You know that guy at the grocery checkout who turns “paper or plastic?” into “To be or not to be?” There is nothing more frustrating than being in line behind someone who can’t make a simple and quick decision. However, it’s not smart to rush all questions in life.
If I just put down a large down payment on a new playground system, the last thing I want to do is rush my decision when it comes to surfacing. It’s more than frustrating; it’s downright appalling how some people do business. They collect every brochure they can get their hands on. They spend hours researching playground equipment on the Internet. They meet with playground manufacturers, looking for anything that will make one system better than another in their eyes. And when they finally decide which structure to go with, they walk away without giving the thought of surfacing a minute of their time.
You can have the greatest playground in the community, but if you pick the wrong surfacing, you’re going to have problems in spades. So what type of surfacing is best? That’s like asking what the best flavor of ice cream is or what the best vacation spot is for my family. The whole “one size fits all” method is as outdated as an encyclopedia salesman.
There are many different types of surfacing options when it comes to playgrounds including sand and gravel, rubber tile, wood surfacing, poured in place and two-layer systems. With so many options, we feel it’s important to dedicate some attention to surfacing in an upcoming issue.
But the surfacing topic is so big, we’re going to do more than just offer an article in our next issue. The September edition of Today’s Playground is going to be a special issue that will identify the different types of surfacing. Like a good book, I don’t want to give away the ending, but this is one issue that you don’t want to miss. From a surfacing overview to the specifics of different products and methods, this issue will be packed with great information.
This issue will be technical in nature, with charts and graphs, great photos and some good stories. The September issue will support all aspects of surfacing while supplying those in the industry an added source when doing their surfacing homework.
Obviously, we’re excited about this new project. It’s something that we’ve spent months researching and we just can’t wait to share our findings with our readers. The muscle behind this special issue is Curtis Stoddard who has taken it upon himself to let the playground industry know how important surfacing really is.
So keep an eye out for your mailman, because an in-depth review of playground surfacing is coming to a mailbox near you. Of course, you might be able to find a copy in your grocery store if you don’t already subscribe to Today’s Playground magazine, but do you really want to risk being behind the “To be or not to be” guy at the check stand?
Add new comment