Build a Strong Foundation

The playground is an area of great fun and activity, but kids play hard and that means that sometimes they fall. On a playground, fun rules but safety should always be a priority. While falls do happen, serious injuries can be avoided with appropriate safety surfacing.

The primary purpose of playground surfacing is to provide continual, dependable protection from serious injuries in the event of a fall. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), 70% of all injuries on a playground are due to falls to the playground surface. Choosing the right surfacing option for your playground is important and the following choices are a viable options to keep children’s playtime safe and accessible.

There are many different options for playground safety surfacing and the decision depends on budget, aesthetics, durability and maintenance. Below are the various options for playground safety surfacing:

Flex Ground

Poured in Place is a safe seamless playground safety surface that offers endless design and color options. Poured in place surfacing is porous, non-slip, durable, maintenance free and ADA compliant. Flexground EnduraFlex is a more durable product, suitable for all age play areas, and may be installed indoors or outdoors. EnduraFlex materials are mixed and applied on-site, so the thickness can be modified to meet varying critical fall heights. EnduraFlex adheres to the ASTM 1292 standard for critical fall heights, and comes with a five year limited warranty. FlexGround EnduraFlex is a poured-in-place, stationary surface, allowing wheelchairs unhindered access and maneuverability. Heavily used areas under swings and slides are designed to maintain thickness and attenuation.

Zeager

Engineered Wood Fiber is a common choice for most customers. Engineered Wood Fiber is made from a combination of precisely sized hardwoods and softwoods that nest together and produce an optimal fall surfacing. Engineered Wood Fiber is one of the most economical playground safety surfacing choices and is used on nearly 3/4 of all playgrounds in the U.S. because of its high impact absorbing qualities, yet firm, slip resistant surface that, if properly installed, allows  for wheelchase and strollers to traverse across it. Less expensive products such as sand and pea gravel just aren’t accessible.

Other Options

Shredded Rubber Mulch is made from recycled tires and comes in many various colors. We only carry rubber that is both ADA and ASTM compliant and has a long color life. Loose fill rubber mulch is one of the greenest friendly options.

Playground Tiles are made from recycled rubber and come in many vibrant colors that can be made into numerous patterns. The Rubber Safety Tiles we carry are durable, resilient and porous to allow free drainage and exceed ADA requirements.

Rubber Mats are constructed from 100% recycled tire rubber. Playground rubber mats are good for high traffic playgrounds because they limit the loss of loose fill and kick out areas. The rubber mats we carry offer a unique combination of shock attenuation, low maintenance, long wear, accessibility and ADA compliance.

Artificial Turf is 100% recyclable and has a look like real grass. Burke Turf offers safety, durability, beauty and is easy to install. The Burke Turf padding is soft and made from 90% recycled materials. Our playground turf systems are ADA accessible and offer an impact attenuation of up to 12 feet.