Many parents and homeowners desire to transform their backyard playset into an official playground, complete with fences, mulch, and park amenities. So, what if I told you it's possible? With so many different kinds of playground surface materials available, this would be an excellent place to start thinking about your choices.
A playground cannot be placed in any location. A good swing set placement must fulfill several criteria. This article will explain what these requirements are and how to create them so that your playground may be placed on the location of your choice, giving you and your family a safe and beautiful playset.
Rubber Mulch vs. Wood Mulch vs. Sand
According to experts, mulches made of sand, wood, and rubber are suitable for children's playgrounds. Wood is a safe mulch for children as long as it does not include any anti-decay chemicals, such as the toxic chromate copper arsenate or CCA.
If you have adequate depth, the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) consider sand a good playground area.
Rubber mulch is non-toxic and suitable for use in the presence of children and pets. According to the CPSC’s playground safety covering standard for public playgrounds, rubber mulch is an acceptable loose-fill surface material for use in commercial playgrounds.
Wood playground mulch is a relatively safe choice. As much as nine inches of wood mulch may guard prevent falls of up to seven feet, it provides enough shock absorption. Wood mulch, which absorbs and drains moisture, is also an excellent choice for surfacing playgrounds.
How to Prepare Your Yard For Kid’s Playset
1. Ensure that the Place is Ready
Before you begin, be sure that you have chosen the most proper and most appropriate location for the playground. Make sure your yard has enough open area for your playground as well as a safe play buffer zone. Most manufacturers suggest 6 ft on all sides. Plants, pavers, stones, lawn ornaments, and so on should all be removed.
There must be no overhead impediments, such as power lines, roofs, or trees, interfering with the top portions of the playset. The region must be clean and free of animal waste.
If you want to put down weed block, then do so before installation. Furthermore, any surface materials, such as rubber mulch, wood mulch, or sand, should be installed after the installation.
2. Level The Playset Ground
The most important thing to remember when putting up a playground is that the ground is level. This implies that there are no substantial slopes or curves in the earth. A very few yards are entirely flat. Your yard must have a level location for your specific item to guarantee a safe and effective installation.
It is not a good idea to build a playground on uneven terrain. It poses a significant safety risk to your children and anybody else who uses the unit. It gradually complicates the assembly process, resulting in incorrect component alignment and spacing and, eventually, a less safe and less appealing product. In addition, most manufacturers will invalidate the playset's guarantee if the ground is not level.
So, how can we level the playing field? You have the option of hiring a landscaper or doing it yourself. If you do it yourself, you may need to remove sod from the space. It is suggested to hire a sod-cutter for areas bigger than 36ft2, although a spade shovel would do for smaller areas.
Using a shovel, you may transfer soil from higher land to lower ground or just remove dirt from the higher area until the ground is level after the sod has been removed. Tree roots may be a problem. Please keep in mind that if extra leveling is required, it may be done during the installation.
3. Place Borders & Weed Block
If you want to surround your playground with mulch, sand, or other fill, you'll need fences or barriers to maintain the fill contained in the play area. Rubber or wooden borders may be used. The distinctions among wood and rubber borders are almost identical to those between mulch and wood. You may also get creative with borders and come up with your unique concept.
It is essential to lay down a weed barrier. The weed barrier will guarantee that no weeds, grass, or plants grow up through the mulch over time, turning your outside playground messy.
Several weed block grades are available, and different locations are vulnerable to various plant types, so ask your landscaper or neighbors which type would be ideal for you. The weed barrier should be installed once the ground has been prepared.
4. Position The Playset
Once you've finished flattening the ground and making sure everything is in order, you can go on to the next stage, which is putting the playset in its proper location. Use a level to position your playset and prevent any tilting.
Playsets must be placed far enough away from the home to guarantee the safety of the children while they play. On the other side, you need to watch the activity from your house and keep the playground equipment near enough to your house so you can access your children pretty fast if the need arises unexpectedly.
The first thing to do is to determine the placement and orientation of the playset. After that, it is essential to look at the measurements of the playset.
You must put marks at the four corners of the playhouse or the swing beam and any additional extensions to the playhouse. The placement of the markings should make it apparent which barriers and hindrances need ground preparation and which do not.
When purchasing a playground, make sure it is not too big for your children. An Outdoor Climber, for example, is available in both kid and adult sizes. You want your kids to enjoy the playground in the future, but you also need them to have fun and be safe right at the same time. If you get a set that is too large, you will be in a risky situation.