Resin Paving Joint Technologies

Resin Paving Joint Technologies - FAQS

This is then vacuum packed in a bag, which itself is then packed in a plastic pail to protect the bag. This packaging is to prevent evaporation of the water in the mix until the product is applied, which is then how it hardens – by evaporation.

These paving jointing compounds were originally developed, and in our strong opinion, still should only be for use by DIY and General Builders on domestic patios - and we do say that somewhat disparagingly! These compounds are also frequently, but quite wrongly, referred to as ‘Resin Jointing Compounds, which is very annoying as they are nothing like the advanced 2-part Resin Paving Joint Mortars, such as those from GftK outlined elsewhere on this website, but this ‘hopeful marketing’ does cause confusion for a lot of people – Sorry rant over! Paving jointing compounds These are all characterised as being one-part, vacuum sealed, ‘bag-in-a-tub’ materials, which have been around for 20 years and are now made by a few people in the UK and Europe, but sold by many under their own brand name. Generally there is a better solution for most paving projects – best advice is - Avoid!

Geofix (now owned by Sika-Everbuild) was the original paving jointing compound, and was once the most widely known of this type, followed by the Cementone Wide Jointing Compound, but today there are many different varieties on sale everywhere, though mostly the difference is the colour of the tub, as most are produced as ‘3rd Party / Private label’ products by just a few companies and not sure if being market leader in this are of technology is a positive accolade for anyone. The current variations of this theme that we have seen in 2022 include: Geofix, Joint-it, Sika Pavefix, Easyjoint, Marshalls 365 Weather Joint, GftK vdw 840+ and others. The only real differences between these products is perhaps the percentage of polymer content (the ‘active’ ingredient and the expensive bit!), with the highest percentage we have tested to date, being in GftK’s vdw 840+, which also seems to have the best sand grading as well – no surprise there as it uses German alluvial sands.

However, we can still only ever recommend this type of paving joint technology for limited exposure paving applications, such as for DIY use in domestic patios and pathways, excluding driveways and trafficked areas ) and where frequent cleaning and / or pressure jet washing is not likely to be used.

At NCC Streetscape we stock the only high-end version of this technology that we have found in our comparative tests, which is GftK’s vdw 840plus as mentioned due to the higher polymer content and better-quality sand and grading used. Even this product should not be used for driveways, where one of our higher performance 2-part, epoxy resin bound, graded sand systems should be used for their far greater mechanical strengths, tensile / elastic recovery, and resistance to direct jet washing. For more advice or assistance with your specific paving project, please call 01257 266696 for FREE Expert Advice, or email: sales@nccstreetscape.co.uk

Bitumen, Pitch / Tar based products (hot and cold applied)

The use of any type of hot applied bitumen or pitch / tar-based products has pretty much disappeared from UK Construction (except roof refurbishment and roadwors away from people and with high insurance premiums!), which is for the obvious reasons of risk in application with staining, contamination and of course the fire hazards. For paving jointing applications, the products also have very dubious performance and that is primarily due to their lack of temperature stability. By their very nature they are basically too soft on hot Summer days, and too brittle on cold Winter days) – So not a lot going for these materials in paving jointing!

However, it has to be said that with joints 100 to 200mm deep, part-filled with stone chippings. they have proved extremely durable in some areas and applications over the past 300+ years or so, and as a result there are many areas of so-called pitch paving that still exist in some heritage areas and where the bitumen base also has an underlying waterproofing function, such as over below ground vaults etc. This can now be achieved much easier with modern materials for new construction of underground works and paved surfacing. Therefore the installation and repair of bitumen / tar based paving jointing products is only for specialists, and where deemed necessary for heritage and conservation reasons.

For more advice or assistance with your specific paving project, please call 01257 266696 for FREE Expert Advice, or email: sales@nccstreetscape.co.uk

Epoxy Resin Mortars (2/3-part solvent-free resin + sand)

This conventional type of epoxy resin paving joint mortar has been around for many years in industrial foor and concrete repairs, but they should not be confused with the latest paving joint technology, using epoxy resin coated and bound, graded alluvial sand products - such as the GftK range of paving joint materials.

