The primary function of borders is to contain loose-fill surfacing, but they serve many other purposes as well. They provide a visual barrier that marks the distinction between play and non-playing areas. This helps walkers, cyclists and joggers from straying into the path of distracted children and vice versa.
Borders can also separate different play zones on a commercial playground. This helps encourage small children to stay in an area with playground equipment suitable for their age and ability.
Plastic and rubber playground borders are the two most common types of pre manufactured playground borders available. They are generally made of 100% recycled material. We carry both options. Let’s take a look at each of them.
Plastic Playground Borders
Our plastic borders are available in 8 inch and 12 inch heights. The system includes several accessories that can be connected to the border making it very versatile for many different playground applications.
Why Choose Plastic Borders
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Most Affordable: Plastic borders are the most affordable option. The individual borders are the least expensive per foot. They are also the lightest which equates to lower freight costs.
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ADA Ramp Available: The plastic timber border system has the most accessories available. In our opinion the ADA ramp is the most important because there isn’t an equivalent with rubber borders.
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Great for Deep Loose Fill Surfacing: The taller height of the border makes it a great fit for loose fill surfacing that is over 6 inches deep. A 12 inch tall plastic border is a common choice to pair with Engineered Wood Fiber (a type of wood mulch for playgrounds) because of the depths required. The taller border height also prevents loose fill surfacing from getting kicked out of the play area while kids play.
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Easiest to Install: Install is straight forward and easy with plastic borders because they are light weight (but very sturdy). They include ends that overlap and spike holes that are molded into the border.
Plastic Border Accessories
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ADA Ramp: ADA ramps are available in full and half ramp. They are easy to install and a great way to make a playground accessible for wheelchair access.
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Adjustable End Caps: This allows a run of borders to be any length it needs to be. You can cut a border and slide this over it to shorten the border. You can also slide it over a full power to make it longer.
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Playground Border Kit: This comes with a 1' long 12 inch border, filler ends, and extra spikes. It's great for odd dimensions and irregular shapes.
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Filler Ends: Filler ends fit in the empty space at the end of the border to make a flush edge. This is what you need to butt the edge up to a fence or wall.
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Extra Spike: Each border comes with one spike each. If you're doing a complete loop then you'll have all the spikes you need by ordering the correct amount of borders. You may need an extra spike for things like terminating a line of borders flush against a wall with a filler end.
Rubber Playground Borders
Rubber playground borders are available in 4 inch, 6 inch, and 8 inch heights. Each height is also available in several different color options.
Why Choose Rubber Playground Borders
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Landscape Integration: Rubber borders are the best looking border. With multiple color options, they look right at home in the landscape. The smaller 4 inch borders are great for landscaping applications. The taller borders are great for playgrounds.
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Flexible Design Possibilities: Rubber playground borders are bendable. They can be used to create natural flowing edges and transitions.
Whichever type of playground border you choose, installation is simple. First ensure the site is prepared for borders and the surfacing you've chosen. With plastic borders you’ll need to overlap the adjacent border ends and drive the supplied spike through the aligned holes and into the ground. Rubber borders are slightly different. They don’t have overlapping ends. Instead they butt up to the adjacent border. They also don’t have pre-drilled holes for the spikes.
How do I know how many borders I need?
Playground borders are essential for containing recycled rubber mulch or other loose surfacing. But it can be difficult to know exactly how many borders you need. We're happy to share our experience and knowledge to help you find the ideal edging for your playground or landscaping project.
The basic formula for working out how much playground mulch border you need is as follows:
- Measure the perimeter of your playground.
- Determine how much border each section will provide. This is noted as the “Border Length” under the features on the product page. For some borders it is different than the total end to end length because a few inches are lost where the sections overlap.
- Divide the total perimeter length by the border length. This gives you the approximate number of borders that you need.
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Special note for borders with overlapping ends: These borders pivot at the spike location. To create a rectangle with right angles, make sure each edge is divisible by the border length. This will ensure that you can make the corner without having to cut any borders. If you do need to cut a plastic border, an Adjustable End Cap is a great fix for that problem.
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Special note for borders with flat ends: This is typically the case with rubber borders because most rubber borders don't have overlapping ends that a pivot point. In this case you can bend the border and round the corner or miter the corner.
- We recommend that you choose a border that is higher than the loose-fill material in your playground or landscape area. This will help keep the bulk of it contained and maximize its efficiency.
- The method described here will have the measured perimeter line running through the middle of the border. You’ll need to take the width of the playground border into account when planning the size of the area to make sure the borders don’t interfere with the fall zone of the equipment.
At Actively Play we are committed to providing quality playground solutions that give children and adults the best play experience possible. Contact us today to find out how our borders and accessories can improve the functionality, safety, and beauty of your playground. Our customer service team will be happy to help you with any questions you have.
