Your play area encounters a lot of foot traffic. From running to jumping and kicking things around, constant usage leads to damage to your play area floors. Keep your park looking its best at all times by learning how to use playground surface repair kits.
How To Use Repair Kits
The first step is to order your kit. Your gear set includes the pour-in-place rubber surfacing layer and binder. The binder helps tether the rubber together to pour onto your existing surface.
Before you start using the product, start by checking for any signs of damage on your rubber play surface:
- Cracks
- Splits
- Holes
After you’ve flagged the areas, take the binder and bag of rubber out of the box. The first thing to do is cut away from your damaged areas and remove all loose debris. After, you’ll take out your glue and bag of rubber—open the rubber, and pour the entire jar of adhesive into the rubber bag. Now, you mix until you’ve thoroughly coated the latex.
After you finish the coating, apply the bound glue to the spot. If there’s excess glue, grab a spreading tool, scrape out the remnants, and place them around the edges of the resurfaced area. Then, trowel it down so it’s flat—block the repaired area off with caution tape and let it dry.
There you have it! You have successfully repaired damage to your playground floors. If you want further assistance in assuring the floor’s lifespan improves, try a surface conditioner. Utilizing a conditioner further protects the grounds and extends the playground’s overall lifespan.
How To Maintain Your Rubber Surfacing
The surface conditioner can help a lot, but there are other maintenance tips to remember for future reference. Keep the following information in mind as you perform regular checks and cleaning with your park maintenance workers.
Clean Often
Cleaning every square inch of the park is wise, but inspecting the play area’s ground is especially necessary. There’s likely to be hidden loose debris across the surface, so clean up often to keep the area clear and safe.
The best items to use when tidying up is a broom and shovel. Only use a nylon broom to sweep leaves and other things out of the playground, then use a shovel to dislodge any debris that gets caught between the slide and other play structures.
Reseal Once Every Two Years
While it’s essential to keep the grounds clean, it’s also crucial to reseal the ground every two years. It’s better to reseal every two years so that the surfacing stays firm and doesn’t wear and become vulnerable to the elements. You should refill the top layer no more than 3/8" to 1/2" thick.
Perform Inspections Annually
Performing annual inspections helps save the park from needing serious reconstruction. As you look around, ask yourself a series of questions. Are the tree roots causing damage to the ground? As for the underlying surface, is it causing the ground to sink? Test the are and ensure that you see no signs of future issues before concluding your assessment.
Quick Stain Removal Hacks
Stains happen a lot on playgrounds, which can deter many community members from wanting to come and spend time at the park. However, there are ways to clean stains from surfaces, including graffiti. Here’s what to do about any graffiti that appears on or around your playground.
Graffiti
Fortunately, graffiti is removable with the right items. All your workers need is a soft-bristled brush, mild detergent, and medium-grade sandpaper. All products work to remove the paint safely without damaging the ground.
Chemical Spills
Chemical spills aren’t typical, but they’re difficult to clear away when they happen, especially when there’s a notable odor. Rinse the area heavily with water to wash away the liquid before hardening. Afterward, it’s wise to contact a specialist to come in and repair the ground.
Raw Matter
Animal feces and blood can stain the ground if it’s not cleaned up right away. Don’t get frustrated—it happens! If the raw matter has sat for a while, at least a week, it will leave a stain that’s difficult to remove.
Grab a brush and scrub as much residue away as possible; you can use a damp cloth to soak up the excess. Then, use a vinegar and water mixture to clean the area and let it dry.
Gum and Other Sticky Foods
We all get ourselves into sticky situations. However, sticky stains are among the easiest to clean. Apply dry ice to any pasty surfaces and let it freeze. After the material freezes, scrape the scum away and clean up the residue that falls to the ground.
Reasons To Resurface Your Playground
Many playgrounds need stable ground for children to run on. There are various surfacing options to pick from and many reasons to install a new base for your recreational area. Here are the reasons why you need to resurface your playground.
The Surface Is Unsafe
A playground’s flooring should protect children, but if there are serious cosmetic issues, no one will feel secure. To boost the security of the play area overall, start by improving your play area surfacing. An improved surface restores the life of your park and reassures others that the park’s a safe place to spend the day.
Impress New Families
Whether it’s a community or school playground, new families want to know that the community they enter cares for the well-being of their children. In other words, if a prospective resident notices that there’s trash littered on the playing surface and no one seems to maintain the area, they’re going to turn away.
Make families want to stay and impress them by showing how much you care about your community’s parks. Regular playground upkeep helps create a more welcoming environment for potential and current neighborhood residents. Maintain your playground with a surface repair kit and other methods to provide an experience families adore!
Children Have a Healthier Development
The health and well-being of children matter. If families notice there’s no sign of anyone fixing any issues, they’re not going to believe you’re creating an atmosphere geared to helping children develop in new ways.
Did you know that the surfacing kits come in different colors? Let the idea of creating your surface colors encourage you to take better care of what you have now. Don’t waste money on finding a new surface to use—restore the one you currently have.
Discount Playground Supply has many repair kits to help repair any issues the playground’s surface may currently have, including stains and cracks in the ground. Our repair kits help restore what you currently have in the park. Start today by repairing your floors for a renewed playground that kids can love again and enjoy every day.