Traditional 2-part epoxy resin based mortars are usually solvent free resin with sands, though some are filled water-based (dispersed) resins, which are now sometimes proposed as paving joint products, are very closely related to the epoxy resin repair and patching products that are used for resin floor repairs, coving and screeds, as well as for concrete patch repairs. Indeed, they are so similar that for some materials the only difference we can find is the marketing text…..! This is not a totally disparaging comment as these 2-part, epoxy resin mortars are ideal for many of their resin flooring and concrete repair purposes, particularly making good areas of damage and producing high strength wearing surfaces, primarily because of their very high compressive strengths and rapid hardening, as well as their low permeability and good chemical and abrasion resistance. However, for use as paving joint mortars these are also their specific performance properties that can provide some disadvantages, including the significant dust that is generated from the fine sand ‘flour’ rather than graded aggregates that are used and released in the mixing process, their high compressive strength is also not at all appropriate for most sandstone and some limestone paving (means that the paving is weakest point rather than joints for stress relief etc.). Plus the high compressive strengths make this type of epoxy resin mortars brittle, in the same way as cement mortars, despite also having high tensile strengths, because they are filled with a high ratio of sands, which reduce cost, but which therefore reduce flexural movement possibilities with a low modulus of elasticity etc..

Unfortunately, the highly filled nature also reduces the epoxy resin mortars potential bond to the joint sides, which is why in most resin flooring and concrete repair applications, they are used with a primer to improve this bond, but clearly this is not practical in paving jointing applications. Notwithstanding all these negative factors, there are still several resin manufacturers that produce and market this type of product for use as paving jointing, though without any technical focus. These are easily recognised, as they are always supplied as 3-component products, with the epoxy resin base (often called Part-A), the epoxy resin hardener (often called Part-B, which are supplied in sealed tins or bottles, which are to be premixed together before being added to a bag of fine sand (usually called Part-C).

In the NCC group of companies, we also have specialists working in resin flooring and concrete repairs, which is why we fully understand this technology and products, - But for paving jointing works, new and refurbishment or repointing, our focussed paving jointing company, NCC Streetscape Limited., strongly recommends the use of the unique GftK technology with higher performance, 2-part, epoxy resin bound, graded pre-coated sand paving jointing products. This is because of their excellent performance all round in the key criteria with far greater bond, greater mechanical strengths and tensile / elastic recovery correlation, for high durability and longer service in use

For more advice or assistance with your specific paving project, please call 01257 266696 for FREE Expert Advice, or email: sales@nccstreetscape.co.uk

Epoxy Resin Coated and Bound (Epoxy Resin Coated and Bound, Graded Alluvial Sand Paving Joint Systems)

These are prebatched, 2-part, water-dispersed, epoxy resin, which is supplied uniformly pre-coated on graded alluvial sand, and which is then mixed with the resin hardener to activate for installation, which also eliminates any dust and dusting.

This is the Global ‘State-of-the-Art’ in paving jointing technology. Although the key original innovation was made in Germany nearly 25 years ago, this technology has developed and expanded, to also gain a huge successful track record in mainland Europe and around the world, including extensive projects and references in the UK since 2007. These include many different successfully completed paving projects, ranging from domestic patios and driveways to retail and commercial paved areas, to roads, roundabouts and pavements in town centres, to historic market squares and heritage conservation areas, plus heavy vehicle standings. This unique technology now includes systems for all different types of paving and all different kinds of exposure. The advantages include easy, wet-slurry application, meaning that the pointing work can continue almost irrespective of the weather and that the application is made standing-up in an ergonomic position, rather than on your knees all day! Non-dusting is also increasingly a big plus for refurbishment and repointing in public areas such as town centres and around retail and commercial developments.

Full details of this unique technology and the specific products are given here on a dedicated page for the GftK Paving Joint Technologies page

You can call 01257 266696 for FREE expert advice and assistance on any aspect or type of paving joint mortars and pointing / grouting of paved surfaces in any way. – We are confident that we can help you to prevent or to resolve any paving joint problems or issues, saving you time and money on every single job!