Covering playgrounds: GOST, overview, views, prices

Covering children's playgrounds is a boring question, it seems that he can only care about officials or parents who care too much about the safety of their children. In fact, this problem is extremely important, and especially in today's harsh reality, when parents themselves often have to decide on the arrangement of a game or sports and development zone for their offspring. That is why it is important to know what coverage of playgrounds is, what are the advantages and disadvantages of this or that kind.

Strangely enough, the state regulates and controls this issue. Orientation to the developed and approved standards is a matter of principle, because they were worked on by specialized specialists 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 a municipal territory without observing the rules, and this in itself is a costly and unpleasant business.

The importance of the problem is obvious

Psychologists and educators long ago proved that the child develops as harmoniously as possible when it is not restricted. This nuance concerns first of all knowledge of the surrounding world. Unfortunately, modern society is somewhat misinterpreted the so-called measure of parental love, showing its tender feelings for children through gifts and various delicacies. For children, apart from parental care and direct communication with mother and father, it is necessary to create conditions for physical and social activity.

The most acceptable place for first achievements is, of course, a playground. There you can freely frolic and test your communication skills. However, parents often carefully care about the safety of their child, which forbids him not only to climb specially equipped places, but even to move freely. Such a hyperope is not always justified - a territory intended for children's leisure, created and equipped for the most restless shustriki. Installation and commissioning of equipment (both sports and gaming) are processes regulated and controlled by state bodies, which are guided by approved norms 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, consider the most popular coatings that are used in playgrounds. Among them will be as quite familiar to the eye and already tested by years of operation, and the newest modern options.

A few decades ago, in all courtyards in the post-Soviet space, a sand cover for children's playgrounds was used to create an amortization layer.

It is difficult to find a person who would not bring home this loose mineral not only in pockets and shoes, but also in more secluded places. It should be noted that only mothers were against 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 cover for children's playgrounds? The price is its main plus. In addition to the fact that sand is very cheap, durable and accessible material, it perfectly copes with its main purpose - damping the impact force in time of falls, thus reducing the likelihood of serious injuries and bruises. Well, now about the disadvantages:

• Easily carried out of the game zone;
• Friable, there is a chance of getting into the eyes and other "inappropriate" places for this;
• In the sand, the broken glass, stones, garbage and other "gifts" are perfectly hidden;
• After the rain, sand absorbs water quickly enough, but this process is still not enough operational, and the likelihood that children will have to play knee-deep in mud in the muddy season is very high.

Is the grass green?

It also allows GOST to cover children's playgrounds of natural and artificial greenery. This can be grass, sown and grown in the traditional way, and you can use lawns grown in special nurseries, like those that spread on football fields and other sports grounds.

Pros:

• Naturalness and environmental friendliness;
• Good depreciation;
• Attractive appearance.

Minuses:

• The grass needs constant careful care (watering, cutting, sweeping leaves and debris, sowing on worn out or burnt out areas);
• high price;
• Grass is a very gentle covering, a natural lawn needs to be combined with other materials that will be laid on the sites of installation of swings, slides and sports equipment.

An artificial lawn will be more durable and practical. The height, density and color of the pile can be ordered at your discretion. It is noteworthy that some types of grass are spread on a special substrate of sand or fine rubber chips, which is important to consider, because it increases the cost of services. The gas coverage of children's playgrounds on average will cost 20-30 euros for one square meter of raw materials, in addition it is necessary to add expenses for packing, special glues and accessories.

"Elementary" coating

In this section, we are not talking about simple things, but about a separate subset of decks, such as tartan tiles. This is a high-tech, durable and durable rubber coating for children's playgrounds. Prices for this material are very different (from 950 rubles per square meter). It consists of polyurethane resin with the addition of rubber chips, other additives can be included in the mixture, which will form the cost of the coating.

Tiles can vary in shape, thickness and color. Pigment often becomes an important expense item: only one kilogram of dye costs above 100 rubles, and if the customer wants a bright and colorful flooring for his child, you have to fork out.

Modern reality

Recently, the most popular is the so-called rubber coating. It can be:

• Mulch is a rubber crumb with a fine fraction, it is quite expensive (from 1600 rubles per square meter), but the customer receives a durable coating that will last for many years, does not require care and really helps to protect children.
• Rolling decks are the second most expensive material for laying the foundation of children's play areas. The period of its operation on average about 7 years, the price directly depends on the thickness and number of layers in the coating. It can be two or three layers, and the thickness of the "sandwich" is from 2 mm to 5 cm.
• Well, the last option is a bulk rubber cover for playgrounds. Prices for it are very significant (from 1600 to 2500 rubles per square meter). You can save money if you use fewer colors, in addition, thickened flooring is advisable to do on sports grounds, children are usually used thinner, but its testing services are tested for depreciation very scrupulously.

Check the documentation

A complete list of regulatory and legal acts that regulate what should be a recreation area for children, consists of almost ten points. However, there are two main ones, they directly point to the requirements, explaining what exactly needs to be considered when covering the playgrounds. GOST R 52169-2012 contains a list of materials, their thickness and particle size, permissible for sites of a particular purpose. In addition to sand, it can be gravel, wood bark or shavings. Another GOST-R EH 1177 is borrowed in the EU and it regulates the quality of rubber coating on children's play and sports grounds.