Product Care

Garden Play equipment product care. All our timber frames and towers have been pressure treated and impregnated with wax to protect against the seasons, so there should be no requirement to further treat the wood.

 

Wood ages and naturally turns grey in colour. If you wish to ‘refresh’ the wood simply rub down and apply Danish or Teak Oil. If surface dirt or algae builds up wash down with soapy water or pressure wash the frames and towers.

Your play equipment will hopefully get a lot of use. Although we source high quality products we recommend that you regularly check your equipment, paying particular attention to fixings, swing ropes and pivot points, tightening any if necessary.

We would also suggest checking swing seats for signs of damage, particularly after the winter.

 

Play equipment should also be regularly checked for splinters and sanded down when necessary.  For more information on product care for your garden play equipment please email gardenplay@caledoniaplay.com or call the office on 01577 840570 and we will do our best to help you.

 

Extreme weather conditions

We recommend that swing seats are tied up to prevent them hitting the swing frames in extreme weather conditions that include high winds.

 

Splits and cracks

Cracks and splits will occur in timber as it expands and contracts with humidity and temperature changes. They will occur particularly in the round pole timbers, but also in square cut timber and they are in new sets as well as old.

The key fact is that we use round timbers for our play equipment equipment. Most people are used to working with square timbers. Round timbers – due to the nature of their structure are more prone to splits and cracks so that when people see the cracks they become concerned as they are not used to seeing this happen.

Whilst these can appear quite large and alarming, these cracks DO NOT affect the strength, integrity and durability of the playsets. The splits and cracks happen because timber is a natural product and is a living material, and through the year the wood expands and contracts, often meaning quite large cracks appear in hot, dry weather, and then close up in the wetter, winter months.

Pictures of splits and cracks that may appear can be seen in this news article.

 

Salt efflorescence

This can appear as superficial white to greenish spots on the surface of the timber and is as result of a mixture of exiting resin and ingredients of pressure impregnation. It should not cause concern and will not affect the safety and use of your product. It will naturally fade over time with exposure to a variety of weather conditions.

If you would like to remove the effects of salt efflorescence then just sand gently with some fine sandpaper.

 

Cracks and branches

Branches, grains and pith are part of the characteristics of the wood that will affect the way the timber looks. It is completely natural to have a variation in the look of the timber and that is also what gives the product charm. Email us a picture if you are concerned that it is not normal and we will be happy to advise you.

 

Swelling and shrinking

Volume change due to moisture absorption and drying is typical of wood and should not cause concern.
Where possible wood warping may happen we undercut the timber so that it will not change the shape of the product.
Although it is not necessary –  some people may choose to unpack their new play equipment immediately when they receive it and let it dry for a couple of days before assembly.

 

We’re here to help

Our wooden play equipment for the garden comes in all shapes and sizes and we therefore recommend that if you require any specific information about taking care and using your play equipment then do get in touch.

 

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