Covering playgrounds is a boring question; it seems that it can only interest officials or parents who care too much about the safety of their children. In fact, this problem is extremely important, and especially in the conditions of modern harsh reality, when parents themselves often have to decide on the arrangement of a game or sports development zone for their offspring. That is why it is important to know what the coverage of playgrounds is, what are the advantages and disadvantages of one kind or another.
Oddly enough, the state regulates and controls this issue. Orientation to the developed and approved standards is a crucial point, because specialized specialists worked on their compilation, who conducted special studies and calculations on how to protect our children during active games. In addition, inconsistency with bureaucratic norms and requirements threatens to dismantle the site if it is installed on the municipal territory without observing the rules, and this in itself is costly and unpleasant.
The importance of the problem is obvious.
Psychologists and educators proved long ago that a child develops as harmoniously as possible when he is not limited. This nuance concerns primarily the knowledge of the world. Unfortunately, modern society somewhat misinterprets the so-called measure of parental love, showing their tender feelings for babies through gifts and different goodies. Children, in addition to parental care and direct communication with mom and dad, need to create conditions for physical and social activity.
The most acceptable place for the first achievements is, of course, a playground. There you can freely frolic and test your communication skills. However, often parents are so careful about the safety of their offspring that they forbid him not only to climb places specially equipped for this, but even simply to move freely. Such hyper-custody is not always justified - the territory intended for children's leisure has been created and equipped for the most restless shustriks. Installation and commissioning of equipment (both sports and gaming) are processes regulated and controlled by government bodies, which are guided by approved standards in their work. They regulate, by the way, not only the quality of everything that children twist, twist, on which they ride and climb, but also the coverage of playgrounds.
Desert under the window
In this article, we will consider the most popular coatings that are used in playgrounds. Among them will be quite familiar to the eye and already tested over the years of operation, as well as the latest modern options.
A few decades ago, in all the yards in the post-Soviet space, sand cover of playgrounds was used to create the depreciation layer.
It is difficult to find a person who would not bring this loose mineral home, not only in pockets and shoes, but also in more secluded places. It should be noted that only mothers opposed the sand, who had to wash the children and the entire apartment from these dunes.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of sand, as a material that is used as a coating for playgrounds? Price is its main plus. In addition to the fact that sand is a very cheap, durable and affordable material, it copes with its main purpose - it absorbs the impact force during falls, thus reducing the likelihood of serious injuries and bruises. Well, now for the cons:
- It is easily taken out of a game zone;
- loose, there is a chance of contact with the eyes and other "inappropriate" for this place;
- broken sand, stones, rubbish and other “gifts” are perfectly hidden in the sand;
- after rain, the sand absorbs water rather quickly, but this process is still not efficient enough, and the probability that children will have to play knee-deep in mud in the slushy season is very high.
Is the grass green?
It also permits GOST coverage of children's playgrounds made of natural and artificial greens. It can be grass sown and cultivated in the traditional way, or you can use lawns grown in special nurseries, such as those that are spread on football fields and other sports fields.
Pros:
- naturalness and environmental friendliness;
- good depreciation;
- attractive appearance.
Minuses:
- the grass needs constant thorough care (watering, cutting, sweeping leaves and garbage, sowing on worn or burned out areas);
- high price;
- grass is a very delicate coating, natural lawn must be combined with other materials that will be laid on the installation sites of swings, slides and sports equipment.
More durable and practical will be artificial turf. The height, density and color of the pile can be ordered at your discretion. It is noteworthy that some types of grass are laid on a special substrate of sand or small rubber crumbs, which is important to consider, because this increases the cost of services. Lawn cover for playgrounds on average will cost 20-30 euros per square meter of raw materials, additionally, you need to add laying costs, special adhesives and accessories.
Elementary coating
This section is not about simple things, but about a separate subspecies of flooring, such as tartan tiles. This is a high-tech, durable and durable rubber coating for playgrounds. The prices for this material are very different (from 950 rubles per sq.m). It consists of polyurethane resin with the addition of rubber crumb, other additives may be included in the mixture, which will form the cost of the coating.
Tiles can vary in shape, thickness and color. Pigment often becomes a significant expense: only one kilogram of dye costs above 100 rubles, and if the customer wants a bright and colorful flooring for his child, you will have to fork out.
Modern reality
Recently, the so-called rubber coating has been most popular. It could be:
- Mulch is a rubber crumb with a small fraction, it is quite expensive (from 1600 rubles per sq.m), but the customer receives a durable coating that will last for many years, does not require care and really helps to protect children.
- Roll flooring is the second most expensive material for laying the foundation of children's play areas. Its average life of about 7 years, the price depends on the thickness and number of layers in the coating. It can be two and three-layer, and the thickness of the “sandwich” is from 2 mm to 5 cm.
- Well, the last option will be a bulk rubber coating for playgrounds. Prices for it are very substantial (from 1600 to 2500 rubles per square meter). You can save money if you use fewer colors, in addition, it is advisable to make a thickened flooring on sports fields, while thinner ones are usually used on children’s playgrounds, but its testing services test for depreciation very carefully.
Check the documentation
A complete list of legal acts regulating what should be recreation areas for children consists of almost ten points. However, there are two main ones, they directly indicate requirements that explain what exactly needs to be taken into account when covering playgrounds. GOST R 52169-2012 contains a list of materials, their thickness and particle size, acceptable for sites of one or another purpose. In addition to sand, it can be gravel, tree bark or shavings. Another GOST - R EH 1177 is borrowed in the EU and it regulates the quality of the rubber coating on children's playgrounds and sports grounds.