Engineered Wood Fiber Playground Surfacing

Wear mats help to provide stability and longevity for surfaces when placed under swings, slide exits, and other play components where landing, dragging of feet, or other movement will cause surfacing to be displaced. Available in Medium and Heavy Duty, Wear Mats are comprised of 85% recycled rubber, 15% EPDM rubber, and a polyurethane bonding agent. They can be placed on top of or just below the surface and will reduce maintenance time and cost in areas where they are used.

• Preserves critical safety surfacing in high use areas to ensure continued compliance
• Prevents rutting on loose fill surfaces under swings and at slide beds due to repetitive use
• Helps maintain unitary surfaces in heavy traffic areas where tears and holes can occur
• Simple, cost effective way to prevent expensive maintenance services
• Easily installed for a quicker solution to uneven surfaces
• Protects loose fill surfacing resulting in a safer and more inclusive playground environment

Engineered wood fiber is a popular choice for projects with initial budget constraints. EWF does require ongoing raking and occasional topping off during its lifetime due to compaction and decomposition. This maintenance will help ensure the correct material depth of the wood fibers for compliance with safety and accessibility standards. Once the newly installed EWF has settled, it forms a “knitted” layer that is designed to support a variety of mobility devices including wheelchairs, crutches, and walkers.

• Consider Rubber Wear Mats to avoid compliance issues after the wood is moved around and out of high use areas!
• Refer to our Rubber Playground Borders to contain the EWF.
• Ask about accessible ADA playground mulch
• Curious about how much you need, click to learn how much engineered wood fiber to buy.