A resin patio gives you a smooth, seamless, weed-free surface with no joints to rock or pool, and the first thing everyone wants to know is what it costs. Below are the applicable published rates, an honest note on where they come from, and then what decides where your own patio lands inside them. As with a driveway, that comes down to what is underneath more than the resin on top.
What a resin patio costs
| Patio | Typical installed cost | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Per m², sound existing base | £60-£100 per m² | Resin bound rates from MyJobQuote, Checkatrade, MacColl & Stokes, Andy Harragan & Sons and BetterHomeHub |
| Per m², new base needed | add £30-£50 per m² | ResinDrivewayCosts, matching the sound-base to new-base gap in BestBuilders and ResinPlanner |
| 20m² patio, sound base | £1,200-£2,000 | The per-m² range above applied to the area |
| 40m² patio, sound base | £2,400-£4,000 | The per-m² range above applied to the area |
An honest note on these numbers
Why there is no single price per square metre
A share of any patio cost is fixed setup: getting to site, prepping the edges, protecting the garden, laying to falls so water runs off. On a small patio those costs spread across fewer square metres, which pushes the rate per square metre up; a larger area usually works out lower per square metre. A rate on its own, without knowing what it includes, is not something you can compare fairly between quotes.
What drives a resin patio price
| Cost driver | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|
| Size of the patio | A larger patio spreads the same site and prep costs further, so the cost per square metre typically eases as the area increases |
| What is already down | A sound existing patio or slab can often be resurfaced; a cracked or moving one needs sorting first |
| New base needed | Laying a fresh, well-drained base where there is none is often the biggest single item |
| Levels and drainage | Laying to the right falls so water sheds, plus any drainage detail, adds labour |
| Access to the garden | A patio reached only through the house or a narrow side gate takes longer |
| Aggregate and colour | Some stone blends and colours cost more than the standard options |
Most of that is groundwork, not the resin. A resin patio is only as good as the base it is laid on, which is where both the cost and the longevity sit.
Laying over an existing patio
Want a real number for your patio?
Give us the rough size and what is down now, and we will visit, assess the base, and quote the whole job as one fixed price in writing.
What a proper quote should include
A quote worth comparing spells out the whole job: any lifting or repair of the existing surface, the base build-up where needed, laying to falls, the resin system and aggregate, and whether the price is fixed for the full job. Ours is a single fixed written price, so what you are quoted is what you pay, with no obligation to go ahead. If a quote is vague about the base, it is vague about the biggest part of the cost.
Resin patio ideas and how resin compares
Cost is only half the decision. For the look, our resin patio ideas, pros and cons guide covers finishes, colours and where a resin patio suits and where it does not. Because a resin patio and a resin driveway are the same family of surface, the driveway guides to what a resin driveway costs and resin flooring cost are worth a read for the wider picture.
So what should you do?
Get a written, fixed-price quote from someone who has seen the patio and what is under it, and make sure it details the groundwork. That is the only way to know what your resin patio will actually cost and to compare quotes fairly. We quote resin patios free and in writing across Leicestershire.
About this guide
Who wrote this
This guide is written by the Obsidian Resin team. We lay resin patios across Leicestershire, often over existing slabs, so we price these regularly and see how much the base underneath swings the figure.
Where these figures come from
The ranges on this page are rates published by named third parties, checked on 2026-08-29, and we have been explicit that they are driveway rates because no UK guide publishes patio-specific ones. That is a real limitation and we would rather state it than dress a driveway figure up as something it is not.
Why these are market rates and not our price
These are what the market charges, which is what you need in order to judge a quote. They are not an Obsidian quote. We do not publish a headline rate of our own, because until someone has seen what is under your patio it would be a guess that moves on the day. You get one fixed price for your actual patio, in writing, before anything starts.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a resin patio cost?
- A resin patio costs £60-£100 per m² laid over a sound existing base, which works out at about £1,200 to £2,000 for a 20m² patio and £2,400 to £4,000 for a 40m² one. If a new base is needed first, add roughly £30-£50 per square metre. These are resin bound rates published for driveways, because no UK guide prices patios separately, and they are what installers price patio work from.
- How much is a resin patio per square metre?
- £60-£100 per m² over a base that is already sound, and roughly £30-£50 per m² more if the ground has to be dug out and rebuilt. Because a patio can often be laid over existing slabs, patio jobs sit at the lower end of that range more often than driveways do.
- Can you lay a resin patio over existing slabs?
- Often, yes. If the existing patio or slabs are sound, flat and well-drained, a resin surface can go straight over the top, which keeps you at the cheaper end of the range and avoids the new-base uplift entirely. If they are cracked, lifting or holding water, that has to be put right first.
- Is a resin patio cheaper than a new paved patio?
- It depends on what is underneath. Where a sound existing patio can be resurfaced, resin at £60-£100 per m² is very cost-effective because you skip the groundwork altogether. Where a full new base is needed, the groundwork drives the figure either way and the two land much closer together.
- Do you ask for a deposit?
- Rarely. The whole job is one fixed written price, settled on completion. For a bigger patio we might ask for a deposit ahead of booking materials, but that is always spelled out in writing first, never a surprise.