With the bonfires having died down and Christmas markets underway, some people will be asking whether the onset of winter will include a white Christmas. But those whose driveways have seen better days might wonder just how much more it could deteriorate.
According to the Met Office definitions of seasons, autumn runs from the beginning of September to the end of November, with winter occupying the next three months through to the end of February. The astronomical definition goes from the autumn equinox (September 22nd in a leap year like this) to the winter equinox on December 22nd.
What this means for your driveway is that December is early in winter, so it is much less likely to get a covering of snow, either at Christmas or any other time in the month. January and February will usually see colder weather.
However, with forecasters suggesting the second half of November may bring some very cold snaps, it could be that there are some wintry conditions before it is even winter.
If you have been considering the merits of a resin drive, this weather may give you more reasons to do so, both by adding to any deterioration your drive is suffering and also by highlighting how installing a resin alternative can help.
Freeze-thaw is the most obvious problem for a hard surface like concrete or asphalt. If there are any cracks, water can get into them. As water expands as it gets colder, freezing water will widen these as the ice expands and prises them wider apart. In nature, this can be useful in helping release nutrients from rocks, but it is bad news for a driveway.
What a resin driveway does is bind together the aggregate in the surface, which means they are held together and can’t be broken open like a solid surface that is vulnerable to cracks. Moreover, because it is designed to be porous, it will drain the water away. Not only does this prevent flooding in the wetter winter months, but stops sheets of ice from forming.
Of course, the durability of resin driveways is a major advantage that does not just apply in winter, nor when comparing resin with a hard surface.
For instance, it will not become uneven in the manner of a gravel driveway, which will suffer from the inevitable gouging of wheels from the vehicle parking on the driveway.
Another great benefit comes not when it is a cold, wet, dark winter day but in summer when (hopefully) there will be plenty of sunshine. Resin driveways don’t fade easily under the effects of UV light, so their appearance and aesthetic qualities will not decline like they would if other materials were used.
Winter is not the ideal time to install a resin driveway, though this can be done. But if you do want to wait until spring before taking action, you may spend the winter noting just how much impact the harsh winter conditions have on your driveway and thinking about how the robust alternative of resin can prevent such problems this time next year.