Pour-in-place playground surfacing is an expensive, high end playground surfacing solution. An uncured rubber compound is poured into the area to be covered, which sets into a continuous sheet over the entire surface. Obviously, this is a permanent commitment. Since this products ends up forming a single sheet, it must be either patched or replaced completely in the event of any damage. The thickness of pour-in-place flooring is consistent throughout, so this type of surfacing can be rated for drop heights. Due to the costs involved (both for materials and installation), this type of playground surfacing is not common. Scott Huthmacher Email: scott@rubbercal.com |
Rubber mulch is a cost effective loose fill playground surfacing product. This product provides superior fall protection compared to other loose fill products, and is generally less expensive to install than tile products. This product can be installed with minimal subsurface preparation (usually geotextile sheeting is all that is required). A border is necessary to ensure that the material stays in place at the desired depth. Rubber mulch provides fall protection by compressing under pressure and distributing impact. Since loose fill playground surfacing does not maintain a consistent depth, this sort of product cannot be rated for fall heights. Some states have regulations governing the use of rubber mulch in various institutions, so it is important to know the applicable guidelines for your area. |
Rubber Playground Surfacing Scott Huthmacher 03/25/2005 Rubber-Cal Inc. Products discussed in this article: Playground Surfacing, Premium Rubber Mulch Rubber playground surfacing products are becoming increasingly popular among schools, daycares, and their commercial playgrounds. These types of playground surfacing provide colorful new alternatives to "standard" playground filler (i.e. sand, wood mulch, etc.), as well as significantly improved fall protection compared to these products. Rubber products for safety surfacing applications are broken into three main categories: tiles, rubber mulch, and pour-in-place flooring. Rubber tiles are most commonly seen on playgrounds. These products provide an excellent balance between cost and fall protection. Playground surfacing tiles come in two main types, interlocking and permanent installation. Interlocking tiles most often use some variation of the dovetail (e.g. male and female ends) interlocking system, although some tiles offer non-integral interlocking systems (such as pins or clips which interlock the tiles). Permanent installation tiles are adhered to the subsurface with an appropriate adhesive (commonly a polyurethane based adhesive). The notable advantage of this installation method is that the tiles will remain firmly in place under pressure, insuring maximum fall protection for the thickness of the tile. Temporary installations are most often preferred when the risk of damage to the tiles is greater, allowing damaged tiles to be easily removed and replaced. In either installation, playground surfacing tiles provide fall protection by distributing force throughout the density of the tile. Since (with the exception of gradual wearing) the tiles maintain a consistent thickness, they can be rated for fall or drop height protection. For smaller institutions, however, the price for tiles can be rather expensive. |
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Rubber Playground Surfacing Scott Huthmacher 03/25/2005 Rubber-Cal Inc. Products discussed in this article: Playground Surfacing, Premium Rubber Mulch Rubber playground surfacing products are becoming increasingly popular among schools, daycares, and their commercial playgrounds. These types of playground surfacing provide colorful new alternatives to "standard" playground filler (i.e. sand, wood mulch, etc.), as well as significantly improved fall protection compared to these products. Rubber products for safety surfacing applications are broken into three main categories: tiles, rubber mulch, and pour-in-place flooring. Rubber tiles are most commonly seen on playgrounds. These products provide an excellent balance between cost and fall protection. Playground surfacing tiles come in two main types, interlocking and permanent installation. Interlocking tiles most often use some variation of the dovetail (e.g. male and female ends) interlocking system, although some tiles offer non-integral interlocking systems (such as pins or clips which interlock the tiles). Permanent installation tiles are adhered to the subsurface with an appropriate adhesive (commonly a polyurethane based adhesive). The notable advantage of this installation method is that the tiles will remain firmly in place under pressure, insuring maximum fall protection for the thickness of the tile. Temporary installations are most often preferred when the risk of damage to the tiles is greater, allowing damaged tiles to be easily removed and replaced. In either installation, playground surfacing tiles provide fall protection by distributing force throughout the density of the tile. Since (with the exception of gradual wearing) the tiles maintain a consistent thickness, they can be rated for fall or drop height protection. For smaller institutions, however, the price for tiles can be rather expensive. |
Rubber mulch is a cost effective loose fill playground surfacing product. This product provides superior fall protection compared to other loose fill products, and is generally less expensive to install than tile products. This product can be installed with minimal subsurface preparation (usually geotextile sheeting is all that is required). A border is necessary to ensure that the material stays in place at the desired depth. Rubber mulch provides fall protection by compressing under pressure and distributing impact. Since loose fill playground surfacing does not maintain a consistent depth, this sort of product cannot be rated for fall heights. Some states have regulations governing the use of rubber mulch in various institutions, so it is important to know the applicable guidelines for your area. |
Pour-in-place playground surfacing is an expensive, high end playground surfacing solution. An uncured rubber compound is poured into the area to be covered, which sets into a continuous sheet over the entire surface. Obviously, this is a permanent commitment. Since this products ends up forming a single sheet, it must be either patched or replaced completely in the event of any damage. The thickness of pour-in-place flooring is consistent throughout, so this type of surfacing can be rated for drop heights. Due to the costs involved (both for materials and installation), this type of playground surfacing is not common. Scott Huthmacher Email: scott@rubbercal.com |
