How to fill gaps in playground rubber tiles

Playground rubber tiles are a great way to achieve the precise impact attenuation around a zone of the equipment. they are perfect when installed the right way. That means choosing the right substrate, such as asphalt or concrete. When tiles are installed over compacted aggregate, they tend to warp and separate over time. Creating a border around the tiles can mitigate the problem but nothing replaces gluing them down. So what to do if your playground rubber tiles have shifted and now they have a gap that is causing a trip hazard and all kids of debris is getting stuck in there. 

Here are step by step instructions that I have personally used to mitigate such a problem:

1. Remove all debris form the gaps between the tiles. Sometimes you will have to power wash the entire surface for the best results.
2. If you have access to the bottom part of the tiles we recommend you glue them down using our aromatic binders. You can do the same to the tiles in the perimeter to prevent any lateral movement in the future.
3. Use our Rebinder B to prime the edges and bottom substrate in the gaps.
4. Use a base layer PIP repair kit to fill the gap up to half inch from the top of the tiles and let cure for 24 hours. It is important to fill the gap with the base layer first. Using EPDM granules to do so will harden the gaps which will affect your HIC test.
5. Use any of our wear layer repair kits to fill the rest of the space in the gaps. You can choose from 32 color combinations to match your rubber tile colors.
6. Let cure for 24 hours.

As always, shoot me an e-mail if you have any questions. You can send me pictures of your rubber surface if you would like and I will do my best to advise on the best course of action. My email is hal@trassig.com. You can also call 203-659-0456 and any of our installer scan help you.

Hal.