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Over the years, playgrounds have developed to make them safer while still being enjoyable for kids. Installing proper levels of safety surfacing under play equipment is one of the many safety measures that have been put in place. Those who are unfamiliar with playgrounds may be uncertain of their alternatives and what would be ideal for their playground. Sand, pea gravel, shredded or recycled mulch, wood mulch, chips, or any material that has been tested to ASTM F1292, including unitary surfaces, engineered wood fiber, and so on, are all good options for playground rubber surfacing. Depending on the type of surfacing you choose, you'll need to do some study to ensure you're laying down the proper amount.
Most Cost-effective Playground Surface Options
There are many options for playground safety surfacing, but we believe that rubber mulch is by far the safest and most cost-effective option for commercial playground surfacing in the long run. Rubber playground mulch, which is manufactured from recycled tires, is something that most of us are familiar with.
These tires are cleaned, shredded, and processed several times before being turned into a visually appealing and, more importantly, safe playground surfacing material. Over any other playground surfacing material on the market today, rubber mulch has the highest impact absorption rate per inch of height. It's an inexpensive playground surface option that comes in a variety of colors, doesn't require professional installation or maintenance, and best of all, it'll last a lifetime.
Loose-Fill Surfacing
This type of surfacing includes sand, wood mulch, wood chips, rubber mulch, engineered wood fiber, and pea gravel. Many of these materials are low-cost and easy to install. You'll need to know the fall height of your playground before installing any of the surfaces. This will determine the thickness of your surfacing.
Compressed wood mulch protects against a fall height of 7 feet, while compressed wood chips protect a fall height of 10 feet. Calculate how much loose-fill surfacing you'll need by determining your fall heights and the style of loose-fill you desire. This type of surfacing will need to be replenished since foot traffic kicks loose material out.
Unitary Surfacing and Poured Rubber Playground
Rubber mats, rubber tiles, and poured-in-place rubber are examples of unitary surfaces. These forms of flooring are often more expensive than those made of loose-fill material. Any of these poured rubber playground surfaces will take more time to install and will require a professional and qualified installation.