Buying Guide: Playground Rubber Tiles

When looking for playground rubber tiles, there’s a lot of different options to choose from.   But how do you tell them apart and what’s the best and safest option for kids?  Whether you want to cover a space in your garden for the kids or looking to install playground tiles for your local park or school play area, you need to do your research. 

It’s important to get it right the first time to avoid a costly or even hazardous mistake.   Luckily, we’ve got you covered.   We will take you through everything you need to know when buying playground rubber tiles and what you need to look out for.   

In this article: 

• What Are Playground Rubber Tiles?
• How to Choose the Best Playground Rubber Tiles 
• 3 Tips for Buying the Right Playground Rubber Tiles 

Essentially, playground rubber tiles are a flooring solution for playground areas. The tiles are designed especially for safety and shock absorption.  They should keep kids safe while playing and being active while keeping parents worry-free. 

Rubbered playground tiles are made from premium recycled rubber.  The tiles come in black, blue, red, and green, perfect for mixing up your playground design and making it fun and colourful.  Playground tiles create a safe environment for children to play.  Rubber tiles for playgrounds have a granulated appearance to help prevent falls by providing more traction underfoot. 

One of the most popular options for playground flooring is rubber tiles. This is because it’s one of the safest options for use with swing sets and other playground equipment. The flooring needs to be super shock absorbent so that if a child falls off anything, it helps to protect them from injury when they fall. Rubber is as durable and shock-absorbent as you can get, which is why it’s such a popular choice. 

When searching for the right playground rubber tiles, there are various characteristics you should look out for. As playground tiles are built to support active and kids and prevent injury, your tiles must have a good safety profile. 

One of the main features to look for in playground tiles is fall protection. With climbing frames and swings, there is a risk of falls and injury. Thinks like broken bones, sprains, bumps, and scratches are all possible when playing, jumping, and climbing. The primary purpose of fall protection in playground flooring is to prevent serious head injuries should a child fall in the play area. 

Although fun and games are essential for children, safety should always be a priority. On top of fall protection, other top characteristics include:

• Weather-proof - top playground tiles should drain well. If water gathers on top of the surface and doesn’t drain, this could be potentially dangerous and result in a slip. Check to see if the tiles are UV resistant as you don’t want them to fade in the sun. The tiles should withstand harsh weather and channel the water away from the surface. 

• Durable and stable - rubber playground tiles should last and provide a reliable and sturdy foundation for play. Once installed, the tiles should last for years and provide a safe surface for children.  

• Smooth finish - the tiles should have a flexible surface that delivers a smooth finish for safe cushioning. The end installation should be seamless with no trips hazards from poorly interlocking tiles. 

• Easy to clean - an excellent drainage system should ensure the tiles are easy to clean and maintain. 

• Recycled rubber - tiles made from recycled rubber are a cost-effective option for the playground and an environmentally-friendly solution for your safe pavement needs. 

Once the tiles are correctly installed, you should have a seamless flooring solution that is easy to maintain and provides a reliable and safe surface for years. 

When buying playground rubber tiles, there are a few things to think about that can help you make the right decision for your setup. Make the best choice for your needs and situation so that you can provide the safest possible foundation for children to play.  Areas with swings, climbing frames and slides need to be especially careful. The right flooring supports the equipment and reduces the risk of injury and accidents. 

When you buy playground tiles, you need to think about the top height of your equipment. This is because the size of your equipment will dictate how thick your rubber tiles need to be. You need to find the tiles with the right HIC value, which is the critical fall height. So, as the equipment gets higher, you need to make the fall protection feature is suitable for your playground area. 

It’s a good idea to consider the overall use of the playground as well. You need to know what type of play will take place on the playground. This will help you to determine the best flooring solution. Think about how much traffic the area will see. If it’s a local park, it will probably be used very regularly and will see a lot more traffic than say a playground in your back garden. 

Playground rubber tiles for outside come in a range of colours, ideal for brightening up the area. You can get creative and make a pattern with different colours or even create various playing zones to break up the space. While a local park may choose a standard black colour, the colour variations are great for nurseries, schools, and personal playgrounds. Mess around with the design of your playground until you find something that children will love. 

Safety comes up a lot when talking about playgrounds and play mats for indoors and outside. Although playgrounds are fun for children, with all the swinging, climbing, and falling, safety is essential. Kids often trip over when playing with friends at the park, and the flooring is a critical part of making the experience as safe as possible. Hard flooring such as concrete would be hazardous and not absorb any impact from a fall. 

Features such as non-slip, shock-absorbent, and fall protection, all revolve around creating the safest possible foundation for play. The flooring has a significant role to play in not only allowing kids to play and have fun safely but to put any worrying parents at ease. Yes, accidents can happen, but by choosing a safe, sturdy, and durable playground flooring, you can help to reduce the risk of serious injuries. 

When you evaluate different playground flooring products, you want to look at all of these features. If something isn’t weather-proof, it won’t drain well and could be a slip hazard. If your fall protection isn’t suitable for the height of your climbing frame, again that could be a problem. Look at your play area as a whole and decide on its use, foot traffic, and size of the equipment. All these things will help you make the best decision for you and create a fun and safe playground for children.

You may also be interested in:-

How to Create a Safe & Engaging Play Space

Five Multi-Purpose Ways to Use Playground Rubber Tiles

The Perks of Choosing Rubber Playground safety Matting