Kids garden play area, what floor covering?

[GSXRMovistar]

Looking to convert part of the garden into a kids play area with a climbing g frame and swing setup. Base is currently a mix of hard soil, chalk, cement which has been flattened so looking at safe floor options.

Current scope is either chips, mulch, or tiles (all rubber), anyone have any experience with any of these as the costs seem to increase a far amount with each.

Ideally looking for a safe low maintainence solution.

Cheers Andy

 

[bazzabear]

I would have gone with tiles. But heard people recently saying that they get dirty quickly, and they're red hot when the sun shines on them, so dunno now.

 

[wazza300]

thick layer of bark chippings?

 

[GSXRMovistar]

Wanting to avoid natural bark as it absorbs too much moisture and is more prone to bugs/mould and all sorts of nasty’s, hence looking at the rubber options.

 

[pitchfork]

Nowt wrong with bark man, it's the best for the job.

 

[DXP55]

Concrete or tarmac - we had that on public playground when I was a kid - you only fall off once and it harden's you up -- see kiddy park down by me has cotton wool now on a bed of balloons.

Dave

 

[valve90210]

I'd vote for sharp gravel, concrete, mud and dog poo (a mixture of fresh moist & dried white), that's what the park was like where I grew up!!

 

[Jono]

Wanting to avoid natural bark as it absorbs too much moisture and is more prone to bugs/mould and all sorts of nasty’s, hence looking at the rubber options.

It'll help to develop their immune system

 

[boxman2000]

We've gone for bark chippings and as long as it gets the light for a good period during the day it should stay relatively bug/mould free.

You can get rubber chippings but they would get hot. I wouldn't go for the rubber/padded matting as they either get seriously dirty (quick), get very hot, deteriorate quite quickly and also the good stuff (from when I looked into it) is prohibitively expensive.

 

[pitchfork]

It'll help to develop their immune system

Joke around but it's a fair point, kids these days are kept super duper clean with all the antibacterial this and that.

I worry about the future generation, it seems entirely likely they'll be rife with autoimmune diseases and the like.

 

[Maccapacca]

Play bark

It's got less junk in it.

 

[bazzabear]

We've gone for bark chippings and as long as it gets the light for a good period during the day it should stay relatively bug/mould free.

You can get rubber chippings but they would get hot. I wouldn't go for the rubber/padded matting as they either get seriously dirty (quick), get very hot, deteriorate quite quickly and also the good stuff (from when I looked into it) is prohibitively expensive.

See, this is what I've heard before.

But rubber tiles is exactly what all the municipal playgrounds have, and I've never known the floors of them get too hot.

 

[valve90210]

This is the sort of stuff all the playgrounds round my way have for the flooring - " wet-pour, resin bound rubber crumb, impact absorbing safety surfaces"

http://www.softsurfaces.co.uk/

Dread to think how much it would cost though...