Equipping a playground in the country or in their own yard, first of all, parents try to make the child’s games as safe as possible. But is it possible to imagine children who do not like to run, jump and somersault? Of course not! Children of any age love active games that will inevitably lead to knees and bruises.
Properly selected coverage for playgrounds will help mitigate the fall, and possibly prevent serious injury. Today on the new playgrounds you can see a bright rubber coating, which is becoming increasingly popular in our country. What is it and how harmless is it for children? We will deal in more detail.
What is it and what is it made of?
The rubber coating for playgrounds is made from small rubber granules, which are produced by recycling old car tires. Compared with the usual sand or pebbles, this species has a large number of positive characteristics and is more functional.
Rubber coatings are available in the
form of tiles, roll and seamless materials.
Tiles are made by pressing granules cold or hot. The material is elastic enough, but it does not lose its softness, which is very important for the safety of babies. The rubber coating for children's playgrounds in the form of tiles is in perfect harmony with paving stones, tiles and other square elements, which makes it possible to adhere to a certain style throughout the yard.
Rolled and seamless coating allows you to design a children's corner in the form of a multi-colored carpet or green lawn. In the first version, various heroes of children's cartoons or simply beautiful patterns can be depicted.
Its thickness reaches 4 cm, which is quite enough for the soft and safe movement of the child.
What are the advantages of this material?
The main advantages that the coating for playgrounds made of rubber crumb has:
- beautiful appearance;
- excellent material strength;
- safety in relation to children, animals and plants;
- long term of operation;
- resistance to ultraviolet radiation and low temperatures;
- elasticity;
- the material perfectly tolerates moisture, mold does not form on it;
- weeds do not grow through rubber granules;
- microorganisms do not multiply in such coatings;
- the springy properties of the rubber minimize bruising for the child in the event of a fall;
- a covering for playgrounds from a rubber crumb is easily washed with water;
- in winter, ice does not form on such a site.
It should also be noted that due to the porous structure, the material passes moisture well through itself, and the playground dries quickly after rain. The same quality allows you to use it near pools, since water does not stagnate on the surface, and the child can move freely on it with wet feet.
The softness of the material causes delight and interest in children, and they enjoy frolic, somersaults and jumps on such a surface. A variety of drawings and bright colors do not leave indifferent even the youngest researchers. And, most importantly, their mothers may not worry that their beloved child will hit, taking their first steps.
Are there rubber flaws?
Like any other material, the coating for playgrounds (“crumbs”) has several not quite pleasant qualities.
First of all, it should be said about its high cost for recycled material. The price of a rubber coating is an order of magnitude more expensive than the usual tile or concrete base, but if you take into account the high degree of wear resistance, then, quite possibly, it's worth it.
Do not forget about the fire hazard of rubber. When exposed to temperatures above 200 degrees, the material begins to melt, it can catch fire. Therefore, making bonfires near such a site is not recommended.
Soft coatings for playgrounds can be laid exclusively in dry and warm weather.
Is it possible to make such a surface ourselves?
Self-made seamless rubber coating for playgrounds each owner will be able to do it yourself without resorting to the costly help of specialists.
To do this, you need to purchase rubber crumb, a special polyurethane adhesive and a solvent.
When buying material, you need to be guided by the following calculations: on 1 m2 of the surface with a layer thickness of not more than 10 cm, 7 kg of rubber granules and 1.5 kg of glue are required.
For better adhesion of the base and coating, the surface can be pre-treated with a deep penetration primer.
Of the tools you will need: putty knife, rollers, measuring tank, concrete mixer, plastic buckets.
It should be remembered that work must be carried out at a temperature not lower than +10 degrees.
Seamless rubber coating technology
First you need to prepare the surface for applying the mixture. To do this, all foreign objects are removed, dust is swept away and all kinds of cracks are smeared (if any).
Throughout the base, it is necessary to walk with an abundant layer of polyurethane glue, carefully rubbing it into cracks and cracks.
In a concrete mixer rubber crumb is mixed with an adhesive in the proportion specified earlier. The resulting mixture is laid on the prepared base with a layer of at least 1 cm and is well leveled with a spatula. After that, a roller passes through the coating, which is periodically wetted in cold water.
So that during operation the rubber does not crack under the influence of low temperature, during leveling of the surface one should not press hard on the roller.
At the end of the work, the rubber coating is left to dry completely for about a day. In the future, with the help of coloring compounds on such a surface, you can draw various drawings or apply markings. So that the coating for playgrounds does not lose its color, it is treated with matt varnish.
Conclusion
Despite the huge selection of modern materials, analogues of rubber crumb does not exist. The rubber coating for playgrounds is distinguished by its uniqueness and versatility. Today, this material can be found in completely different places, whether it be shopping centers, sports clubs, playgrounds, office and industrial premises, showers, summer cottages , etc. Rubber crumb is very popular today, because there are an abundance of positive qualities, which are much more than flaws, can not fail to attract consumer attention.