

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:41 pm
by lutonlagerlout
i dont champion any cause
I asked a simple question, have you done it?

the original poster asked for specific information on ronacrete RBA, the companies finances are irrelevant,most building product related companies are struggling right now .

yes I am fairly ignorant on RBG,i had 350 m2 of addagrip installed on a job of mine and they(addagrip) asked for tarmac,as a base.

I have toyed with the idea of doing it ,but it seems like such a niche market in the uk,similar to PIC
never seen it in luton and rarely at all elsewhere.

so what have your installations been mainly, commercial or domestics?
is there a big demand for it north of the border?
is there decent sustainable money in it?
and does it last?

LLL

Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 1:55 pm
by jay-Manor Driveways
was also thinking about dipping my toe in this market as i have a company asking me to take on major contracts next year and they will pay for us to go on courses and do trial areas etc etc , is there a big need for this in the domestic market? , looks nice in the right areas i think
what sort of price is it per m2 from start to finish including subbase tarmac/concrete etc

Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 11:34 pm
by bobbi o
there is a demand in the domestic market, but you will have to create it,as there are very few people aware of the product. its tailor made for blacktop contractors,as they can offer it as an add on and obviously have the skills to hand or machine lay the asphalt surface,as the base surface for the resin bonded aggregate.

concrete is ok for footpaths and small areas,it does have the advantage of being non porous and the drawback of having to have expansion joints in large slabs and being slower and more expensive to lay.some contractors will be able lay good quality concrete slab,if they can get away with the addded expense then fine..

if you can lay the base in whatever form,the RBA is the easy part. all your doing is spreading resin using a notched squeegee to a uniform level before broadcasting the stone. it is important to have at least 5 men on the job,as once the resin is mixed it starts to go off straight away,so you have to work fast,with discipline.

the only 3 flip ups we've experienced have been mixing up too much material at once,with the last batch starting to go off before it was spread. using too porous a base material,which ended up ok, but used twice as much resin as we should have and guys stepping in the resin then the kerb,which you cant get off.

there is a good market for it out there,customers like the idea of having a natural stone driveway without loose chippings,maintenance free and no weeds. the secret is like anything else, to get jobs on the ground,use them as referrals and get out there and sell it.

jobling purser in newcastle have vast experience in the sector and manufacture the resin (rocbinda) at a very good price. long rake spar do an excellent variety of suitable aggs. they'll give you coverage rates which you can work out your pricing.

Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 7:10 am
by Dave_L
Indeed, Bobbi is right - we have done RBAgg on top of a 20mm Binder surface on a church footpath - leaving the top of the tarmac between 12 & 15mm down from the top of edgers.

I would have said tar was an ideal sub-surface for RBAgg as it is flexible - whereas concrete is regid etc etc

Getting the tolerance right using 20mm Binder was an art (should have used 14mm really) but it all worked out a treat. I rolled it and used a level across the edgers and a suitably thick bit of wood (1/2" iirc) to slide in underneath the level. Fairly easy.

Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 10:53 am
by lutonlagerlout
the job i had it on was a car park on a heritage job,last time i looked (6 years on) it still looked pretty good,
couple of bald patches ,but that was with daily use by a variety of vehicles and tight turning circles.
i fancy having a go at my own drive, but could do with getting some decent jobs in,we're scratching around right now and Mrs. lout got made redundant last week
LLL