Playground floor products?
Question:We are installing a playground in our backyard. What products would you recommend to put on the ground under the playground? We're interested in rubber pellets, wood chips, etc... please give all positives and negatives. Thanks!
Answers:
The rubber is good but can smell real bad in the summer. I would recommend it the most over wood chips though. Rubber is heaver and has less tendency to blow away plus animals don't like it and plants can't grow in it. Home depot offers many shades. May I suggest a liter shade since darker color do conduct heat!
Good luck!
There are pluses and minuses with both, to be sure..
the wood product is cheaper. It also tends to break down and age quicker. You need a lot of it to be effective.
Rubber is fine, but make sure you get metal free.. there are cheap rubber materials out there that are not. Rubber is expensive, but lasts a LONG time..
I'd say the investment in rubber is worth it over the long term.. but remember.. someday the kiddies will grow up and then you get to deal with all of that ground up rubber!
If you can, look into rubber matting with a good impact rating. Especially if you are going to have monkey bars or a climing structure. Here is a site that provides safety matting. It is ok, however, there is a high end company that makes a 2" thick pad with air cells, kids can fall from 6 feet on their head and not get a concussion, however it has a firm fill so you are not tripping and slipping at all. However, it can be cost prohibitive.
Consider what happens to little knees when they hit the ground.
Rubber is great, but more expensive. Wood chips are cheap but full of slivers and frankly will be a lot of maintenance.
For my money, six inches of plain old washed sand is the way to go. It's great fun for the kids to play in, won't skin the knees and will stay put. And it's cheap if you buy in bulk from a local quarry. We pay about $6 aton for it here in SD.
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