Laying Rubber Play Chippings

Like all garden and household projects the key to a smooth installation is preparation. You may find yourself asking how much rubber chippings do I need? You can use our coverage calculator to work out how much you will need. However if you need to know how to lay rubber chippings follow our tips below and you’ll get many years of virtually weed free safe play surfacing. Laying rubber chippings doesn’t take much in the way of equipment, a rake, shovel and a sharp knife for cutting the landscaping membrane should do you. Your membrane of choice should be of high quality to ensure ample drainage, to avoid flooding with in the play area and possible damage to the rubber chippings.

Preparation  

• Level out the area to be re-surfaced as much as possible and fill in any dips and pot holes. Pull up any weeds and remove any “buried treasures” like crisp packets and bottles etc.
• Try and get the ground as smooth as possible, remove any protruding stones which may damage the landscape fabric.
• Use a good weed repellent, the type sold in garden centres and builders merchants and give the whole area a good dousing.
• Lay a good landscaping fabric as flush to the ground as possible, making sure that any edges run at least 50mm up the sides (they can be trimmed later if they protrude too far).

Laying the Chippings

The depth of the play chippings is determined by the amount of fall height cover you require. Most of our customers tend to order chippings for a depth of 50mm, which is fine for everyday slips and trips, but you may want to consider going deeper if you have swings, slides or climbing frames.

Here is our recommended laying depth guide

Play Area Coverage

To work out how much you might need use our handy coverage calculator.

Once you decided on the required depth, it’s simply a case of digging in and carefully laying the chippings, usually with a hand shovel. Take your time to fill the required area evenly, using a tape measure pre-set at the required depth.