What to Consider When Purchasing a Wooden Playset

 

What to Consider When Purchasing a Wooden Playset

Wooden playsets are a big investment for any family. While they are expensive, wooden playsets offer many benefits to a young growing family. It is important to do your research before you decide to purchase a particular wooden playset. Here are some important tips you should consider before you make a purchase.

The Size of Your Yard

The internet or trade magazine can give parents a false idea of a wooden playset’s true size. Even purchasing a playset in person can be a bit deceiving since large showrooms can give a false sense of the sets size.  It is important to know how large your backyard is and the precise size of the wooden playset in question.

Consider Building Materials

Being knowledgeable of the types of wood commonly used in wooden playsets will help keep your children safe.

Cedar wood is naturally resistant to outdoor elements such as, rot, decay and natural damage. This is important to pay attention to because generally there are no chemicals added to these types of wooden playsets to aid in preservation.

Redwood is one of the most common types of timber used in wooden playsets today. Most redwood today is U.S produced and comes from California. This type of wood is naturally resistant to rot, decay and most fungi. Unfortunately in recent years some quality of redwood has gone into decline. Make sure to inquire if the timber used for your wooden playset is from new or older growth trees since the newer trees quality has come into question.

Pressure treated pine playsets have minimal shrinking and fungal decay but over the past few years there have been growing health concerns over these types of playsets. The copper arsenic used to treat these playsets can leach and get on children who are playing and can cause serious health issues later on. Please note Superior Play Systems® does not use this type of wood in our wooden playsets.

Safety Features

Although cost is a major deciding factor when purchasing a wooden playset safety still should be a number one priority and often times is worth the extra costs.

• Beware of wooden playset manufacturers who use dangerous chemicals to treat their wood and vague blends of inferior lumber.
• Inquire whether professional grade hardware has been used.
• Be sure the wooden playset comes pre sanded along with the holes pre drilled.

A wooden playset can offer a child many years of enjoyment and exercise. Unfortunately, there is a lack of information regarding playsets on the internet. It is important to properly do your due diligence and be aware of safety features, yard size and the type of wood that the playset has been built with.