How Long Does Playground Equipment last?
- Quality How well a piece of playground equipment is made can be the sole reason a playground will last as long as it does. ...
- Material A swing set or playground can usually last anywhere from 3-years to a lifetime depending heavily on the material it is made from and how well it is taken care of. ...
- Upkeep ...
- Environment ...
How long do commercial playgrounds last?
However more recently, we have seen commercial playgrounds last as long as 15-20 years without any updates (which our warranty supports!). However, when you stretch the life of your playground equipment, you need to make sure that it will be safe for children to play on.
How has playground design changed over the years?
Playground design has taken dramatic turns in the past decades. Playground equipment you might remember from your childhood has been vastly redesigned with safety and inclusion in mind. Looking for a traditional merry go round?
Why choose the right playground equipment?
Choosing the right equipment is an essential factor. If you don't create a fun, inviting, exciting playground, kids won't use it -- and for kids, play is vital. Play increases a child's self-esteem and develops social and cognitive skills necessary for daily adult life. Playground design has taken dramatic turns in the past decades.
What questions should I ask when planning a playground?
Our play experts can help you determine what your playground should include -- and what will work within your budget. Here are 11 questions to ask when you're planning a playground. 1. What playground equipment should I choose? Choosing the right equipment is an essential factor.
How Long Do Playground Equipment Last?
What Can You Do to Prolong the Lifespan of Your Play Equipment?
What Makes Some Metal Play Equipment More Durable?
How often should outdoor play equipment be checked?
Schedule Regular Inspections These inspections are usually done monthly, quarterly, or bi-annually, depending on how much they are used, to ensure the playground equipment is safe. There is no hard and fast rule for how often you should have your playground inspected, but the more often you can do it, the better.
How long should a commercial playground last?
eight to ten yearsGenerally, commercial playground equipment needs replacement in eight to ten years. Occasionally, some maintenance is required as well. The maintenance differs depending on whether the equipment is wooden, metallic, or plastic. Wood is the most long-lasting, and metal is the second best.
How do you know if playground equipment is age appropriate?
If for instance you have an area that is only used by pre-kindergarten age children, say as young as 2 and as old as 5, then a playground unit designed for ages 2-5 would likely be the best choice for your users. There may be situations in which the age group is varied, say from ages 2-12.
How do you maintain playground equipment?
Playground grounds and equipment should be inspected daily for health and safety hazards. Carefully check for trash, broken glass, and other hazardous items and debris. Other problems to check for include vandalism or other signs of inappropriate use of the playground area.
How long do wooden playgrounds last?
A swing set made of strong, durable wood should last 20 years or longer — some even last for generations. As with any material, the life expectancy of a wooden swing set depends on proper care and maintenance. Generally, however, you can expect a wooden swing set to outlive other playset materials.
What is considered playground equipment?
Playground Equipment means any apparatus which is designed for recreational use in a playground and includes swings, seesaws, stationary spring-mounted animal features, rider- propelled merry-go-rounds, climbers, slides, trampolines and physical fitness devices; Sample 1.
What age is good for soft play?
Soft Play is a great solution because it's safe, easy-to-clean and designed just for children aged from about 12 months all through the pre-school years. Plus, soft play areas are often located near other family attractions like restaurants or cafes so your toddler can enjoy some food while they play!
What age is safe for slides?
For toddlers about 12 to 18 months, Posner says stick to slides no longer than 4 feet. Once little ones are around 3 years old, they might be ready for the larger slides. If your child can stand up quickly after going down a slide without falling off, they're ready to go down on their own, says Ganjian.
What are the 3 different age groups that playgrounds should be developed around?
Playground environments should be planned for different ages of children.6 months through 23 months.2 to 5 years.5 to 12 years.
How do you take care of outdoor equipment?
8 Great Tips For Maintaining Outdoor Play EquipmentPlan Before You Purchase. ... Conduct Regular Inspections. ... Always Think “Safety First” ... Clean Your Equipment Regularly. ... Make Repairs Quickly. ... Ensure All Repairs Are Done Correctly. ... Have a Replacement Plan in Place. ... Maintain Recommended Levels of Playground Surfacing Material.More items...
How do I keep my outdoor playground clean?
Keeping Your Outdoor Playground CleanProvide Litter Boxes. ... Clean High-Touch Surfaces Regularly. ... Learn How to Manage Pet Waste. ... Consider Recycling Some Waste. ... Sanitize and Disinfect Surfaces Regularly. ... Know How to Deal with Messes. ... Get Kids Involved in Cleaning.
