Oct 28

Wood vs. Metal Playgrounds – Which to Choose?

When choosing a material for your playground design, you have two main options in conjunction with plastic: wood and metal. One isn’t necessarily better than the other. Instead, it comes down to the needs of the client, where the playground will be installed and the overall aesthetics you want to achieve.

CR Studio Design offers both wood and metal playground equipment. Discover the benefits to expect from each and which material is best for your project.

Wooden Custom Playground Equipment

Wood Playground Designs

Wood is a great option for playgrounds because it’s environmentally friendly, ecological and renewable. If your plan is to build a natural playground that incorporates its surrounding habitat, wood is an excellent choice. It can be formed into many different shapes and is able to support both tall and heavy structures.

Because untreated wood is susceptible to rot, you should only use treated wood. CR Studio Design strongly recommends northern pine wood from Finland found in the Lappset Flora product line. This material is used to being outdoors in the four seasons, and it is treated with environmentally friendly preservatives. It’s exceptionally strong and durable, with a lifespan of 10-20 years or more. Lappset Flora utilizes metal footers for product integrity.

Lappset Flora gives you a variety of design possibilities—from playground structures and towers to fitness and obstacle course type activities. Designers can create extraordinary, themed destination playgrounds with the Flora line from Lappset. Nature inspired Flora playground equipment allows you to play in an exciting forest even in a city.

Playground Design Architecture - Metal Playground Design

Metal Playground Designs

Another material you can pick for your playground is metal, a sustainable material with unlimited possibilities. The cool thing about metal is that it gives playgrounds an industrial appearance, whereas wood is more natural looking. If you want to pull off an architectural design with bold colors and modern twists and turns, metal would be the preferred choice.

Like wood, metal is also a strong material for playground equipment. But it, too, requires maintenance in terms of checking for rust and sharp corners. With proper attention, you can expect metal playground equipment to last for decades.

Again, the possibilities are endless. The sky is truly the limit. You can create tall play towers with Lappset Halo cubes and diamonds, or large sea creators, dinosaurs and more with the Lappset Premium collection. These robust modern metal custom playground designs can serve as a city center attraction or give a community an artsy look and feel drawing visitors from far and wide.

Need some ideas? Check out what you can do with custom metal playground designs. However,  metal can get hot in the summer to add plenty of trees throughout your design or consider shade structures for coverage.

Design Your Custom Wood or Metal Playground Today

There is no “best” option to choose from – wood or metal. Both are great materials that are strong, durable and long lasting, providing you take care of them appropriately. When your public playground is due for maintenance, use this time to check wood equipment for rotting and splintering, and check metal equipment for sharp edges and rust.

To discuss the material options for your custom playground design, contact CR Studio Design today. We’ll go over the advantages of choosing sustainable northern pine or sleek, industrial metal for your project.