After almost 20 years of conditioning playground rubber surfaces and telling contractors and operators how to seal their rubber surface, I thought it would be helpful to list the three top mistakes people make as these are the costliest mistakes of them all:
- Never cut binder with products like xylene, paint thinner, or kerosene. You simply can never recreate the chemical lab ratios and dillutants used in a lab as it is the case with a product like the Rebinder B. If you dilute too much, then your poured in rubber is not being rebinded properly and you might be accelerating the granulation. If you are not diluting enough, you are hardening the play surface. Which means you are failing the HIC tests.
- Never seal your surface if it is wet. This includes moisture under decks or dew. Typically, it is better to rebind in the middle of the day or in the afternoon when all moisture has evaporated from the rubber surface. The binders in the sealant do not like water and will bubble up upon contact.
- Never seal with impending rain. Check the weather forecast very carefully. If you are done rebinding and it rains a few hours later you are most likely going to be fine, but if it rains right after, you will have a mess on your hand. 50% chance rain is no good. Pick a nice dry day to rebind. It will be worth the wait.
If find the above mistakes to be the most problematic in sealing your playground rubber surface. If you have any questions, feel free to call us at: 203-659-0456 or email us at info@trassig.com. Remember that everyone that works at Trassig is an actual installer. We are happy to advise you on any poured in issues you might have, whether you buy from us or not.
