Floor coverings for the playground
A playground is an area where children and young people regularly play. A playground does not necessarily have to have play equipment such as swings or climbing frames. A sandpit, a table tennis table or a bouncy game are also part of the typical playground equipment.
Does a playground need a special floor?
Legislation only stipulates a surface with fall protection properties above a certain fall height. This means that for a playground where no play equipment or only play equipment with a low fall height is installed, a grass surface is completely sufficient as a surface. Another question is how long the grass surface can withstand the load as a playground surface.
From a fall height of 100 cm, a floor with fall protection properties should be provided. There are various options here: Fall protection sand, fall protection gravel, bark mulch, wood chips or even fall protection slabs made of rubber granulate.
Every playground surface has its advantages and disadvantages
All kinds of dirt, broken glass and bottle caps get into the fall protection. Animals use the playground as a toilet. The poured fall protection must therefore be cleaned or replaced frequently.
Playing children like to use the fall protection gravel or wood chips as projectiles. This is why the fall protection needs to be topped up again and again.
If the fall protection is poured, there are restrictions on use: It can freeze in frosty conditions. In dry conditions, it creates dust and can cause allergies. When wet, sand, bark mulch or wood chips can compact and lead to mud and puddles.
The best-selling playground surfaces from WARCO
Playground safety tile FS
+17 colours
50 × 50 cm, thicknesses 3/4/4.5/5/8/10 cm. Fall protection up to 300 cm (EN 1177). Indoor & outdoor. Connector dowels included. Slip-resistant, water-permeable.
Interlocking playground safety tile TZ
+15 colours
50 × 50 cm, 3/4 cm thick. Interlocking puzzle edges with bevel. Fall protection certified to EN 1177. Indoor & outdoor. Water-permeable, slip-resistant, resilient.
Optimally suited
'The tiles are quick and easy to lay. - Ideal for a playground. The floor has a heat-insulating effect and offers good fall protection. Even driving on it with a car is no problem.'
Hans-Dieter Engelmann, 27 April 2017
Green playground flooring
The sports floor under a table tennis table, in the garden, in the park or in the pedestrian zone is a playground floor in the broadest sense.
The primary selection criterion for the floor under the table tennis table is not the drop height of the rubber granulate slab, but the elasticity and slip resistance. Even during very dynamic games, the playing surface offers the player a secure footing and good support for the feet.
A basic element for the children's playground is the play tower with attached slide. This basic construction can be supplemented according to taste and budget - as here with a climbing wall and suspension bridge to the next play tower.
Naturally, the entire surface is secured permanently and maintenance-free by fall protection panels with zip fastener teeth (fall protection puzzle mats). For fun and games without tears.
A play tipi made of living, growing willow trunks not only offers children protection from the weather when it has grown in properly, but also a unique feeling of security that can otherwise only be found in a tree house.
The children sit comfortably on the rubber granulate slabs and are well insulated against the cold. If it rains in the tepee, the water quickly seeps away through the water-permeable playground tiles. No puddles are left behind.
Here, a restaurateur has extended his garden restaurant to include a small playground. This allows parents to enjoy themselves in peace and quiet while keeping an eye on their children.
The paved area was secured by laying large fall protection slabs. At the end of the season, everything is dismantled and stored for the following year. This creates a fully-fledged playground every year without any liability risk for the operator.
This magical playhouse for children is located in Olsberg and is reminiscent of a witch's cottage from a fairy tale. With two floors and an attached children's slide, it offers children a wide range of play options.
The playhouse is surrounded by fall protection slabs, which are so well connected to each other by a zip fastener interlocking system moulded into the edges according to the dovetail principle that it was not even necessary to install a border.
The great advantage of WARCO's fall protection puzzle mats compared to fall protection mats with plug-in connections is that the panels join together during installation to form a permanently continuous carpet of panels thanks to the built-in connection system, the zip fastener teeth.
Fall protection puzzle mats are usually laid on plastic honeycomb grids, which themselves lie in the grit and are filled with grit. The work is so simple that most customers do it themselves.
