The advantages of wooden playground equipment

‘Natural’ and ‘outdoor feeling’ are words that come to mind when thinking about wooden playground equipment. Within our industry, we get asked many questions regarding timber products. Some of our most frequently asked questions include ‘Is timber vandal proof?’, ‘Does using timber have any implications on the environment?’, ‘do you provide wooden playground equipment for schools?’ & ‘Why is laminated timber best?’. With these questions in mind, we want to explore the benefits of choosing timber equipment for your playground.

Environmental Impact

Timber is a low maintenance material which can be easily recycled and often outlives its plastic equivalent. Choosing wooden equipment for your playground equipment project has a positive environmental impact as timber is a natural, sustainable material. The use of timber products creates a need for managed forests and is good for the environment in terms of reducing pollution and benefiting wildlife. Playdale timbers are mostly slow grown pine and come from the Forest Stewardship Council accredited forests.

Wooden equipment complements many different environments. It can blend in with its rural surroundings, following the natural contour of the land, or stand out and bring warmth to a busy urban landscape. Creating a connection with nature encourages children to spend more time outdoors and learn about the environment around them. By installing planters and other timber environmental play items children can get to grips with nature and learn about sustainable living.

Timber climbing frames outshine the metal frames of old and provide an experience that stimulates both children’s imagination as well as other senses. Packed with exciting climbing activities, timber, compared to steel, feels warmer, softer and has great grip properties. Children can imagine and explore the trees of the Amazon whilst scale the heights of timber climbing frames.

Durability

Lack of funding and investment mean that playground equipment has to stand the test of time. Wooden playground equipment not only looks great, but it also offers high durability against vandalism.

Rounded timbers are extremely smooth and have a high-quality machine finish meaning that graffiti can be removed easily by lightly sanding. All of our rounded timber poles are laminated and come with a guarantee of up to 20 years. Glued laminated timber is manufactured from laminates of sawn timber, planed to a smooth surface before being glued together with the grain in the laminates running parallel. This process vastly reduces the natural effect of fibre separation that causes splits in the poles.

To keep your timbers in tip-top condition when installed most manufacturers now provide steel fixings. Playdale provides wooden playground equipment with steel ground fixings as standard. The galvanised steel brackets are designed to lift the timbers clear from the surface. Amongst other benefits, such as reduction of strimmer damage they increase the guarantee of the timber poles. Find out more information about the benefits of steel ground fixings.

Whether it be exploring a pirate’s galleon, performing on an outdoor stage or hanging from monkey bars, investment in high-quality, certified, long-lasting equipment has become a must-have for all play areas. Wooden play equipment is strong, durable and encourages children to spend more time outdoors. Request a copy of our latest catalogue to find out more information about range of wooden playground equipment.