For playgrounds natural coverings should be used. Often you will find out, that the cover material used is too blunt. For example, gravel is usually very uncomfortable and too hart. It can easily cause injuries to playing children.
Before you know it, it has already happened: dirty clothes by wet sand and – worst case – you might face the sand also later in your living space.
Wooden chips for playgrounds are meanwhile frequently used by municipalities and public agencies. Soft wood chips made of coniferous wood are an ideal and perfect fall protection. We are specialised in its production and rely on woods from local forests.
Natural protection @ the playground: Wooden chips!
The PROs of Presto Humus’
Protective Playground Decor
best shock-absorbing effect compared to silica sand or gravel
pure natural coating from wood of local forests
no dirt on children’s clothing
no attack on playground equipment by tannic acid
no sand will be carried indoors
Wood Chips as Protective Playground Decor - FAQ
Fall protection wood chips or wood decor arise from natural, debarked forest wood. The Douglas fir is ideal, as well as all other softwoods. The fall protection must be free of needle and is brought to the defined grain size by a multiple fractionation with a sieve.
The fall protection layer of woodchips decomposes naturally over the years. It has a significantly longer durability than, for example, bark mulch. It is advisable to check the surfaces regularly and to fill in any existing holes in the surface. Failure to perform adequate maintenance may result in the shock-absorbing effect deteriorating. Furthermore, the marking edge should be taken on the playground equipment as a standard to possibly fill wood chips.
How to apply an efficiently working fall protection
Base area
- First of all, the ground has to be excavated, depending on the height, to a depth of
a.) < 2.000 mm (thickness 300 mm) 350 mm and
b.) < 3.000 mm (thickness 400 mm) 450 mm
Fall protection area
A drainage layer of approx. 50 mm is recommended, you can take gravel for this. Wood chips should be spread in a thickness proportionately to the actual critical height of fall a) or b).
A loss of altitude of approx. 10 % due to subsidence has be considered when determining quantity and minimum layer thickness.
Handy hints for a new playground
If a new playground should be laid out, it is useful to bring in a drainage layer underneath. This layer should be of coarse gravel and of approx. 150-300 mm thickness. Due to this drainage impacting water (e.g. rain or snow) can flow off faster, the wood chips remain dry for longer, which finally prolongs their durability.
Product recommendations
Protective wood chips are available as wood decor filled in bags, big bags or as bulk goods!
