Which Material Is Best For Playgrounds?

playground surfacing for school

If you manage a school, college or university premises, one of the many considerations will include ensuring you have a sufficiently designed playground. Aside from providing a safe space for children and young people to play and catch-up with their friends, you’ll also want it to be durable to cut down on maintenance costs. But how do you know which surfacing material is best? Our playground surfacing experts have the answers.

Discover the best materials for playgrounds below, including the pros for each, to help you decide which is the right option for your educational establishment.

Top School Playground Surface Materials

  • Anti-Slip Surface

Anti-slip surfaces are recommended for slippery areas and pushchair and wheelchair access ramps. This material can help your playground be a safe space for all that use it.

  • Pervious

Having decent drainage on your playground is super important to prevent flooding and slip hazards.

Pervious surfaces allow rainwater to drain through the material rather than pooling on the surface. It’s particularly recommended for areas where other drainage options can’t be installed.

  • Fine Asphalt

One of the more common playground surfacing materials includes fine asphalt. It’s favoured for its ability to minimise grazes and minor injuries from falls – increasing the safety of your playground.

  • Resin

A popular choice for schools, Resin is an incredibly hard-wearing, versatile and anti-slip material. it’s also resistant to extreme weather and temperature changes, making it a low maintenance playground surfacing material.

Its hardiness can even withstand considerable pressure, such as from tree roots.

Resin also comes in a wide range of colour variations meaning you can easily create bespoke play areas and borders.

  • Acrylic Coloured Surfaces

Acrylic coloured surfaces can not only improve the lifespan of your playground surface, but can also help define different areas. With a wide variety of colours to choose from you can easily customise your playground.

  • Slurry Sealant

Slurry sealant is perfect for revitalising and protecting your existing playground surfaces.

  • Soft-Fall Rubber

Soft fall rubber is particularly good for nurseries and early years education providers. This is because it provides a super soft padding to prevent common playground injuries.

Still need help choosing a material for your school playground?

No problem. A&MT Contractors are specialist school playground surfacing contractors with previous clients including the prestigious Oundle School. If you don’t know which material is best for your playground, we can visit your site and discuss your requirements to find the best surfacing option for your site.

Contact us today to speak to one of our friendly team members.