Want to give your kids a taste of your childhood? Outdoor play remains one of the best ways to get children active, encourage play with friends, and encourage creativity. Sure, you may have a neighborhood park, but that still means you need to plan a day. If you want your kids to have great opportunities for spontaneous play, a backyard play area is an excellent way to encourage it.

Of course, if we think back to the play areas of our childhoods, they had some downsides. Hot metal slides, rusty metals, and wood that splintered and frayed meant that they needed constant maintenance. If our parents missed it, we could end up with injuries. Obviously, those injuries did not take away from the overall joy we felt in those playsets. But today’s playsets are even better. Vinyl playsets let you give your kids all of the joys of an old-school play area, but in a safer, lower-maintenance format that is easier for parents and safer for kids.

Vinyl Playsets

Vinyl playsets are made of PVC or poly lumber. PVC is polyvinyl chloride, a durable, waterproof material that is often used in plumbing. Poly lumber is lumber that has a coating to protect it from water and weather. In addition, our poly lumber uses treated lumber, which means that if the outside vinyl coating gets compromised, you still have treated lumber inside. That means a playset that is durable, rot-resistant, and does not have splinters. It also means the swingset is safer. Plus, stainless steel hardware, rubber-coated seats and chains, and nylon bearings add to comfort and durability.

Vinyl playsets are also secure. When properly installed, they are tip-proof. Secured deep into the ground, they can stand up to hard play by plenty of kids without creating a tipping or falling hazard.

For parents, the biggest con of a vinyl playset is that they have higher upfront costs. Generally, they are more expensive to purchase. However, they do not require the same type of maintenance as wooden or metal playsets. That means that they pay for themselves over time.

People also wonder about the appearance of a vinyl playset. When they first came on the scene, vinyl playsets had a plastic look. They may have an industrial or commercial look. Today’s vinyl playsets are much more versatile. You can get them in any color combination, including vinyl swing sets that mimic the look of natural wood.