Despite what many people may believe, poured in place rubber surface is not 100% maintenance-free. Of course, it’s a lot easier than maintaining wood chips as a playground safety surface. By no means does this mean that it isn’t a durable and reliable playground safety surface that will last a long time. A newly installed playground surface will last for years to come. However, in time, some basic maintenance may be needed.
The amount of maintenance and possible repair work you need completely depends on the amount of traffic on this durable rubber surface. Most of the time only small repairs in very high traffic/high use areas are necessary. These areas such as those surfaces underneath playground swings, at the base of slides, and at main entry points are very easy to repair when they become worn. The repair work require to fix these areas is very affordable, usually less than 1% of the initial cost of the rubber surface installation. It is also easy to complete and can be done in one day. Learn about our recapping and restoration services.
For those who want to be proactive and prevent or prolong the normal wear and tear, wear mats can be installed in these high traffic areas. These mats will prevent the wear which typically occurs on poured in place surfaces. Here is a link to a supplier page where these mats can be purchased: https://www.aaastateofplay.com/playground-wear-mat/
Finally, it is important to address these maintenance needs as soon as you become aware of them. At the first sign of wear, have the playground surface repaired. The longer you wait, the more expensive the maintenance becomes. You don’t want to have to replace your entire playground surface.