Amanda
Unitery rubbber surfacing like Pour in Place Rubber and Rubber Tiles require a sub-base material to bond to and to keep it stable. Concrete and Asphalt are good sub-bases and compacted gravel may also be used as sub-base but must have a border to keep it in place. Your ht of the playgground equipment will determine to need fall height of the rubber surfacing. You would also need to remove the existing surfacing (i.e. rubber chips) and then level the existing area before installing the sub-base. If it is not done properly you will see sink holes and cracking over a period of time. Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
We currently have the rubber mulch type stuff, and we're trying to replace it now. We wanted to get the solid rubber surface, but we're not sure if it can be done. Does anyone know what can go under it (other than concrete because they won't let us do that)? Also, can it be on a non-level surface?
Jessica- Thanks so much for posting that article. Great info!
Jewel- That's good to know about the tires leaching chemicals - thanks for sharing.
Curious to hear what others are choosing for playground surfaces? Anyone in the middle of this process and can share what they have found to be the best options?
Great article! One of the "cons" not listed for the shredded rubber tires is that the chemicals in the rubber can leach into ground water and greatly affect aquatic life. Regarding sand, cats became a problem in the sand filled areas at our school (used it as their litter box). Ick.
If anyone is still interested in this topic, I found a really great article about playground surfacing materials. It gives the pros and cons of each type. I found it very useful when I was researching this topic before I purchased a
swing set
for my own children last summer. Hope this helps!
My school donated a playground a couple of years back and to save a couple of thousand we opted for the rubber shred instead of other surfaces.
I believe it was a huge mistake. The shred is still pretty expensive, but it causes many issues. First is that it gets tracked everywhere. The blacktop area next to the playground always has shred everywhere. Next there is requirements about how deep it must be. This points out that if doing a new playground make sure you officially donate it to the school/town so that they are the responsible party. I believe the requirement is 2 or 3 feet deep. Problem is that it is always moving. A kid slides down the slide and the shred moves. A kid jumps off the monkeybars and creates a crater in the shred. I truly wish that the committee at the time had gone with a more permanent safety surface.
