Table of Contents
Recycled Chippings – A Great Landscaping Material
Recycled rubber chipping is perfect for those landscaping and gardening projects that need that little bit of variety. Not only are they made from 100% recycled tires, but they are completely free from fibres and wires, allowing them to rival traditional gravel in their aesthetics, cost, and environmental impact.
Classic rubber chippings have the benefit of being light and weather resistant due to their polyurethane coating. This coating also allows you to add a variety of colours to your projects, whether it’s a small planter with a single colour, or a large pathway with a mix of different colours, rubber chippings can suit any design for topping off that landscaping project you’ve been working on.
Unparalleled ground cover
When deciding on a landscaping material, making the right choice for ground cover is important. Finding an alternative to stone or gravel can be tricky, but rubber chippings are a fantastic choice. An innovative solution to the problem of tyres ending up in landfill all over the world,
Below is an example of rubber chippings being used to add a colourful ground cover to an arbour decoration in a home garden. As you can see, it provides a great splash of colour and variety to the garden while in keeping with the style of the garden.
Border mulch is also a great use for rubber chippings, as they absorb natural heat throughout the day. As the chippings are laid onto a weed suppressant membrane at a 40mm depth, not only are they great as acting as a weed blocker, but they also retain their attribute as a comfortable walking surface.
Unbreakable Sturdiness
When it comes to a material that is going to be exposed to outdoor conditions, you need to know that it is going to be weather resistant as much as possible, whether it be raining, sunny and warm, or cold and frosty. While a lot of materials boast strength against cold, for example, they might not do so well in the heat (you wouldn’t make an arbour out of ice, for example!). The same applies to decorations and ground covers; they need to be strong and sturdy enough to last all year round in all weather conditions.
Wood chips are usually good, but when it comes to wet weather, they begin to rot and decompose quite quickly, meaning that they will need to be maintained and replenished often. Gravel or small stone chippings might be weather resistant, however, they’re not great solutions for weed control, which is just as important for the protection of plants and the aesthetic feel of your decorative landscapes as anything else.
Rubber chippings, on the other hand, contain a great number of qualities that help to mitigate problems across a variety of circumstances. For example:
- Frost resistance up to -5 degrees, keeping their shape and durability during the cold winter months
- Absorption of some of the sun’s heat, retaining some warmth without becoming too hot to walk along during the summer
- Fitted with an underlying membrane, the chippings feature great scope for weed control in, in planters and border fills especially
- As they are polyurethane coated, they keep their colour without fading for a long time
- Additionally, due to this coating, their durability is very high, allowing them to be used not only in pots and decorations, but also as walkways and patio surfaces
- Due to their weight, they will not blow away in windy weather, meaning less maintenance, and overall, less mess when the weather takes a turn
- The coating is inert and completely non-toxic, so if they are accidentally ingested, they will pass through naturally without harm (making them ideal for playground floorings)
How do I know how much to use?
Using an area calculator (Such as the one available from Safer Surfacing) to determine the amount of rubber chippings you will need to use for your project can help greatly. Once you know how much you will need, the only thing left to decide on is the colour (Or colours, if you wish to go for a multi-coloured effect!)
Where to purchase chippings
Check out Safer Surfacing for costing and quantities to get your landscaping venture off to the best start. Classic rubber chippings are in stock and available for regular or even next-day delivery, so starting your gardening ideas can begin whenever you are ready!
Try before you buy
Of course, it’s much easier to decide if it is the right material for you once you’ve had a good look at it. As such, getting your hands on a sample can be massively helpful in determining the strength, quality, and aesthetic of the pieces first-hand. What would be even better, however, was if you could get hold a sample for free; get in touch with Safer Surfacing, and ask about their rubber chipping sample bags to try them out for yourself.
