[RHPL]

Need to buiold a playground area for a massive 'Rainbow" play structure. Size to be about 28' x 50'. Will likely use some type of curbing to frame the area with a row of interlock as a mowwing strip (their maintenance guy is a friend of mine). Was thinking of looking into the rubber mulch, but remember hearing that it is very expensive. Otherwise I guess regular mulch or pea gravel on landscape fabric.

Any suggestions for other construction techniques people have used?

Ryan

[Stonehenge]

We've used landscape timbers, but routered the edges to round them off, so there'll be fewer split lips.

Yeah, the rubber mulch is crazy expensive - $500 a cubic yard, if I recall. We used it once. 3 yards worth. Came in giant mac and cheese boxes (seriously - it was the boxes that hold the boxes that hold the boxes of mac and cheese). With shipping (also not cheap) it came out around $1700, if I recall. We just use a nice thick layer of bark mulch for most projects like this.

[Terre]

I just did some research into the rubber mulch for a possible client, it is coming down in price. I learned there are a couple of things to be wary of. One, as usual, there are different manufacturers with different processes. Some do not remove all the metal. Second issue, is apparently some are now chemically treating it to inhibit the growth of mold and mildew which has been a problem. Wonderful. As a mother, do I want my children playing with moldy rubber or chemically treated rubber? Neither one is a great choice.

I was also told that in this state at least, it isn't acceptible for under play equipment for a licensed daycare.

[Paul]

Poured in place rubber is in the $17 to $25 per sq ft is ADA approved and proper installation makes fall protection guidelines. No mold problems, no trail of mulch following the little ones out of the play ground. Life span of 5 to 7 years VS safety mulch (wood) with two years tops.

[Fine Edge]

Regular mulch would be my first choice, unlike the playset we just had to work around on the project we're just finishing.
Client wanted the same synthetic turf as he has on his putting green and BEWARE: It's HOT. Would not want to go barefoot on that stuff.
The paver border was also not my choice to create a barrier between the playset and the zoysia but it's not my money!

[papercutter]

One of the manufacturers (rubberecycle in NJ, maybe?) does a rubber curb that interlocks and gets anchored with stainless steel spikes.

As for the rubber mulch and safety issues, I've definitely heard of issues with the shredded tires and the wire from the radials. There's a company in Massachusetts that we looked at called QuaBoing. They shred rubber from sneaker soles, so there's no issue with metal. It looks totally different from the tire stuff, and they've got the certs for all the fall protection tests. The price wasn't cheap, but it seemed in line with the other rubber products.

[jshilan]

We've always used either cedar mulch or a sterilized playground mulch (Fibar). We use approx 6" of mulch. The kids stay clean and as safe as you can get with a playground. If you use regular shredded hardwood mulch, the kids will be filthy and the parents will hate you. I used to use pea gravel as an alternative until I watched two brothers "whipping" it at each other. Apparently mulch isn't fun to throw.

Other concerns with the rubber mulch are what do you do with it in 5-10 years when the kids no longer play on it and it's time to dispose of it. With mulch you can just spread it in the existing beds. I assume the rubber mulch would have to be disposed of somewhere offsite since I'm pretty sure it doesn't break down too well. It will probabaly cost as much to dipose of it as it was to install it. Doesn't sound too "Green" to me or logical from a landscape contractor or homeowner perspective.

From a designers perspective, I try to locate the play structures in the bed itself so that I don't need edging (just lawn on one side) and so that it blends in with the surroundings. I usually "caddy corner" them in one corner or the other and keep the plantings far enough away so that they don't get trampled (too much).

Not to date myself, or say that kids today are soft, but we used to play on rusty play structures that were built on asphalt and we survived. Granted, on really hot days the asphalt did have some "give" but it also tore off a layer or two of skin. Who can forget the "thump" of the swingset footing as you tried to swing so high that you pulled the swingset out of the ground?

Those were the days.