As Winter temperature peak in February and ice becomes a problem everywhere, it is essential to provide a safe play environment in children’s soft play surfaces and outdoor flooring in playgrounds.
To help you find the best surface for your children’s play area, PlaySmart has made a list of the most effective safety flooring for safe playground play in February.
Let’s dive in and see our options
EcoSmart Grass Mats
PlaySmart’s EcoSmart Grass Mats are at the forefront of our playground safety surfacing product range, available at the highest quality standards to meet the needs of our customers across the globe.
Grass mats are a great, versatile surfacing solution to safety concerns with your grass playground flooring. EcoSmart can easily be installed over an existing grass base without the need for digging out the current surface.
A natural look is an additional bonus to this option- 10 – 60 days after installation, the grass will have grown back through the mat’s honeycomb structure, and can even be simply controlled by mowing over the mats. This promotes natural play which is beneficial to children of all ages, while also providing a significant safety element from its high-quality recycled rubber playground-safe material.
A major priority when designing, manufacturing, and installing rubber grass mats has always been safety considerations. Critical Fall Height is an essential part of providing safety surfacing, the playground cushioning materials of the structured rubber grass mats allow for protection from heights of up to 2.25m when installed on a quality grass base.
Playground surfacing needs to be just as durable as it is safe, so EcoSmart grass matting can also be used to reduce the impact of wear and tear on the soil and existing surface. If a surface does not hold up to regular play, weather, and the number of people using the area, issues can arise.
The deterioration of a surface can occur quite quickly if the correct surfacing product does not meet the needs of the playground and its users. EcoSmart Natural Play Safety Surfacing is a 10-year product with a 5-year installation guarantee made of quality, durable materials from PlaySmart, the market leader in safety surfacing provision.
SmartPlay Advanced Shock Pad Surfacing
If you have critical fall height concerns, then SmartPlay is the playground surfacing solution for your needs. Launched after rigorous testing in demanding conditions, our patented shock pad underlay system introduces an improved layer of protection, to be used in conjunction with our market-leading matting products: FireSmart or EcoSmart.
The SmartPlay system was primarily created to improve safety when using rubber grass mats for fall height protection. It does this by addressing safety concerns that may arise when using grass mats in unfavourable or especially variable ground and weather conditions. Also using a SmartPlay shock pad underlay greatly reduces maintenance needs while improving the look of your area by stopping the mats from sinking and encouraging grass growth in action areas.
SmartPlay can be used anywhere where you are using grass matting on your playground. That could be in a play area where you want to increase fall height protection or where you wish to reduce grass mat maintenance, in areas most vulnerable to erosion.
PlaySmart has always led the way with safety and recommends the use of our SmartPlay system for areas requiring above the 2-metre Critical Fall Heights of single rubber mat surfacing.
RubbaSmart Outdoor Playground Surfacing
For a solid surfacing solution with low maintenance and excellent slip resistance, RubbaSmart wet pour playground surfacing is the best flooring solution.
Rubbasmart can be installed over existing such as concrete or tarmac surfaces or a sub-base where required. Installation of RubbaSmart depends on your required critical fall heights, providing protection from 20mm (0.7-metre CFH) to 130mm (3.0-metre CFH). Wet pour can also be repaired or topped up with a reskim layer as part of wet pour rubber maintenance.
Furthermore, the high-quality rubber material does not absorb water, so your RubbaSmart won’t freeze over or create puddles! You can walk across your rubber mulch all winter long without needing to worry about slipping and fall damage.
There are many benefits to using RubbaSmart, including:
- Colourful designs perfect for playgrounds
- Can be installed underneath playground equipment
- Slip resistance
- No edges creating a trip hazard
- Can be laid on both tarmac and concrete
- Low maintenance
Where is RubbaSmart best used?
- Children’s play areas
- Multi-use games areas
- Parks and recreation grounds
- Outdoor gyms
- Seating areas
- Splash pads
- Domestic gardens
Contact us for more Winter Safe Playground Ideas!
Learn more about our products or get in touch by calling 01564 721811 and our expert advisors to guide you on your next project.