Playground, Sports Court & Recreational Aggregate Materials Guide

If you’re a landscaper or a contractor, a school, or even a facility manager who has been tasked with creating the best possible playground, sport area, or something similar that receives high levels of foot traffic, you need to think carefully about what materials are going to be best for this.

There are a number of factors that need to be considered before making a final decision, some of which are easy to forget about when you’re focused on other things.

This is going to be the main focus of today's article, so whether you’re a lover of DIY and learning all things surrounding playground and sports area flooring/base materials, or you’re a director who needs to be directly involved in the decision making process, we’re here to help you understand.

Materials For Various Areas

So, you want your playground, sports area, dog run, or other recreational area to look good, but also to be able to hold up under the heavy foot of plenty of people, so which aggregates should you choose? That’s a great question, and we’re going to be breaking it down into different areas so that you have a clear understanding of what would be suitable where.

Playground Surfacing

When you’re looking to create a playground, one material is not going to suit the whole area. Instead, you’re going to have to select a range of different materials, depending on the area that you are trying to cover. The only consistent theme across all of these surfacing options is that they should be as soft as possible, as you never know when a child is going to fall.

Gravel

So, the first option that we’re going to look at is playground gravel, but you have to use impact reducing gravel to ensure that if any accidents are to occur, that they are mitigated as best as possible. This tends to be done by using specialized gravel pieces that are shaped in such a way that make them easy to fall on. Gravel is extremely durable so it will stand the test of time, and if you use small enough gravel pieces, then it’s still extremely comfortable to walk on. This is necessary when dealing with children as they often take their shoes off.

The key to getting gravel right is ensuring you’re using the correct type for drainage, especially in the playground as you can then avoid huge buildups of water, and low-impact gravel does tend to allow the water to pass through easily.

Engineered Wood Mulch

Another option you have for playgrounds is engineered wood mulch, which you will likely have seen in ones you have been to in the past. This is a type of processed wood that was created to adhere to safety standards, and when this is engineered and laid correctly, it’s also ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant.

It is generally soft to touch and therefore easy to walk through, and has excellent drainage properties to allow the water to flow through easily, preventing the common problem of pooling.

The only downside of this is that it’s not massively durable for areas that have super-high foot traffic as it can splinter and compress, especially after around a year or two which would mean regular replacement.

Fine Aggregate

Fine aggregate is found in a lot of play areas, and is often mistaken for sand straight away due to how fine it is. In some cases it is sand, but it can also be crushed stone and is often used to cushion falls, which is why it’s found under play equipment.

It’s quite a dense material though, so it doesn’t provide much cushion, and it’s also got poor drainability properties due to such small particles. This can lead to pooling and clogging where the water flow is being restricted.

Sports Court Base Layers

Sports courts need to be level, they need to be easy to run on, and they need to be able to withstand many people coming and going from them. A combination of crushed stone and other compactible aggregates should do the trick here, as you’re going to need two different materials to create the layers. Once you’ve created the base layers, you can lay whatever sports court top layer you would like over, as the ground will then be suitable for you to use.

Crushed Stone

The layers of crushed stone go right at the bottom, as they form the bottom of the base of the court. The crushed stone is so far down that you don’t have to worry about compactibility, as the layer on top is where that focus needs to be. The main benefit of using crushed stones is that it’s extremely long lasting and durable, so you shouldn’t run into any issues with this for your sports court base.

Compactible Aggregates

On top of the crushed stone, you should be using an even finer aggregate that is compactible, and provides the spring that you need on the sports court. Ideally, a combination of crushed granite and limestone will do you well here, as both have excellent drainage properties, while also providing the stability needed to maintain the sports being played.

Sand For Multiple Uses

Sand is a fantastic choice for a range of uses across the public domain. One common use for this that you see is sandboxes in playgrounds to ensure that kids have a safe area to play. Not only is it fun to build sandcastles in, but it also provides a safe environment, and due to its density, if someone does fall, they shouldn’t be too bad. While it’s not particularly soft, when packed together, it does dull the impact, which is more that can be said for options such as concrete. As such, sandbox sand is an excellent choice.

