Safe Playground Surfaces for Your Kids
Playground Safety Starts at the Surface. Literally.
When building or maintaining a playground, there are many factors to consider, but none more important than the safety of those who will be using it! Obviously, the safety measures of each playground’s equipment must be taken into account, but playground owners often overlook one of the most important safety features of any playground, no matter the location: the playing surface itself.
Children need a soft place to land whenever they are jumping or falling to prevent injuries, not to mention potential liability on your end. While there are many different options available to you currently on the market, we’ve discovered that each come with their own unfortunate batch of pitfalls. Sand or gravel quickly becomes messy and difficult to maintain, while other common solutions like rubber tire mulch often contain contaminants and are detrimental to the environment.
It quickly became clear that there must be a better, safer playground surface to protect our children and our future.
That’s why we opened up a line of specialty turf services catered specifically to playgrounds.
Artificial Grass for Playgrounds
Xtreme Green’s artificial grass holds up extremely well as a playground surface, and it’s one of our more popular applications for our synthetic turf. Playground providers can enjoy the benefits of beautiful green grass without the downfalls of watching it get torn to pieces. All while feeling rest assured that Xtreme Green’s playground turf is the best on the market when it comes to safety.
Why can we make that claim?
Simple. Over the years, the production of artificial turf has developed considerably, resulting in a higher-quality product that lasts longer and looks more realistic than ever. It’s highly customizable, with different backing and padding options to ensure a soft, cushioned surface for years to come. Compared to alternative playground surface solutions, artificial turf for playgrounds tends to be on the less-expensive end and is lower maintenance. In addition, artificial turf washes off easily in the rain, which helps keep the surface clean.
Alternative playground surfaces, like rubber mulch or sand, bring their own batch of pros, but they also bring with them far too many cons.
Rubber mulch is typically produced by shredding recycled rubber materials, such as old tires. Although this sounds like a decent alternative, it’s important to note the petrochemicals that typically accompany this type of surface. Lead contaminants from roadway paint, heavy metals, and oils are a few of the very harmful effects of rubber mulch, which is a big reason why you should stay away, and go with artificial grass/turf instead. Because of this high risk of exposure to toxic chemicals that tires typically possess, there's no it’s safer to avoid rubber mulch if at all possible.
The combination of play sand and pea gravel is another alternative to choose when outfitting a playground. However, the implementation of this combination must be done correctly to provide enough stability and protection for children. The recommended depth of the sand is at least 12 inches, and if this depth is not reached, it could cause injury. Also, there is a risk of silica, which can “cause asthma and inflammation of the lungs, while asbestos fibers can cause cancer.” Pea gravel can also contain other objects that can be detrimental to children's health, such as small stones and sticks.
While these are all viable options, we stand by the superiority of our artificial playground turf. Not only is it better looking, more durable, and easier to maintain, it also offers superior safety aspects. Our synthetic playground turf is ADA-approved and allows wheelchair users and other walking aids to function properly on its surface. This allows elderly and handicapped individuals to navigate the artificial turf with ease.
Your new playground surface is just a button-click away!