Wet pour rubber surfacing is often found in playgrounds and kids’ play areas, as it has many fantastic qualities of safety and resilience. This artificial surface is cost effective and can also be incredibly colourful and creative – it’s easy to make the design unique to suit a specific play area. If you’ve got questions about rubber surfacing then here’s our quick guide to understanding what it is.
What is rubber surfacing made of?
It’s made from rubber granules bound together by a polyurethane resin binder. When these are combined and poured they result in a seamless rubber surface that has the right amount of give. Mixing the rubber surfacing is often a bit like mixing concrete – it’s important to get it right so that the end result is completely seamless. The first step is to lay down a layer of larger rubber granules. This is then followed by a colourful wear layer that consists of more colourful granules that will form the surface on top.
What type of rubber is used?
A number of different types of rubber granules can be used to create rubber surfacing, including EPDM rubber granules, colour coated SBR rubber granules and Rosehill TPV rubber granules. For the under layer of rubber surfacing a more hard-wearing option is usually required. Recycled tyres are a great choice for this material and tend to be much more sustainable too. Rubber tyres are ideal as they don’t need to be completely broken down to be used as the base layer in rubber surfacing and are a perfect way to repurpose waste products so that they don’t end up in landfill.
What about the binder?
An aliphatic binder can be used in rubber surfacing – or an aromatic binder. The aliphatic binder tends to be the more UV stable of the two so it will be more durable and is less likely to discolour too.
What are the costs involved?
This will depend on a number of different factors relating to where you’re going to lay the rubber surfacing and what its use will be. For example, the size of the area will have a big impact, as well as the quality of the materials you’re going to use for the top layer. If there is a surface level design to incorporate this will also have an impact on cost. Plus, it’s important to consider the height of any equipment to go on top of the rubber surfacing – the higher this is, the thicker the surfacing will need to be. Any base preparation and edging costs will also need to be taken into account.
How long does rubber surfacing normally last?
Usually anywhere from 6 – 20 years. The variation depends on the granules and the binder that have been used to create the rubber surfacing. This makes rubber surfacing one of the most durable options for playgrounds, a much better and more long lasting choice than something like wood chip or PVC tiles, for example.
Rubber surfacing is a long lasting option for play areas and one that provides high quality, safe finishes wherever it is used.
Playtop are the leading supplier of rubber surfacing for playgrounds, sports courts, pitches and much more in the UK.
To find out more about our various safety surfaces please see our products page.
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