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Which Type of Playground Surface has the best Warranty?

Before you start your playground project there are a few things you need to be aware of, one of those being warranties.

Every playground surface installation should come with a workmanship warranty that covers the quality of the installation as well as things like mistakes or defects in the surface that were caused during the installation process.

But what about the products themselves that are used in the installation?

Let’s take a look at the product warranties tied to the four most popular playground surfacing options out there and what you should expect from a manufacturer when it comes to product warranties?

1. Wood Chip Surfacing

Wood chip surfacing doesn’t generally come with a product warranty. After looking through all the companies that offer wood chip play surfacing in New Zealand, we couldn’t find any that offer a manufacturing warranty for this type of product.

This is nothing to be worried about. By its nature, woodchip surfacing is designed to break down over time and be replaced frequently, so it’s no surprise that suppliers don’t offer warranties on this type of playground surface.

2. PVC Tiles

When it comes to PVC tiles, you are most likely going to get both a product warranty and a workmanship warranty.

The workmanship warranty will be given by the person who installs the product. This will cover any things that may have gone wrong during the installation.  The product warranty will come from the manufacturer. Sometimes, they are the one and the same. The company might be responsible for both the manufacturing of your product and it’s installation.

In New Zealand, you can expect to get a product warranty for up to 6 years when it comes to PVC Tiles. For Example, Play Matta who is a New Zealand manufacturer of PVC tiles, provides a product warranty on their product that goes up to 6 years from installation.

3. Artificial Turf

When installed properly, artificial turf can last a very long time. You will generally be covered by both a product warranty and a craftsmanship warranty when you purchase and install an artificial turf playground surface.

Most companies in New Zealand offer at least a 5-year warranty on their playground turf systems.

Some artificial turf specialists, like TigerTurf and TeamTurf, offer 7 and 8-year warranties respectively on their playground turf systems. 

4. Wet Pour Rubber Surfaces

Wet pour rubber is generally known to be the hardest wearing and longest lasting type of playground surface, so they tend to have reasonably long warranty periods.

Most play surfacing companies in New Zealand who provide wet pour rubber surfaces tend to offer a product warranty of at least 5 years.

Because NumatREC uses a unique high-quality rubber and resin blend in its wet pour rubber surfacing, we can offer a warranty that lasts for up to 10 years. Our Pour’n’Play wet pour rubber product has the longest warranty available in the New Zealand market. 

What to look out for when assessing product warranties?

There are a few things to keep an eye out for when assessing warranties for playground surfacing. The main one being, how long the company been in business installing the product in New Zealand.

We’ve seen some businesses in the industry who are offering warranty durations that are longer than they have been installing surfacing in New Zealand. The last thing you want is an untested product failing in your playground. Just because the product warranty says 5 or 6 or 10 years, doesn’t mean the product has proven to last that long.

Look for companies who have an established track record with their product and ask for some local surface installations you can visit for yourself. Don’t hesitate to ask how long the product has been down at the sites you look at; in this way you can determine for yourself how long lasting the product is and see what the surface will look like over time. Asking these sorts of questions will help you establish whether the companies warranty claims are legitimate.

If you are looking for more information about play surfacing check out the rest of our videos in our Learning Hub, and if you want us to make a specific video on a particular topic, flick us an email or give us a call on 0800 686 124.