Falls are the most common cause of accidents in children's playgrounds
In Germany, around 200,000 children are treated in hospital after an accident at home. And in Austria alone, according to the Austrian Road Safety Board (KfV), around 6,900 children are injured so seriously in playgrounds every year that they have to be admitted to hospital. Falls from climbing frames and swings are the most common cause at 69%.
A further 15% of playground accidents are falls due to tripping and slipping. Even without a special reason, it is completely normal for small children who are just learning to walk to fall from time to time.
Playground surfacing that helps to prevent accidents or reduce the consequences of accidents therefore makes sense in all cases, not just for playground equipment with a critical fall height of over 100 cm.
What are the advantages of safety tiles on playgrounds?
As a shock-absorbing surface on a playground, fall protection slabs made of rubber granulate offer many advantages:
- Manageable initial investment without further follow-up costs for maintenance and care.
- Tested fall protection in accordance with EN1177.
- Non-slip, non-slip surface with a pleasant feel like walking on forest floor.
- Playground can be used at any time of year and in any weather.
- Vibration and structure-borne sound insulating; low noise nuisance for neighbours.
- Open to infiltration - no soil sealing.
- Relatively low heat absorption in the sun and good insulation against ground cold.
- Large selection of formats and colours.
Fall height and fall space
The maximum fall height at the play equipment and the fall area around the play equipment must be determined in order to be able to install the fall protection surface in the appropriate safety variant and surface size. For new play equipment, these values can be found in the manufacturer's operating instructions and installation instructions.
Playground safety doesn't end with the flooring
In addition to the floor, there are other areas on the playground where shock-absorbing elements made of rubber granulate fulfil a useful and protective function:
- Chain elements, block steps or palisades for edging sandpits, water features or for supporting embankments.
- Deep kerbs for edging fall protection slabs, beach volleyball courts or paths.
- Rubber wall covers for protecting walls or seating blocks made of concrete or stone.
- Kerb cover for securing low kerbs made of concrete.
- Anti-trip wedges for barrier-free design of transitions between different surfaces
Rubber elements for a safe playground
Rubber Kerb Cap RU
100 × 10 × 10 cm. Shock-absorbing rubber kerb cover for kerbs and edging stones made of concrete or natural stone. Suitable for kerbs up to 5 or 6 cm wide. Elastic,...
Rubber Kerb RV
100 × 25 × 5 cm; for playgrounds, paths, sports and garden areas; flexible, slip-resistant, impact absorbing; PU-bound ELT rubber granulate.
Rubber Palisade RP
Ø 25 cm, 40 / 60 / 80 cm high. Shock-absorbing round rubber palisade with steel anchor. For playgrounds, sports areas, slopes, borders and impact protectio
Rubber Edge Liner SR
100 × 40 × 5/15 cm. Shock-absorbing rubber edge liner for wall tops and sandpits. Non-slip, water-permeable, weatherproof, easy to install with PU adhesive.
Rubber granulate block step RV
100 × 30 × 15 cm. Edging, rubber kerb, stair tread, slope stabilisation, wall guard, impact bumper, parking buffer.
Rubber Border Block RS
100 × 30 × 15 cm. Edging for playgrounds, paths, gardens and parking areas – resilient, shock-absorbing border and heavy-duty impact protection.
Lay the playground surface yourself with little effort
Laying playground surfacing professionally is child's play. That's why many customers do this work themselves - and save money in the process.
Playground tiles can be laid on any level and permanently stable surface. The surfacing is usually laid directly on concrete, tiles, roofing felt and similar surfaces.
For many years, plastic honeycomb grids filled with chippings have proven their worth as a permanently stable base layer under the playground slabs on natural or backfilled ground.
Under no circumstances should playground slabs be laid directly on sand, gravel or chippings. This is because the small stones or grains of sand under the slabs will migrate to the sides during use - causing dents to form.
Why choose a playground surface from WARCO?
- Fall protection with EN 1177 certificate.
- Robust, weather and frost resistant.
- Playable all year round regardless of the weather.
- Water-permeable, quick-drying.
- Does not rot, is not depleted by playing children
- Non-slip wet and dry.
