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The quick answer is yes, but carefully. We have fixed a lot of surfaces damaged by power washing. The risk is that if you use higher pressure than needed you will dislodge the EPDM granules. If you can avoid power washing altogether, you should. But if you must, because you have grime, mold, moss, or anything that a powerful leaf blower can't take care of, then use a wide angle nozzle on your power washer.
They can. They have been known to go right though the wear layer creating holes that will need to be patched. We know of many schools and daycares that have posted signs asking mothers with stiletto heels to take them off before they go on the surface. If that happens, you will need to use one of our poured in repair kits.
The quality of the binders your contractor used in the installations play a big role in the longevity of the poured in place rubber surface. How the system was troweled affects its integrity as well. Lastly, if your poured in was installed on aggregate, the quality of the site prep affects the poured in in a big way.
Yes there is. You should not patch in temperatures less than 40 degrees. There are tricks you can use while dealing with small repairs, such as misting the binders or using a heat source, but generally the repair will go a lot smoother with higher temperatures.
The amount of binder that you will need depends on the size of the area that you are filling with poured-in-place surfacing and the amount of rubber that you are using. Our repair kits are all pre-measured and are the best option for smaller repairs. If, however, you need to fill a larger area, a handy-man or contractor will be the best person to use and mix the binder with the rubber that you need. Click here to use our playground poured in rubber calculator, which based on the square footage and fall height you feed it will give you exactly the amount of rubber materials and binder you need.
Trassig does not do any installs anymore, but some of our products are well suited for certain residential uses. Call us and ask about your residential project to see how we can be of service.
Aliphatic binders are clear and are generally the more UV-resistant option. They are especially useful in areas where chlorine is used, like around pools. They are also a good option when using lighter colored granules on a poured in place surface. Aromatic binders are a darker, amber color. This kind of binder will also darken over time. Read our surfacing guide for more in-depth information about binders and poured in place surfaces.
We offer four sizes of poured in place Repair Kits. The Quick Repair Kit will work for the smallest poured in place problems and covers 2.5 square feet. The Value Repair Kit is our most popular option and covers 5 square feet. The Jumbo Repair Kit is perfect for surfaces that have a larger hole that needs to be covered, or several spots that need repair. This will cover 10 square feet. The Giant Repair Kit is the largest and covers 20 square feet. If a project cannot be covered by the Giant Repair Kit or have a larger poured in place project, we recommend that you see our section on surfacing materials.
Using a Poured in place Repair Kit is very simple and anyone can do it. This is an easy DIY project and you can click here to watch our how-to video for more information. For larger products that involve more serious mixing and larger quantities of materials, hiring a handyman is usually the best option. Anyone with experience mixing cement is a good choice for making a poured in place surface repair.
The amount of surfacing material that you need to purchase depends on the size of the area you need to cover and the required fill depth. The fill depth of the surfacing materials will determine the critical height rating of the surface. Click here to see how to calculate how much material you need.
You have to add the price of installation and shipping as well as the price of safety surfacing if you don’t have any. Shipping a commercial set usually costs 10% to 15% of the retail value of the set depending on how far you are from the manufacturer and the popularity of the shipping routes to your destination. Professional installation of a set will cost 35% to 45% or even more in some complicated designs.
It depends on what safety surfacing you are getting. If it is poured in rubber, the playground set goes first, and then the rubber is troweled around the playground. While a playground set can be installed after a poured in place rubber surface, it will add the unnecessary cost of cutting and patching around the posts. On the other hand, if you are getting a synthetic turf application, it is sometimes easier to install the turf first and then cut and seam later. In any case, check with your playground representative before arranging for surfacing separately.
Choosing the right kind of protective surfacing is one of the most important ways that you can prevent injuries from occurring on your playground. The right kind of protective surface for your playground is determined by the critical height rated for that surfacing material. The "critical height" of a surface is determined by how far a child could fall onto the surface without experiencing a serious, life-threatening injury. The critical height needs to be greater than the height of the tallest piece of equipment on your playground. For more information, click here for our playground surfacing guide.
Use a regular hose, blower, brooms with soft bristles. You can use a power washer with a wide nozzle. Don’t use metal shovels or any sharp objects that might cut or otherwise dislodge the rubber granules. Don’t use any substances that damage rubber or dilute glues (Like Xylene). You can also use our playground sanitizer to sanitize your poured rubber.
