Rubber Mulch or Tiles For A Backyard Play Area

Rubber Mulch or Tiles for a backyard play area.

You get a brand new swing-set for your kids or grand-kids. The structure looks great, has all the perfect colors and accessories. You install it in the backyard, the kids excitedly start playing on it, and one the following things happen:

1. The grass starts to fade over time, and you are left with a muddy patch on the ground. Additionally, this patch will dirty hands, shoes and clothing.
2. A kid can fall off the play set onto the hard ground and get injured. This is obviously never something you want to see.
3. You install wood mulch, and it needs to be replaced every year.
4. The mulch is OK, but under the high traffic areas like the swings there's a growing ditch.

If you have ever had a backyard swing-set, you've probably experienced at least one or more of these exact problems.This is where Rubber Flooring comes into play.There are 2 general types of rubber flooring.

1. Rubber Mulch
2. Rubber Tiles

In this article we will talk about and compare these two great options.

Safety

One thing we hate to see is anyone get hurt, especially during playtime. The shock absorbing rubber material will cushion falls and prevent injuries. This is true for both the tiles and the mulch.The tiles have a 5' fall height safety rating, where the mulch has a 6-10' fall height safety rating.Therefore, if your only worry is safety, these are both perfect options for you.

Appearance

Here is where we start to see some differences. The rubber mulch comes in many fun and vibrant colors. It can get messy though in busy playgrounds.For example, with kids running, jumping, skipping and hopping, mulch can get kicked around and will require some maintenance.With the Rubber Playground Tiles you won't have that issue. This option provides you with a flat, soft and clean surface, which requires minimal to zero maintenance. The tiles also come in many colors, which will give the area a fun and inviting atmosphere.

Maintenance and Durability

The tiles are meant to be installed over a crushed stone base, concrete or asphalt.If installed correctly (click here for installation instructions), they require little to no maintenance for many years. Installed with interlocking pins and adhesive glue, these tiles are as durable as they get.Rubber Mulch will require minimal maintenance. It's recommended to rake through the mulch every year to even out the surface a little bit. Therefore, while mulch is still a great low maintenance option, the tiles outperform them in this category.

Price

Due to the fact that the tiles are a more finished product, they are more expensive.Say you have a play area of 300 square feet. 2,000 lbs of mulch would give you a 3'' depth for approx $649.To cover that same area with the interlocking tiles, you would need 108 tiles, which would cost approx $1,900.So the cheaper option here is definitely the mulch.

Summary

In Summary, while both rubber mulch or tiles are excellent flooring options for your backyard fun-zone, you should get whatever works for you! To learn more about these products and how to get them, shop now!