- Pleasant - heat, cold and sound insulation.
- Easy to clean with self-cleaning effect.
For play terraces with bound base course
Play mat BZ
+8 colours
The elastic play mat can be easily laid on a hard, cold surface made of concrete, screed, tiles, washed concrete or stone in order to create a pleasantly warm, natural-looking,...
Playground slabs with plug-in connections - drop height 90 - 300 cm
Playground safety tile FS
+17 colours
50 × 50 cm, thicknesses 3/4/4.5/5/8/10 cm. Fall protection up to 300 cm (EN 1177). Indoor & outdoor. Connector dowels included. Slip-resistant, water-permeable.
Playground safety mat FS
+6 colours
100 × 100 cm, thicknesses 3/4/4.5/5/8 cm. For indoor use. With connectors. Brick bond installation. Slip-resistant, shock-absorbing, reduces structure-borne noise.
Playground surfacing with dovetail joint - drop height up to 120 cm
Interlocking playground safety tile TZ
+15 colours
50 × 50 cm, 3/4 cm thick. Interlocking puzzle edges with bevel. Fall protection certified to EN 1177. Indoor & outdoor. Water-permeable, slip-resistant, resilient.
Playground flooring HZ
+6 colours
The carefree playground flooring is suitable for multifunctional recreation and leisure areas, where a moderate critical fall height is sufficient, but a higher mechanical...
Playground flooring TZ
+8 colours
The carefree playground flooring is suitable for multifunctional recreation and leisure areas, where a moderate critical fall height is sufficient, but a higher mechanical...
Playground surfacing in BEHATON interlocking paving format
For the design and demarcation of play areas, steps, paths and embankments
Rubber Kerb RV
100 × 25 × 5 cm; for playgrounds, paths, sports and garden areas; flexible, slip-resistant, impact absorbing; PU-bound ELT rubber granulate.
Rubber Palisade RP
Ø 25 cm, 40 / 60 / 80 cm high. Shock-absorbing round rubber palisade with steel anchor. For playgrounds, sports areas, slopes, borders and impact protectio
Rubber granulate block step RV
100 × 30 × 15 cm. Edging, rubber kerb, stair tread, slope stabilisation, wall guard, impact bumper, parking buffer.
Rubber Border Block RS
100 × 30 × 15 cm. Edging for playgrounds, paths, gardens and parking areas – resilient, shock-absorbing border and heavy-duty impact protection.
For barrier-free access and the protection of concrete components
Transition ramp 50 × 4.3 cm RK
Transition ramp 50 × 4.3 cm. Compact wheelchair ramp made of rubber granulate. Non-slip, durable, portable or fixed.
Rubber Kerb Cap RU
100 × 10 × 10 cm. Shock-absorbing rubber kerb cover for kerbs and edging stones made of concrete or natural stone. Suitable for kerbs up to 5 or 6 cm wide. Elastic,...
Rubber Edge Liner SR
100 × 40 × 5/15 cm. Shock-absorbing rubber edge liner for wall tops and sandpits. Non-slip, water-permeable, weatherproof, easy to install with PU adhesive.
Aids for installation and surface preparation
Plastic ground grid WG
47.6 × 47.6 cm = 0.226 m². Ground grid for permeable stabilisation of paths, driveways, parking spaces and as a solid base layer for rubber tiles.
PU Adhesive OP
PU Adhesive, 310 ml cartridge. Permanently elastic PU glue with high bond strength. For indoor/outdoor use. Ideal for WARCO tiles, skirting and palisades.
Playground flooring - preferably direct from the manufacturer
WARCO has been developing and producing molded parts made of PU-bonded rubber granules for over 20 years. The focus is on the quality of the products and the benefits for the user.
Today, WARCO's product range comprises well over 5000 items with a wide variety of properties. In order to be able to recommend exactly the right product for each customer's individual requirements, WARCO maintains a highly qualified service with specialist advisors who can be contacted personally in the WARCO gallery and remotely by telephone, inquiry form or e-mail.
This pays off for customers. Because they receive the best quality, a product that fits perfectly and, thanks to direct sales, a favorable price!