The Playground Installation Process


Take an insider look at how the installation process will be performed when installing your new play equipment with Playdale.

Identifying and assessing the site

Playdale has installed playgrounds for small sites, large sites, narrow or wide sites and in just about any sector you can imagine – from local authority-owned parks to nurseries, schools and housing developers.

At Playdale, we offer a free consultation and planning service. This means that our local Area Manager will visit your site, discuss ideas and conduct a survey, free of charge.

Once your site has been assessed, we will move onto the design phase.

Designing the playground

After your discussion with our local area manager, Playdale will go on to take our shared ideas and create a visualisation of what your playground could look like – closely considering your preference of play equipment and taking various budgets into account.

These playground designs can be easily altered and tailored to your dream playground, perfectly fitting your target audience:

• Playground staples for all tastes – Timeless, playground favourites that appeal to all ages, including: Climbing Frames, Slides, Seesaws, Inclusive Orbit roundabouts and Timber Team Swings.
• Adventurous climbing courses – Bold, active, and engaging setups that challenge movement and exploration, including: Adventure trails, Woodland Eco Towers, Mountain Towers Plus, aerial runways, movers and climbers.
• Educational play and themes – Play that teaches, sparks imagination and brings creative environments to life, including: Musical playground equipment, mud kitchens, sand and water play equipment, storytelling chairs, themed equipment and more.

We believe every playground has unique wants and needs, so whatever mix of play equipment you choose – we can make the perfect combination for you.

Preparing the site and playground equipment

Before we begin installing your playground, a site survey is required by our in-house team to ensure that the installation adheres to BSEN 1176 standards.

We’re committed to carrying out all aspects of our work safely and to complying with all relevant health and safety regulations. Under our Construction Design Management (CDM) policy, we will also work with you to establish whether any buried services – water, gas, power and sewer lines – will be affected by your project, eliminating the risk of damage.

When the equipment arrives on site and before installation, every product is inspected to ensure it is up to scratch with no faults or marks.

The playground installation process

When it’s time for installation, our dedicated Operations Co-Ordinator and Contracts Manager will contact a local team to install your playground, helping provide a more sustainable service and deliver localised knowledge of the area.

Your install will follow BSEN 1176 standards, plans, instructions, site briefs, and Health and Safety at Work Act regulations – updating you on how your project is progressing from beginning to completion.

If preferred, we can also provide play equipment with our delivery service – providing installation instructions prior to delivery.

Setting the playground equipment in place

Depending on your site, equipment is fixed in place using one of the below methods:

• Steel Ground Fixed – Foundations that use steel plates concreted into the ground for maximum durability.
• Surface Fixed – Where a hard surface already exists, equipment can be bolted directly onto the concrete base.

Safety-first surfacing

Our safe playground surfacing includes wet pour, rubber mulch, Grasslok safety grass and more, with each surface chosen to suit the style of your playground, your budget and the level of protection required.

Wet pour provides a seamless, colourful finish that can incorporate patterns and play markings – perfect for playground theming and for providing a wheelchair-approved surface.

Rubber mulch offers a natural look with good, strong shock absorption, while grass mats allow existing turf to remain visible while giving added safety in high-wear areas.

Thematic artwork

Playground theming isn’t limited to our themed equipment – we can complete any theme with personalised floor designs using wet pour surfacing.

We’ve completed plenty of themed designs that match our forest and woodland, sea life, space, fantasy and farm designs.

Finishing touches

We know the finishing touches are just as important as the main installation. Before we wrap up, we’ll make one final check to ensure everything is perfect.

Why choose Playdale for playground installation?

Playdale is the obvious choice for durable equipment that’s installed to the highest standards – overseen by qualified experts and project coordinators compliant with BS EN 1176 regulations.

For a free design and consultation service, contact us today.

Playground installation FAQs

Are professional playground installers required?

Unless your order is simply for replacement parts, we would always recommend our professional installation team to ensure safety standards are met and the equipment is installed properly with minimal disruption to the ground.

Is there an initial safety test following installation before the playground can be used?

Our equipment is installed to meet all relevant safety and construction standards. If you require additional post-installation inspection, these can be purchased separately and come with a full written report.


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