Car park resurfacing: overlay, inlay or rebuild?
Overlay when the base is sound and levels can rise; plane and inlay when kerb and door levels must stay the same; rebuild when the base has failed. For smaller sites, overlays run about £20–£35 per m² and plane and inlay about £26–£42 per m², excluding VAT.
Start with a survey
Look for fretting, crazing, rutting, standing water and potholes. Where failure is widespread, trial holes or cores show whether the base or only the surface has gone.
The options
| Option | When | Guide (ex VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Patch repairs | Mostly sound surface | £150–£400 per pothole |
| Overlay | Sound base, levels can rise | £20–£35/m² |
| Plane and inlay | Levels must stay the same | £26–£42/m² |
| Rebuild | Base has failed | £50–£85/m² |
Sites of 500 m² and above often come in lower per m²; lining, kerbs, drainage and traffic management are usually extra.
Keeping the site open
Most small car parks can be resurfaced in halves or zones, or at quieter times by agreement, so the business keeps trading.
Lining
Re-lining follows resurfacing and is a chance to improve the layout: accessible bays, walkways and hatching. See our line marking guide.
Questions
Do we need planning permission to resurface a car park?
Resurfacing on the same footprint generally does not. New car parks, extensions and changes of use may.
How long does it take?
Often one to three days for a small car park, plus lining.
Related services
Car park resurfacing
Overlay or plane-and-inlay to renew a worn car park surface without rebuilding the base.
FROM £20–£35 PER M² EX VATLearn more →
Car park surfacing
New small car parks built properly: deeper sub-base, dense binder and surface course, kerbs, drainage and lining.
FROM £50–£85 PER M² EX VATLearn more →
Line marking and speed humps
Bay lines, hatching, arrows and accessible bays, plus asphalt speed humps for car parks and private roads.
FROM £40–£120 PER BAY EX VATLearn more →Get a written tarmac quote
Send a postcode and a rough size and we'll arrange a survey. Every quote lists the layers, edging, drainage and VAT.
- Surface courseDEPTH + MIX
- Binder courseDEPTH + MIX
- Sub-baseDEPTH + MATERIAL
- Edges, drainage, VATITEMISED