INCLUSIVE PLAYGROUNDS

PLAYGROUND SAFETY SURFACING OPTIONS

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Playground safety surfacing options

Picture of rubber tiles
Prefabricated Rubber Tiles
Picture of Wood Fiber and PIP Surfacing
Combination of Wood Fiber and Poured-In-Place Rubber Surfaces
Picture of playground safety surfacing
Poured-In-Place Rubber

ADA accessible surfaces


Carefully choose a safety surfacing material that best suits your playground project budget, accessibility requirements and design goals.
Picture Synthetic Turf Surfacing
Synthetic Turf
Picture comination of playground safety surfacing
Combination of Wood Fiber, Turf and Poured-In Place Surfaces

playground safety surfacing material OPtions

Poured-in-place rubber safety surfacing

Poured-In-Place safety surfacing has become the safety surfacing of choice for many of our clients due to the design flexibility options, seamless installation and low maintenance requirements. The fabrication on-site provides many options, shapes and thicknesses for almost any application. The material can be applied to slopes as steep a 30 degrees, which makes it perfect for mounds, hills, and other elevation changes.
Picture of poured-in-place playground safety surfacing
Advantages
  • Accessible surface
  • Seamless installation
  • Design Flexibility
  • Numerous colors and combinations of colors
  • Not prone to insects
  • Easy to clean
  • Firm footing
  • Low life cycle cost
  • Low maintenance
  • Drains well
Disadvantages
  • High initial cost
  • Must be installed by professional installers
  • Weather sensitive at time of install
  • Requires compacted stone base or hard base

prefabricated rubber tile surfacing

Rubber tiles are a durable option, with densely pressed formed rubber, offering a long life. The multiple color options allow for patterns and shapes with in the playground surface. The dense rubber will require little maintenance over the product's lifetime. The firm surface is
Picture of rubber tiles
Advantages
  • Accessible surface
  • Numerous colors available
  • Not prone to insects
  • Easy to clean
  • Firm footing
  • Low life cycle cost
  • Low maintenance
Disadvantages
  • High initial costs
  • Best installed by experienced installers
  • Seams can catch debris over time
  • Best if installed over hard base, concrete or asphalt
  • Tiles can shrink over time
  • Weather sensitive installation

Synthetic turf safety surfacing

Synthetic playground turf material offers a natural look without the high maintenance associated with real grass while offering various foam pad thicknesses for variable critical fall heights. This friendly surface is great for any play playground, including toddler play areas.
Picture of sythetic turf playground safety surfacing
Advantages
  • Accessible surface
  • Seamless looking installation
  • Natural looking surface
  • Not prone to insects
  • Low life cycle cost
  • Low maintenance
Disadvantages
  • High initial cost
  • Best installed by experience installers
  • Fibers can become matted over time requiring some periodic fluffing
  • Material can get hot in the sun
  • Requires perimeter boards for fastening

Engineered Wood Fiber surfacing

Engineered wood fiber (EWF), the most common surfacing material installed on playgrounds, is a natural alternative to the rubber and turf materials. The much lower initial cost is a trade off for a much higher level of maintenance. EWF is considered an accessible surface when compacted and maintained level and firm.
Picture of wood fiber safety surfacing
Advantages
  • Accessible surface with regular maintenance
  • Low initial cost
  • Easily installed
  • Natural organic material
  • Can't be used in daycare setting for toddlers
Disadvantages
  • High maintenance
  • May require containment with borders
  • Material degrades quickly if it stays moist
  • Good drainage required underneath
  • Regular replenishment required
  • Can house insects
  • Full replacement of material may be required if poorly drained or not maintained

Loose fill rubber mulch surfacing

Loose fill rubber mulch offers a highly resilient material. While it falls in the mid-range of prices, rarely will it be considered handicapped accessible without the use of more permanent ADA paths formed from other unitary materials.
Picture of loose fill rubber mulch
Advantages
  • Very resilient material
  • Medium initial cost
  • Easily installed
  • Color options
  • Dries quickly after rain
  • Can't be used in daycare setting for toddlers
Disadvantages
  • Usually not an accessible surface
  • Material displaces easily
  • Regular maintenance require to move displaced material
  • Material will not degrade but that may mean that it ends up all over the play yard and will be there forever

Combination of playground safety surfacing materials

Utilizing more than one surface can provide some variety in the surface materials, offering different sensory experiences. Using lower cost materials along with higher cost surfaces is a way to reduce the budget while maintaining accessibility. Careful design planning is required to achieve a truly accessible play area  if loose fill materials are included.
Picture of combination of safety surfaces
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  General Recreation, Inc., P.O. Box 440, 25 Reese Avenue, Newtown Square, PA 19073 Copyright © 2019
  • Inclusive Playgrounds
  • About Us
    • Partnerships >
      • Build Jakes Place
      • Miracle League
      • Shane's Inspiration
      • Star Institute
  • Inclusive Play
    • Facts of Inclusivity
    • Play Engages The Senses
    • Inclusive Playground Design
    • Development Skills
    • Safety Surfacing
    • Sample Inclusive Play Designs
    • Inclusive Play Literature
    • Inclusive Project References
  • Inclusive Play Products
    • Sliding
    • Spinning
    • Climbing
    • Swinging
    • Sensory Play Elements
    • Sensory Panels
    • Rocking-Bouncing-Balancing
    • Overhead Events
    • Tunnels
    • Bridges and Ramps
    • Nature Inspired Play
    • Symbol Communication Sign
    • Unique Structures
    • Smart Play Structures
    • Fabric Shade Structures
  • Videos
  • Resources
    • Playground Grant Resources
    • Main General Recreation Website
    • Community Build Playgrounds
  • Contact Us
  • More
    • Blog
    • Privacy Policy
    • Legal