How can playgrounds stay clean?
1) Cleaning: Opt for play equipment-safe soaps and sprays that can clean the equipment surfaces. Inspect for visible dust, dirt, substances, and scrub till there is no trace remaining. 2) Deep-clean: After the cleaning stage, use a non-toxic cleaning product that is safe for play equipment.
Why props and equipment should be age appropriate?
Specially designed age-appropriate play equipment is not only an important factor in a child safety, but it helps children develop their physical and cognitive abilities, as well as improving their sensory organ responses when exposed to stimuli.
What is the age rating for people playground?
People Playground is rated R18+, meaning that it is inappropriate for children. The gameplay is filled with gory scenes and violence.
Why is a separate play area best for children under the age of 2?
These traits can lead to aggression and vandalism on the playground. In addition, older children often forget that preschoolers are smaller and weaker and accidents can result. For this reason, it just makes good sense to have separate areas for preschoolers and older kids.
What is a type of protective surfacing that can be used to cushion falls?
Step 1: Select Appropriate Materials Appropriate material examples include loose-fill material (wood products, sand, pea gravel, and crumb rubber) and unitary surface material (rubber tile, poured-in-place, and other artificial surfaces).
Why remove shade fabric?
If you opted to have a shade structure or modular shade installed on your site, it is important to remove the shade fabric in the event of natural disasters such as hurricanes and snowstorms that are accompanied by high winds and/or heavy snowfall. This will keep your shade fabric in good condition to shade children on the playground after the storm passes. You can find a helpful tutorial on how to remove shade fabric with our Glide Elbow mechanism from Superior Shade.
What is a CPSI in playgrounds?
Just as you regularly service your vehicle and appliances, Superior Playgrounds encourages regular checks of your commercial playground equipment by a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) for maintenance needs and safety hazards.
How long are roto molded plastics warranted?
Our pipes, rungs, loops and rails, roto-molded plastics, activity panels, and punched steel decks are also warranted for 15 years with the proper maintenance.
Does Superior Playgrounds inspect playground equipment?
Just as you regularly service your vehicle and appliances, Superior Playgrounds encourages regular checks of your commercial playground equipment by a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) for maintenance needs and safety hazards. On the rare occasion that your SRP Certified Partner is not able to inspect your equipment, make use of our playground safety checklist.
Is a steel post warranty good for life?
The warranty on our steel posts, stainless steel hardware, component direct connections, and aluminum post caps are warranted for life*.
What is a CPSI inspection?
Similar to routine car inspections, keep up with the health of your commercial playground equipment by having it looked at by a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) regularly. A CPSI will be able to warn you of any existing safety hazards on your commercial playground, along with any maintenance needs.
How to keep a playground clean?
Naturally, you will want your playground area to be generally clean and free of debris. Removing litter from your playground area keeps it both clean and safe. Get rid of any trash like broken glass, plastic or food crumbs as quickly as you can to prevent any unwanted animals and injuries on your playground. Don’t forget to double-check areas like walkways and benches for extraneous trash.
Why is it important to keep the ground level?
Any divots in the grass, gaps in the surface material or dips in the ground could be a tripping hazard. Check the areas around your playground to make sure it is solid, so you can confidently provide a safe surface to play on.
How to keep kids safe on a playground?
The best way to ensure kids’ safety while playing on your commercial playground is to keep up with its maintenance. General wear and tear on commercial playground equipment can occur from age, overuse or the weather and lead to otherwise avoidable injuries like tripping over uneven boards or getting limbs stuck in improper openings. To prevent accidents like these, it is important that you keep up with your playground’s maintenance.
How long does a commercial playground last?
Given the right circumstances and surroundings, your commercial playground’s lifetime could span decades.
What are playgrounds made of?
Typically, commercial playgrounds are made out of plastic, wood or metal. When thinking about how long a playground can last, take into account what materials it was made from and how those materials fare when exposed to the elements. For example, a metal playground could be prone to rust after rain or a wooden playground could rot, splinter or attract bugs.
What is a dead giveaway that it is time to replace your playground equipment?
Complaints or concerns: A dead giveaway that it is time to replace your playground’s equipment is if you start receiving worried calls from kids or their caregivers.
How Long Does Playground Equipment last?
Playground equipment can have a wide range as to how long it will last depends on a few factors.
Why is it important to replace playground equipment?
However, this means it is very important to replace aging playground equipment because it can cause even more chances for injuries.
