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Wooden Garden Playground Australian Buying Guide written by Climbing Frames Australia
If you are thinking about buying a wooden climbing frame, Swing Set or Playground in Australia, you could find this guide by Climbing Frames Australia very useful. Wooden Play equipment offers flexibility, strength, durability and longevity. Unlike plastic or metal, wood ages and weathers without losing its structural integrity. Natural wood tones blend with the garden rather than standing out within it, and ages much more sympathetically than steel or aluminum play centres.
While the benefits of wooden play equipment come at a slightly premium price, this price has been dropping over recent years and it has become clear that opening price points for wooden garden play equipment have dropped as low as $799 with the Selwood Trailblazer. With this in mind wooden garden play equipment has become good value in the long term. From an environmental perspective wooden play centres and play equipment use far less energy in their construction than steel, aluminum or plastic, and as they last longer, fewer are needed.
STRENGTH OF YOUR CLIMBING FRAME - Timber v Tubular Aluminum, Steel and Plastic
Wood is stronger and far more durable. All of our wooden climbing frames are tested for strength and maximum weight loads, not surprisingly the wooden play equipment has far greater weight resistance and can therefore withstand more weight meaning more children can play at any one time. In our investigations we have yet to come across a metal or plastic climbing frame as sturdy and strong as a piece of wooden play equipment.
When chosing a Play Centre what is the best - Round or square section timber?
The choice here is much mote than an aesthetic one. There is no technical reason to choose one or the other apart. Although, you will often find that round beam pressure treated wood suffers from huge amounts of splitting (often from day one). These splits (shakes) are often large and unattractive, they splinter badly and can of course be a danger for finger entrapment. Remember wood is a natural product, timber will shrink in the heat and expand in the wet causing some cracking and splitting. This comes and goes as the weather changes and is taken into account when designing the climbing frame and specifying the thickness of wood. It will not affect the structural integrity. It is commonly agreed that round beam systems suffer in the worst way. Round log, which is cut from the heartwood of the tree, is more susceptible to splitting than square section timber. Some say (normally those who build round wood play systems) that this is part of the appeal of the rustic appearance of the round log, so don't be alarmed if splits as deep as to the centre of the log occur, it is to be expected.
What do I build my Climbing Frame or Garden Playground onto?
Residential Play Centres are most commonly sited on grass. You may want to consider ground cover to prevent muddy patches developing and provide additional protection from a fall, or just to define the boundaries of a play area in your garden. For residential use the best options are play bark, rubber mats or rubber bark. Playbark has a very attractive appearance and a pleasant forest aroma. It will need to be topped up annually and will benefit from occasional raking. We suggest wood chip play bark needs to be laid on a permeable membrane you keep weeds out and let water run away.
Another option is heavy-duty rubber safety mats that are very easy to install and require no maintenance. These allow the grass to grow through and prevent the area turning into a muddy swamp. This can be a cost-effective solution by positioning fewer mats in strategic positions, such as at the bottom of the slide or under the swings, rather than covering the whole area. As the grass grows through the mats you can run the lawn mower over the top.
Rubber Mulch for your Play Centre
A relatively new product that has some popular advantages over play bark. Rubber Chipping's does not mulch and it has higher impact absorption. The material comes in a variety of natural colour options and looks similar to natural bark. It is far heavier than traditional bark and lasts years longer. Rubber Mulch resists colour fading and doesn't rot or attract pets or insects. Although initial outlay may be greater than bark, it is less expensive ultimately because of its durability, and because you require far less thickness of coverage.
Wet Pour Rubberised Surface for your Climbing Frame
Is the most expensive solution, and it needs to be laid on an existing hard level surface such as concrete. Due to the huge cost and time in preparation of surface it is not a preferred choice by our domestic customers.
What about installation of your Wooden Climbing Frame / Playset ?
The Selwood Adventure Playsets range of play equipment is designed for home installation no special skills are required, but you may need some basic power tools and you should allow one day for a standard sized playcentre for 2 adults. If you choose to use professional installers then ensure they have neccessary insurance to construct play equipment. You do not need a carpenter.
DO NOT SITE YOUR PLAY CENTRE ON TOP OF BARK, THIS WILL ALLOW THE SYSTEM TO MOVE WHEN BEING USED. BUILD THE PLAY CENTRE ON FIRM GROUND AND APPLY THE BARK AROUND THE SYSTEM.
Climbing Frames Australia does not sell these surfaces - we suggest you check on "Google" for local suppliers.
Can you install a Selwood Adventute Playsets Swingset / Climbing Frame on Sloping ground ?
Selwood Adventure Playsets Climbing Frames need to be installed on to a flat surface wherever possible, if the ground is not flat ensure that you level the system as you build, this may require digging certain elements of the play structure into the ground. Never pack up the swingset to achieve a level.
What are the maintenance requirements on your Wooden Swingsets and Play Equipment?
Our wooden play-centres are robust structures that require maintenance, equipment should be regularly inspected for splinters and lose bolts. We suggets that you check the tightness of the bolts and screws monthly and tighten if tehy are lose. As with all wooden products sanding, treating and sealing the wood annually will protect and preserve the long term integrity of the wood and on some systems this is a condition of the manufacturers warrantee. We suggest that you always follow the manufacturer's instructions for upkeep and maintenance of your play system.
How do I choose the right Garden Playground / Play Centre for my family?
There are many factors that will influence your choice. The key ones being - Budget, available space, fitting in with the look of your garden & children's ages.
Buyers Guide Produced by Climbing Frames Austraila - the No1 Internet Reseller of Garden Play Equipment, Playgrounds, Swingsets, Wooden Playsets, Play Centres Cubbies and Cubby Houses. We have distribution facilties for our Climbing Frames in Perth and Sydney and we can home delivery play equipment in New South Wales, Southern Australia, Western Australia, Queensland and Victoria. We also have a partner who sells our Play Equipment in New Zealand.
Email: info@climbingframes.net.au
Web: www.climbingframesuk.com