The best material for a playground floor is recycled rubber crumb due to its superior shock absorption, non-slip, and environmental resistance properties. This playground ground cover material comes in the form of interlocking tiles that allow for customizable sizing. Playground floor padding is important in maintaining safety on playgrounds as children can be unpredictable and may take a tumble. In addition to its safety features, rubber ground cover mats are excellent indoor/outdoor products that will resists damage caused by harsh environmental factors as well as abrasions. A recycled crumb rubber playground ground cover will be a durable and long-lasting playground flooring option for both indoor and outdoor playgrounds.

What is the Best Ground Cover for a Playground?

Recycled crumb rubber tiles are the best ground cover for a playground due to the material’s excellent shock absorption and non-slip properties. Shock absorption, more so than anti-slip properties, is a very important quality to have in a playground ground cover for preventing serious injuries from falls onto a hard surface. Annually, upwards of 200,000 children are treated in emergency rooms for playground related injuries as most injuries were the result of falls off playground equipment and onto the playground surface. Case in point, “Most of the injuries are the result of falls. These are primarily falls to the ground below the equipment…” (earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org). With the use of a shock absorbent playground ground cover, chances of serious injuries are significantly reduced. For instance, according to the Consumer Product and Safety Commission, “The surfacing under and around playground equipment is one of the most important factors in reducing the likelihood of life-threatening head injuries” (cpsc.gov). Recycled crumb rubber is the best material for a playground floor as it can offer superior shock absorption compared to other playground ground cover materials. Rubber’s natural compression set allows for a “bounce” which offers a cushioning effect that creates a sufficient barrier between the force of a child falling and the hard subflooring. In addition, rubber’s natural high coefficient of friction offers excellent traction which is then enhanced by the textured surface recycled crumb rubber produces. Best of all, rubber’s natural grippy surface will not be affected by moisture on its surface.

Another reason why recycled crumb rubber tiles are the best playground ground cover is due to their customizable feature. It is important to have sufficient surfacing around playground equipment as children can be unpredictable when landing on the playground surface when jumping or exiting from the equipment. The area around the equipment where children are expected to land is called the “use zone”, or “fall zone”. The playground use zone “should extend a minimum of 6 feet in all directions from the perimeter of the equipment” (cpsp.org). Recycled crumb rubber tiles are ideal for creating a sufficient use zone as its interlocking mechanism allows you to make the playground ground cover the perfect size according to the existing equipment. Simply connect the rubber ground cover mats with plastic connector pins through the holes that line the sides of each tile and continue adding tiles until you have reached your desired size. This allows you to make your playground ground cover the correct size for sufficient use zone padding.

What are the Pros and Cons of Rubber Flooring?

Rubber flooring, like most other flooring products, have some cons; however, the pros of rubber flooring outweigh the cons, making rubber flooring the ideal playground ground cover. Some of the benefits of a recycled crumb rubber floor can offer are a non-slip surface, excellent shock absorption, durability, and indoor/outdoor versatility, making it the best material for a playground floor. Recycled crumb rubber flooring is made up of post-consumer vehicle tires which gives it excellent durability and resistance to damaging environmental factors, including UV rays, ozone, oxygen, and moisture, which makes it excellent for both indoor and outdoor playground covering. Additionally, due to its vehicle tire composition, it will not be damaged by physical abrasions and impacts, allowing for a long-lasting playground ground cover. Furthermore, a recycled crumb rubber playground ground cover can also offer numerous safety benefits, such as a shock absorbent playground floor and an anti-slip surface. Rubber playground floor padding retains a low compression set which offers durable cushioning between the force of impacts, in this case a falling or jumping child, and the hard subsurface under the rubber ground cover mats. Recycled crumb rubber flooring also has excellent traction-enhancing capabilities through its natural traction and the textured surface that is produced by the crumb rubber. One con to rubber flooring is that it can easily be stained by strong chemicals while cleaning; however, it can withstand mild chemical detergents which allows for thorough cleaning.

• (a) Can Rubber Flooring Get Wet?

  Rubber flooring can get wet without absorbing the moisture or losing its grippy surface, making it an excellent choice for both indoor and outdoor playground covering. Rubber playground cover mats are inherently moisture resistant; however, the seams between the tiles allow for sufficient drainage to prevent water from pooling at the playground’s surface. The moisture resistance of a recycled crumb rubber playground ground cover helps the playground surface retain its naturally grippy surface. In addition to the seams offering drainage, some rubber playground ground cover tiles feature a waffle-patterned underside which allows moisture to drain out from under the tiles. The rubber material will also resist the permeation of moisture which, in turn, will inhibit the growth of microbial byproducts, such as mold and mildew. Furthermore, its resistance to water allows a recycled crumb rubber playground ground cover to remain outdoors in wet weather conditions without worry of damage.

A recycled crumb rubber playground ground cover can offer numerous safety benefits, including a non-slip surface, excellent shock absorption, and indoor/outdoor versatility, making it to the best material for a playground floor. Its customizable feature allows you to create sufficient playground floor padding around the playground equipment’s use zone. Recycled crumb rubber ground cover mats can resist damage caused by environmental factors, including UV rays, ozone, oxygen, and moisture. It also retains a low compression set which allows for durable and ample cushioning between the children and the hard surface underneath the tiles. Overall, due to its excellent shock absorption, environmental resistance, and anti-slip properties, a recycled crumb rubber tiles are the best playground ground cover for a playground.