Snow by itself will not damage your playground rubber surface. The way you remove the snow might though. Snow will accumulate on top of the surface until removed or melts. Poured in place surfaces are naturally porous, so water will permeate through them until it hits the base (Be it concrete, asphalt, or crushed aggregate), and hopefully that base has a pitch that allow the water to flow away and not accumulate in some spots. As a matter of fact, if you see bulges in your surface, it is more likely that not a drainage issue.  Salting or not salting your surface? The salt itself will not ..read more

Base layer binders are a recent introduction to the poured in place rubber ecosystem. When I started in this business twenty years ago, there were no base layer binders. We used aromatic binder for both buffings and EPDM granules. As a matter of face, even the mixing percentages for base layer binders were different them. We used to mix at 12% concentration. We now do it at a 16% concentration. This is due to the increased dust content in buffings. This concentration of course differs with crumb rubber or different types of base layer rubber used out there.      Base layer bind ..read more

I am always surprised to hear what some customers are using are poured in place repair kits and our contractor bags/binders for. Here is what I have so far.  Repair holes, gaps, and cracks in playground rubber surfaces (Obviously Fill gaps between rubber tiles that have separated. Fill voids under synthetic turf that has sunken becasue of drainage or substrate problems. Repair Walkways and driveways made out of bonded rubber and poured in place rubber Repair pool decks and pool aprons. Install on fishing boats and all kinds of boats as slip resistant surface or buffers to protect the sur ..read more

When you see cracks in your playground rubber surface it could mean a bunch of things: Your poured in place rubber surface wear layer is down to a thin layer from it's initial half inch thickness and the surface doesn't have the tensile strength to withstand the stresses of foot traffic and play. So it gives in the weakest point and cracks. Remember that we are dealing with a bunch of rubber granules held together with a polyurethane binder (typically aromatic or aliphatic binders) and hand troweled down. So when the system is too thin because it hasn't been rebinded over the years, granulati ..read more

Playground rubber tiles are a great way to achieve the precise impact attenuation around a zone of the equipment. they are perfect when installed the right way. That means choosing the right substrate, such as asphalt or concrete. When tiles are installed over compacted aggregate, they tend to warp and separate over time. Creating a border around the tiles can mitigate the problem but nothing replaces gluing them down. So what to do if your playground rubber tiles have shifted and now they have a gap that is causing a trip hazard and all kids of debris is getting stuck in there.  Here are ..read more

So you started noticing cracks in your running track, or worse entire chunks of rubber are missing from your running track surface. Immediately you start thinking about the cost of redoing the track, which is astronomical these days. You wonder if there is a way to repair the damage to breath a few more years into your running track. You make a few calls to companies that install tracks and realize quickly that no one wants to travel hundreds of miles to repair holes. Typically, if the holes are left untreated, they become bigger. Eventually, the entire surface is compromised and you have to r ..read more

We just taught a poured in place rubber class last Tuesday and we were humbled by the response. We had folks coming in from California, Texas, North Carolina, Nevada...etc. We were very impressed at the turnout and were honored to teach basic as well as more advanced components of poured in place rubber installs.  The students were instructed the following: Safety codes that govern poured in place rubber installations. They leaned about fall heights, critical fall heights and use zones.  The different synthetic rubbers that make up wear land base layers: SBR, EPDM, TPV and others. T ..read more

If you are a client of ours you know that every time you have purchased the poured in place extender from us, you would get a call from one of our certified installers asking you if you are sure that's what you want. That's because a lot of people confuse the two products, even though they accomplish two different goals. In this post, I will try my best to explain the difference between the two products: Our poured in place rubber Rebinder is a conditioning agent that is rolled on a granulating playground rubber surface to stop the granulation and give the surface a longer shelf life. This is ..read more

One of the most frequent failures in poured in place rubber installations results from the way the material is stored before use. - Binders, aromatic or aliphatic, and including rebinders or any type of conditioner should be stored indoors in temperatures 50 degrees of higher. The original pail should be sealed with no visible damage or leaks. So what can happen with binders if they are stored in low temperatures? They congeal on you. They become a solid mess. Worse if they are not congealed, but they do have clusters in them, those clusters will be almost impossible to remove after they are t ..read more

Poured in place rubber surfaces are one of the most expensive surfaces you can install. For that reason, maintaining them properly becomes even more important. Here are seven tips that will help you keep your poured in place rubber healthy for years. Keep sharp objects away from the surface. That includes ladders and chairs with sharp legs, stiletto heels..etc. Keep the area clear of debris, grime and moss or anything that can clog the space between the EPDM granules. Powerwash the surface using a wide angle nozzle. Condition the rubber surface whenever you see granulation. Avoid using solven ..read more