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  1. #1
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    Default wood chips or rubber mulch?

    We are having a play structure installed in a few weeks and need to decide what to put under it. The rubber mulch is more expensive (I think about double) than the wood chips, but apparently wood chips need to be replaced every few years. We are in the DC area. I'm not sure if weather affects one more than the other. Both are available from the local company installing it, so I would think that they both can withstand the weather or they wouldn't sell it.

    Anyone have any experiences with either?

    Thanks!

  2. #2
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    We have the wooden playground mulch under our swingset. Quite frankly, we made the decision based on budget at the time but we haven't had any problems with it. It is kinda nice that it isn't a big deal when it gets tracked into the yard whereas I feel like I would be picking up the rubber mulch all the time from the sandbox and yard. But my boys are very active and tend to throw things even they are told not to. I'm sure different kids would be better about it.
    Mom to Two Wild and Crazy Boys and One Sweet Baby Girl

  3. #3
    kristac's Avatar
    kristac is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    nak- I don't have it in my yard, but a local playground has rubber mulch and it is HOT. Unbearable in the summer.

    Another alternative might be pea gravel.
    "Someday, I am going to go to bed without toys on the floor and sippys in my sink. Things will stay where I put them and I can have nice, fragile items on display. But when I do, I will look around with a wistfullness in my heart and miss the days where vibrant imaginations ran wild and there was evidence of life happening around me all the time!"

  4. #4
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    We have rubber mulch in our play area. I can tell you a few pros and cons.......

    Pros- doesn't need replaced and looks the same 5 years later and i'm assuming it'll outlast the kids' interest in the play area.

    Soft surface- last year when ds1 pushed ds2 out of the tower (maybe 5 feet) he landed head first and literally bounced about 2 feet in the air before landing on his back. He had a few bumps but no other injuries. I was very glad we had rubber mulch after that incident!

    Cons- the black comes off on hands, legs, clothes....ugh! Ds2 is usually black from head to toe because he sits and plays with trucks in it. He sweats like crazy in he summer, wipes his face and he looks like a coal miner! It washes off easily and hasn't stained clothes. Oh, you can buy rubber mulch that doesn't make a mess i think but its even more $$$$. DH knows, he might chime in.

    HTH!
    Tami, mom to 2 boys
    DS1 - 2/05
    DS2 - 5/07
    DH - BillK

  5. #5
    brismom is offline Silver level (200+ posts)
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    funny you just asked b/c we just forked over the cash and went with rubber mulch for our playground yesterday. We decided on the rubber b/c the neighborhood cats seemed to think that the wood mulch was their litter box and it needs replacing. We just laid it down so we haven't had a lot of time to form an experienced based opinion.

  6. #6
    happymomma is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    I live in the DC area also. We put in a swing set area for our treehouse and were considering using rubber mulch. We ended up with wood chips for several reason. One was the cost. The second was I had heard that rubber mulch gets really hot and I was worried about the smell of the rubber melting. Maybe I'm irrational but I didn't want the kids to smell that or the potential for something that could be hazardous to their health. So that was why we went with wood chips. We've been happy with the wood chips for the past couple of years.

  7. #7
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    Default Hmmm...cats!

    Lots of neighborhood cats. I didn't think of that.

    Quote Originally Posted by brismom View Post
    funny you just asked b/c we just forked over the cash and went with rubber mulch for our playground yesterday. We decided on the rubber b/c the neighborhood cats seemed to think that the wood mulch was their litter box and it needs replacing. We just laid it down so we haven't had a lot of time to form an experienced based opinion.

  8. #8
    EllasMum's Avatar
    EllasMum is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by kristac View Post
    ... but a local playground has rubber mulch and it is HOT. Unbearable in the summer.
    We were just at a playground, last weekend, with rubber mulch. It was a HOT day (probably at least 100F) and the heat just baked off that rubber mulch. It was brutally uncomfortable. If your play area is small, it might not be too bad, though.

    My parents just used some of the cedar mulch for a little path through their garden and it looks beautiful, and smells even better. The rubber mulch smells *nasty* on hot days!
    ~~~
    Susan
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  9. #9
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    we just have plain old grass. oh, i know! its more "dangerous". if someone should fall they have a higher likelihood of breaking a bone. But, how many of us grew up with anything BUT grass under our sets?

    Technically, we couldn't have anything BUT grass becuase of drainage issues in our yard. Having said that, we most likely would have put something underneath it for safety, but since it wasn't possible becuase of drainage issues we didn't have to incur that extra expense.
    Mom to DD 7/06, DS1 8/08 & DS2 9/11!

  10. #10
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    FWIW, our rubber mulch doesn't stink at all. Ever. We're in western PA and we have few 90 degree days. Summer highs are usually in mid 80's if that matters. The mulch does get hot if in direct sun all day long. Not so hot that my boys can't play in it though.
    Tami, mom to 2 boys
    DS1 - 2/05
    DS2 - 5/07
    DH - BillK

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