Are your Playground Paths Falling Apart?
Then you need the right material and maintenance for your playground paths!
Over time, regularly used playground paths can lose their stability, cracking and crumbling away under foot. This is a safety hazard, limits accessibility, and discourages people from visiting. Choosing the correct material and installation for your pathways right from the start is the best way to keep your pathways looking great for longer.
Here are our top recommendations for what to do if you notice the following hazards on your playground paths.
Losing Loose-Fill?
Are your loose-fill bark or gravel pathways always needing expensive refills to cover unsightly holes caused by lost sediment? Bound rubber bark is a superior alternative. The bark-like rubber crumb is secured in place with moisture curing Polyurethane (PU) binder to keep surfaces secure and stable.
If you are worried about losing the natural look and sustainability of your bark chips, Playsmart has you covered! Our JungleMulch uses recycled rubber shred in a range of natural colours for any playground. A solid surface is also guaranteed to last longer than loose-fill without any expensive refills.
Seeing Colour Fade?
You need long-lasting colour to keep your playgrounds looking vibrant and attractive. Some types of binder and treatments of rubber can react with UV light, causing colour to fade, or even turn black over time.
Does your path surfaces are turning black and leaves behind a dusty residue? This is due to carbon build-up from a reaction with sunlight and other weathering processes. With PU treated binder, PlaySmart ensures that our rubber solutions do not break down this way and offer vibrant colours that your visitors love for longer.
Edges Worn Away?
Over time, wear and tear can cause surfaces to separate and their edges worn down if not installed with proper fixings and securing. Additionally, certain materials, like wet pour rubber, can shrink away at the edges, creating gaps in your play surfaces.
Avoid trip edges, gaps, or weathering of the surrounding grounds with proper pathway installation with bespoke edging. With timber edge strips or recessed edges under surrounding turf, your installation looks smooth and professional, without dirty or uneven patches along the sides.
Experiencing Issues with Mud?
Avoid muddy walkways by adding stability to your loose-fill or grass based pathways. You can do this with hybrid grass with netted backing. Or, for areas more prone to muddiness, rubber grass mats. These settle underneath your natural pathways, to provide even tread and improve soil stability to prevent muddy boots!
Prone to Flooding?
Proper drainage is key for pathways. As a key accessibility feature for playgrounds, paths need to be free of puddles that block them or cause hazards. Especially for urban parks and playgrounds, the hard concrete surfacing of surrounding areas can increase the risk of floods. This requires extra engineering work to create a Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) that prevents excess surface water.
SmartPave is designed with this in mind, meeting the standards for high-quality SuDS when built on a suitable base. SmartPave’s rubber aggregate is fully porous, making it our leading SuDS-compliant surface solution.
Need Ergonomic Pathways?
Make your pathways softer for walking, running, and playing with ergonomic safety surfacing. Flexible rubber or cork surfaces take the impact of each step and distribute it through layers of material to avoid over-stressing the leg joints and feet. This is key for public parks where older people may enjoy regular visits without putting too much strain on their legs.
We have developed our Corkeen open space and pathway surfacing to provide the softest footfall using clever engineering and cork’s natural flexibility. The dual-layer system of a compressible bottom and hard top layer ensures each step is stable and comfortable.