We offer several different sizes of Patch Kits as well as Rebinder™ that can be used to fix various cracks in your surface that come in a variety of colors. The colors will never be an exact match, so we recommend trying to make the patch look like a fun design by cutting shapes into the surface before filing the damaged area. These patch-kits are low cost, especially because they are do-it-yourself. We provide detailed instruction manuals and how-to videos to help you, as well as an Install Care Specialist (ICS) who can talk to you, or a handyman, throughout the process. You can find our series of how-to videos here and you can click here for our selection of surfacing maintenance products.
The easiest way to remember when to replenish your playground mulch is to mark on the posts when you have a new application. When you can see that the mark is a few inches above the mulch level, it’s time to replenish. And remember to only get certified wood fiber.
You are required by code to cover your sandbox whenever it is not used. If you don’t, your sandbox might become a litter box. You should use a cover that has a mesh top surface, so the water doesn’t accumulate there, making it difficult to remove. Tarps will generally blow away with the wind. We prefer a sandbox cover that is weighted at the ends, so one person can put it on and take it off. Check out our custom weighted sandbox cover.
Swing sets take a lot of space. That's why we are seeing less and less of them in small daycares. if it’s for preschoolers, You measure the height of the swing (usually 7′ to 8′), double that measurement, and that’s the space you need for the front of the swing. You need to add the width of the swing frame (about 10′) plus 12 feet for the buffer zone. A typical one bay, two-seat swing set will need an area of 25′ by 32′. A toddler swing set will typically require less space because instead of measuring the height of the swing from the surfacing to the beam, you measure from the bucket seat to the beam.
Poured in Place Rubber is a two-layer system. The bottom layer is comprised usually of SBR, which comes usually from tire rubber buffings. The top layer, also called the wear layer, typically consists of EPDM, TPV or other synthetic rubber. both layers are held together by a binder. The installation of poured in place rubber takes place in two phases. First, the bottom layer, which is the impact attenuating layer (its thickness is decided by the fall heights in the playground) is installed. Once that has cured (usually 24 hours), the wear layer is installed. Bonded rubber, on the other hand, is pigmented shredded rubber that is mixed with binders and installed as one layer.
You should stay away from any loose surfacing in toddler playgrounds since toddlers like to pick up stuff and put it in their mouths. You should stay away from pea gravel and shredded rubber in particular. All unitary surfacing solutions (rubber tiles, poured in place rubber, synthetic turf) are good candidates.
The shade cloth in your shade structure should be taken off before any snow falls and if you are expecting high winds.
There is no ‘best layout’ for a playground. It all depends on your site, your age group, the number of kids playing in the playground at the same time, amount of sun the playground gets, the type of surfacing, slope, drainage, other natural barriers and obstructions that might be in your site as well as many other factors. This is why it is important to work with a playground representative that has experience and knows these factors. Generally, you should be aware of a few key things such as bundling play values in such a way that they don’t interfere with each other. For example, you want to separate swings from other activities because of the use zone they require. You also want to make supervision easy by keeping lines of sights clear to make it easy for teachers and parents to keep in eye on the kids. You also need to work with the environment you have to make sure the playground pieces are not an eyesore. And finally, verify that everything looks good on paper before the digging starts.
The American's with Disabilities Act (ADA) has put forth regulations to make public spaces, including playgrounds, accessible to people with disabilities. Making sure that Gates, pathways, and access to platforms should be wide enough for wheelchairs to use and turn around in. Ramps should be included on playground equipment and around the playground itself where necessary. Including upper-body equipment is another way to ensure that children with disabilities are included. Making sure that the surface of the playground is even and that equipment is well spaced will make movement around the site easier for family members, supervisors, and kids alike. Auditing plans before any playground equipment is installed is the best way to make sure that the playground will be accessible and integrative. Click here to visit our satellite website and learn more about ADA audits.
There are around 220,000 playground injuries every year, and 79% of those injuries are the result of falls. Most of these falls are to the playground surface itself, so it is extremely important to have proper protective surfacing and properly maintain it. Falling into other equipment is another danger kids face, so make sure that your playground layout follows use zone regulations; most equipment needs to be at least six feet away from any other structures. The most common cause of death or debilitating injury is entanglement which can follow falls, entrapment, and other impacts to playground equipment. Click here to see our satellite website with more information on playground hazards.
It is possible that your playground incorporates elements that do not fit well into any of the equipment categories that are covered by ASTM code, but it is still important to make sure that it is safe for use. One way to do this is to check the non-traditional equipment against codes for similar kinds of equipment. There are also some basic performance criteria that all equipment should meet. See our section on non-traditional elements on our satellite website explaining playground codes here.
Yes you can. Granted that you stabilize the tiles first so they don't move from underneath the new surface, particularly the tiles in the perimeter of the surface. If you can glue the tiles first that would be ideal.