What is the NSC for playgrounds?
This non-profit organization has outlined some safety practices that allow playgrounds to be less of a place for injuries and hazards, and more of a safe place for kids to run around on. They have specific guidelines relating to equipment and what is recommended for measurements on equipment.
Why shouldn't you buy plastic playground equipment?
Plastic playground equipment shouldn’t be bought for a long-term fix and won’t work for playgrounds that are used frequently due to it breaking down so quickly. Plastic usually does not hold up well against the elements and most sun or rain exposure only weakens the integrity of the material.
How much does it cost to repair a playground?
The cost ranges anywhere from $50-$75 an hour. Most playground repairs in total can cost anywhere from $200-$2,500 depending on what you need to be fixed and how long it takes.
What happens if a playground is broken?
If one small part of a playground is broken, you can often repair it instead of redoing the entire thing. However, sometimes playgrounds are damaged past a point of repair and this will cause you to replace the entire piece of equipment.
How long does a swing last?
A swing set or playground can usually last anywhere from 3-years to a lifetime depending heavily on the material it is made from and how well it is taken care of. If the material is suitable for the environment it will be exposed to, you stand a better chance of it lasting a long time.
How much does a playground cost?
This is the big question: How much does a commercial playground cost? And, knowing that a good, long-lasting, high-quality playground costs between $20,000 and $50,000, how much can your community (or school, or daycare) afford?
What makes a playground unique?
Customization and theming are great ways to make your playground unique, but the more custom options you add, the higher the price. The effort is well worth it, though. A themed space can allow you to maximize your community's history or add fantasy elements. You can add a castle! You can add a pirate ship! Our Landmark Design team will help you design the playground of your dreams.
What is playground surfacing?
Don't forget playground surfacing. Surfacing is an essential part of the playscape. It offers impact attenuation properties that help cushion inadverant falls from playground equipment. There are lots of surfacing options to choose from, too -- poured in place rubber, engineered wood fiber, recycled bonded rubber, recycled loose-fill rubber, recycled rubber tiles, and turf. Our playground experts are here to help you determine the best playground surfacing for your community. You can also request a copy of our informative surfacing guide Strong Foundations to learn more about surfacing options.
Why is it important to play in a playground?
Play increases a child's self-esteem and develops social and cognitive skills necessary for daily adult life.
Do you need to have playground equipment removed?
If you have existing equipment on-site, you'll need to have that playground equipment evaluated to make sure it's in good condition and meets current safety and accessibility standards. Our playground experts are happy to help you with that. If it no longer meets the needs of your community, or if it isn't compliant with modern safety standards, you will have to arrange for it's removal. Our local representatives and certified installers can assist with the removal and site preparation for new equipment.
When to Replace Playground Surfaces?
Knowing when to replace playground surfaces is critical to ensuring a safe and compliant environment. If you aren’t sure if the materials in use meet local and federal safety standards, you need to find out and replace them if they do not. Otherwise, regular inspections of playground surfaces should provide the answers you require.
What is EWF in playground?
EWF, when spread and compacted, forms into a cushiony, natural surface that will last for the life of the playground as long as you maintain it by topping it off from time to time. EWF is also available as a slip-resistant and accessible wood carpeting with similar longevity characteristics.
What is engineered wood fiber?
While you’re undoubtedly familiar with materials such as concrete, rubber and even AstroTurf, have you ever heard of engineered wood fiber (EWF) products? EWF is made of fresh, clean, processed wood that’s ground down into a fibrous consistency and then sized randomly.
How long does rubber tile last?
High-quality poured-in-place and rubber tile playground flooring, as well as artificial turf, will commonly last about a decade and perhaps a few years longer under normal circumstances and with regular maintenance.
What happens when you wear fall prevention pads?
When carpet or tiles becomes dislodged, fall prevention pads are worn down, or there are other signs of damage that can’t be repaired completely, then it’s time to fix the problem before it grows worse and results in an accident or injury.
How Long Do Playground Equipment Last?
The lifespan of playground equipment varies depending on the materials it’s made out of. The three common materials used to make playground equipment are wood, metal, and plastic.
What Can You Do to Prolong the Lifespan of Your Play Equipment?
Although most playground equipment have an almost definite lifespan, there are many things you can do to prolong it.
What Makes Some Metal Play Equipment More Durable?
Since metallic play equipment doesn’t require much maintenance, many people prefer it over plastic and wooden alternatives. But what exactly makes them more durable?
