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What is MulchSet Surfacing?

If you’re looking for a natural-looking surface with the benefits of a rubber play surface, MulchSet might just be the right fit for your project.  So what is MulchSet?”

In today’s video, we’re going to talk about MulchSet play surfacing – What is it made of? What are its advantages and disadvantages? And what does it cost?

What is MulchSet surfacing?

MulchSet is a type of wet poured rubber play surface offered by NumatREC, that is made from rubber chips that are shaped and coloured to look like organic mulch. The rubber chips are mixed with a polyurethane resin binder and poured onsite to provide a seamless, natural-looking play surface.

What is MulchSet made of?

MulchSet is made from coloured EPDM rubber granules that come in two colour blends – wood mulch brown and forest-floor green.

Unlike some colour-coated rubber granules that lose their outer colouring over time, the rubber used in MulchSet is 100% dyed-through, so it keeps its colour over the long term.

This makes MulchSet a more durable and environmentally friendly playground surfacing option.

What are the advantages of MulchSet?

  • Its natural look. MulchSet is so realistic that often people can’t tell the difference between it and organic wood chip surfaces until they are standing up close to the surface. This makes MulchSet not only an excellent option for natural playgrounds, but also for root protection around trees.
  • Its one-piece stability. Because MulchSet is a ‘one-piece’ seamless surface, it doesn’t move around like loose bark or pebble surfaces. This makes it a safer and lower maintenance surface than loose fill surfaces like bark and pea-gravel.
  • Free draining. MulchSet is a porous surface which means water drains away quickly, leaving your surface dry and ready for use shortly after the rain stops.
  • Its softness. MulchSet’s rubber granules have an elongated, organic shape that gives them a lot of springiness. This gives the surface extra softness and enables it to be installed without extra shock pad in areas where the equipment fall height is under 1.6 meters. In those kinds of applications, MulchSet becomes a very economical option as no shock pad means fewer materials used and a shorter installation time. 
  • MulchSet is a seamless surface which makes it barrier-free and an excellent choice for accessible playgrounds.

What are the disadvantages of MulchSet?

  • The main disadvantage of MulchSet is that it is made from EPDM which is a lower quality alternative to TPV rubber granules that last longer. For some however, this may be viewed a positive as it makes MulchSet a more affordable surface than TPV options like Pour’n’Play.
  • For comparison, MulchSet comes with a 3 year warranty, whereas Pour’n’Play comes with an up to 10 year warranty depending on your choice of binder and top layer thickness.

How much does MulchSet cost?

A very common question is ‘how much does MulchSet cost per m2?’ The answer to this question depends on a couple of different factors:

1. The size of the area – the larger the area, the lower the cost.

2. The height of the equipment around which the surface is installed – the higher the equipment, the thicker the base layer needs to be, requiring more rubber granules

Size (M2
Cost Range
50 – 100
$270 – $390 / M2
100 – 200
$230 – $350 / M2
200 – 400
$210 – $330 / M2
Base Prep
$50 – $90 / M2
Edging
$30 – $50 / Lineal Metre
Here is a quick pricing breakdown that gives you a price range by area size.

There are also a couple of extra costs to be aware of before deciding that MulchSet surfacing is right for you. Any base preparation costs and edging costs will also need to be considered. 

If you think MulchSet might be a good fit for you, check out the product page on this website where you will find more information. You could also request a quote, fill out the form here and someone will be in touch.