How Does Temperature Affect Your Resin Driveway Installation?

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How Does Temperature Affect Your Resin Driveway Installation?

Once professionally installed, resin driveways are hard-wearing, versatile and can withstand the heat and the cold better than most of us can.

The melting point of resin is over 120 degrees Celsius, which is three times the hottest day ever recorded in Great Britain, and it has similar tolerances for frozen weather as well.

When installing a resin driveway, however, extreme weather can affect how your driveway will cure and set, and as winter rapidly approaches, it is important to plan ahead in order to get the ideal driveway.

What it primarily affects is curing time, which not only affects how long it takes before your resin-bound surface is ready to use, but can also affect its longevity and the quality of its finish. 

The sweet spot for temperatures is between 15 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius, which is an average sunny spring or summer day. Any higher than that and the resin starts to cure too quickly, which risks it cracking and spoiling the finish.

By contrast, colder temperatures cause the resin to take longer to cure, leading to a weaker overall surface.

In practice, a professional installer will take the temperature into account, and as long as the temperature does not go lower than five degrees Celsius, it will still be possible to install the resin surface.

However, the bigger issues when it comes to winter installations are not related solely to temperature, but also to the associated weather conditions.

The biggest concern with autumn and winter installations is rain, as it can wash away the resin and ruin the entire finish if left unchecked.

Similarly, colder rainy weather increases humidity, meaning that even if the resin does not wash away, it may take longer for it to cure, something that a professional installer will help monitor for you during the planning and preparation process to ensure the best finish.