A Professional Guide To Cold Weather Installations Of Safety Surfaces
Poured-in-place rubber and synthetic turf are popular low-maintenance solutions for indoor and outdoor areas. But with the onset of freezing conditions outside, it is important to understand the risks involved. If you are considering an exterior installation for your home or business, we inform all clients products are cold weather sensitive and for these reasons, it is better to have these products installed in warmer conditions.
Rubber surface installs are weather and sometimes location dependent and are best installed in warm weather as this allows proper curing times for the setting of adhesive binders. When you contact us for rubber flooring solutions, we assess the location using Goggle Maps to view the terrain and where the safety surface will be located. Also, we look very closely at current weather conditions like nightly low temps, the remaining hours of sunlight, the absence of direct sunlight, and the presence of moisture prior to installing these floors. Without the proper conditions, newly laid surfaces may not cure or could granulate causing further damage easily.
We prefer to install poured-in-place rubber surfacing and artificial turf between a temperature range of 50F and 95F as the minimum installation temperatures specified by our binder manufacturers. Where we have installed rubber safety floors below 50F degrees, this has been dependent on site-specific factors including the level of moisture and humidity, temperature drops, curing time before sunset, and nominal pad size. It is important to know that a temperature at or above 50F degrees must be maintain for at least three consecutive days during the daylight and at night-time hours.
Installing safety surfaces below this recommended temperature range increases the risk of failed binding materials causing rubber bubbling or cracking and turf wrinkling can occur when it expands. For artificial grass, low or freezing temperatures prevent the glue from bonding increasing the risk of damage including a future re-seam. While outdoor applications are risky in cold conditions, indoor installations are easier to facilitate where temperature and factors such as humidity and moisture can be controlled. Using heaters and fans, we can maintain the desired indoor environment but this is based on an assessment by our professionals.
At Pro-Techs Surfacing, LLC, we prioritize the quality and longevity of our flooring installations. Because cold weather can have a negative impact on the integrity and durability of synthetic turf or rubber safety surfaces, we recommend calling our professionals for expert advice. We do our best to provide guaranteed and lasting installs but if the weather causes a delay, we will work with you to determine the best solution.