An alternative use for this is volleyball courts. If you’ve ever wondered why volleyball is often played on the beach, or in a sandy area, it’s because it makes diving for the ball safer for the players. As we mentioned above, the impact is severely reduced for those who fall on sand, making it a good choice for areas in which there are a lot of people likely to be hitting the ground often.

No matter what area you use sand for, the compatible nature makes it a durable and stable foundation, which means it’s perfect for recreation uses.

The only potential downside is the drainage capabilities of sand, but it really does depend on how big the particles of sand are. The bigger the particles, the better drainage capabilities it has, and therefore the less water it will hold onto. If you use volleyball sand, which is exactly what it sounds like, you won’t have an issue with this.

Dog Runs And Other Pet Areas

For the creation of pet runs and other pet areas, finding the right aggregate can be tough. We recommend using gravel for this, as dog run gravel has proved to be an effective choice in previous projects and dog runs. It’s essential that you make the right choice of gravel here, as there are going to be little paws running across it all of the time, as well as heavy footsteps of owners.

It’s important then that you’re choosing a drainage-friendly option, which means that you may want to consider pea gravel for a project like this. The gravel itself won’t be too harsh on paws as it’s easy to walk on due to its rounded shape, won’t hold onto all of that water and cause random pooling everywhere, and is relatively low impact to fall on. Again, the shape of the gravel ensures that any impact is minimized, making it a fantastic option for dogs who are constantly bouncing around all over the place.

Pea gravel is also really easy to clean, so if you’re creating a dog run, you can just hose this down and you don’t have to worry about anything thanks to its drainage-friendly properties.

The only downside to pea gravel for dog runs and pet areas is the fact that it doesn't compact well, which means that the stones will scatter and move around over time, especially with all of the foot traffic that will be coming over it.

Decorative Aggregate For Seating Areas

When looking for landscape aggregates for recreation, you want to make sure you’re thinking about seating areas and pathways. To bring a little something extra to an otherwise boring scene, you should be thinking about using decorative stones to liven it up a little. These come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, meaning that you can choose the aesthetic you want to go for, and then find the stone to match, rather than trying to have to do this the other way around.

Some fantastic options for decorative aggregates include:

• Multi-colored river rock
• Black lava rock
• Red brick chips
• White marble chips

But there are also plenty more out there. It depends on what kind of feeling you want to create around the seating area. You also need to consider who is going to be using this seating area most often so that you can choose a shape and size of stone that is appropriate. Think about who is going to be walking over it, and the fact that you can’t really compact decorative stone like this, meaning that you want an option that stays together nicely as much as possible.

What we will say for these decorative stones though is that they are extremely durable, and will hold up under high amounts of foot traffic without issue.

Just remember that some decorative stones may be lower impact than others, it depends on the style that you choose. Try to opt for something flat at the top, or something rounded to take out any harshness of falls that may occur.

Events And Multi-Use Spaces

Outdoor venues, entryways, and patios all need aggregates that are stable, but also visually appealing. Nobody wants to enter a space that looks like it’s uncared for, or that no thought was put into the initial design process here. However, you can use more than one aggregate to create the perfect area.

For example, impact-absorbing mulch is a fantastic choice thanks to its ability to be compacted, and its drainability, and the fact that it softs the fall by absorbing the impact itself. The issue with mulch is that it isn’t durable enough to hold up over time, which would result in this needing to be changed. So, while it may be a great choice for a part of a multi-use space, gravel should be used in the other areas, as well as entryways, patios, and more.

Gravel provides a more stable option, but also a more durable one. The likelihood of gravel breaking apart and needing to be replaced is slim for the next decade at least. The issue with gravel is that it’s not as good at absorbing impacts as other aggregates, though it does a decent job depending on the size that you choose.

The other advantage that gravel and stone have over mulch here is that they look better. Mulch isn’t that visually appealing, and it’s easy for people to make unfair assumptions looking at it, whereas gravel comes in many colors, shapes, and sizes, meaning that it can be chosen to fit the aesthetic that already exists in the area.

Choosing the correct aggregate is essential to the success and longevity of the project, so it’s not a decision that should be undertaken lightly. Consider everything that you have just read, and then read some more, and some more, until you are 100% confident in your decision for a safe playground ground cover, or the aggregate that you have chosen. With such a wide range available, we’re sure that you will be able to find something that performs as you want it to.