From Backyard to Schoolyard: Certified Playground Chips That Kids Love

When Utah families start planning new play areas, safety, durability, and beauty all matter. At Kilgore Landscape Center, part of Asphalt Materials Inc., we’ve helped homeowners, schools, and contractors bring those considerations together for over 40 years. With our reliable local service and an expansive selection of landscaping materials―including certified playground chips, decorative rock, and play sand―we make it easier to build outdoor spaces that are as safe as they are charming.

Here’s how you can use playground chips or sand in landscaping projects, why they’re a smart choice in Utah’s climate, and how Kilgore Landscape Center can help you get it right.

Why Choose Playground Chips or Sand?

Both playground chips and sand bring their own advantages. Choosing between them or combining them depends on the intended use, appearance, maintenance requirements, and safety concerns.

Playground chips provide cushioning from falls. This is especially important under swings, slides, climbers, and other play equipment. They help with moisture retention in dry soils, reduce weed growth, and improve aesthetics, giving a natural, warm look to your property. When certified, these chips meet standards of impact absorption and material purity that are essential for schoolyards and public play spaces.

Playground sand offers a classic, simple, low-cost play surface. In sandboxes and digging areas, it’s great for sensory and tactile play. Sand also drains well and can be combined with other materials. It can become messy or shift over time, so containment, maintenance, and periodic replenishment are key.

Considering Utah’s Weather in Your Decision

Utah landscaping comes with its own set of challenges: hot, dry summers; occasional heavy storms; and cold, snowy winters. These weather changes will have a significant impact on your landscaping, especially when it comes to playground chips and sand. 

For example, in the summer, playground chips reflect less heat than darker surface materials, which helps kids stay cooler. Certain kinds of wood also resist heat better. During the summer dry spells, wood chips can also help retain moisture around roots in landscaped areas and reduce evaporation.

Instances of heavy rainfall and runoff are also important to take into consideration. Areas that get runoff need good drainage and proper grading, and surface materials to help prevent pooling or erosion. Utah has seen increasing flash flood risks recently, so slope and stormwater design matter.

Winter in Utah is a whole different beast. Certified wood chips tend to settle and compact under snow, so their depth must be checked and replenished. Bulk play sand can compact or wash out if it isn’t contained properly.

How to Use Playground Chips and Sand in Landscaping Projects

Here are some practical steps and tips to get the best performance, safety, and appearance out of your wood chips or sand, whether for home, school, or public spaces.

1. Define the area: Clear existing vegetation and level the ground (a slight slope away from structures helps with drainage). Install edging (wood, stone, metal) to contain chips or sand so they don’t migrate.
   
   

2. Determine depth: Playground chips under play equipment often need to have a depth of 9‑12 inches or more before compaction to absorb falls safely. However, for areas designed as walkways or aesthetic ground cover, 2‑4 inches of chips may be all you need. For sand, depth depends on play type. Sandboxes and digging areas might use 4‑6 inches or more.
   
   

3. Layering and base: It’s important to ensure your base soil is well-draining and that weed barriers or landscape fabric are used carefully. Some people prefer to skip fabric under chips in high‑play areas. This is because it can trap moisture or interfere with natural settling.

4. Maintenance: Regular raking is necessary to keep chips even. You’ll also need to replenish chips as decomposition or compaction reduces their depth. For sand, sift occasionally to remove foreign items, insects, or clumps, and top up as needed.
   
   

5. Safety and certification: If you’re installing in a public or school setting, use chips certified to meet ASTM or similar safety standards. These ensure impact attenuation and material purity. For home use, certification still matters for peace of mind, fewer splinters, a more uniform appearance, and better durability.
   
   

Creative Landscaping Ideas Using these Materials

• Play zones under full playsets: Deep installations of certified playground chips are recommended for swing sets, climbers, and slides.
  
  

• Sand play corners or sensory bins: Integrated into yard or school settings for younger children.
  
  

• Pathways and border buffers: Chips can be used to soften transitions to decorative rock around pathways.
  
  

• Tree wells and shade areas: Wood chips work great under trees, and they also help with moisture retention.
  
  

How Kilgore Landscape Center Can Help

With decades of experience in Utah landscaping supply, Kilgore Landscape Center can partner with you at every step. We carry a great selection of certified playground chips, decorative rock, and bulk play sand, all matching quality standards you can trust.

And our full landscaping line doesn’t stop there. Want decorative rock accents? Mulches? Bulk ice melts or pet-safe & concrete‑friendly surfaces for winter? We have all that, along with more than 40 years of experience getting customers what works best in our climate.

Because we live and work here in the Salt Lake Valley, we understand the ways Utah’s weather—heat, dryness, runoff, snow—affects landscaping materials. We can help you avoid common pitfalls, like chips washing out or sand eroding, through correct base preparation, edging, drainage, and seasonal maintenance. 

We’ll be happy to talk you through important landscaping decisions, like determining what material works best in your yard or for your school, how deep the chips should be, and how they’ll perform through Utah’s heat, winters, and storms.

When to Buy & Plan

Utah residents know that the weather here changes fairly dramatically through the seasons. If you’re on the hunt for “play sand near me” or other materials, timing your purchase and installation is critical. Spring & early summer are typically the best times to do this, as the ground is workable, the weather is warming, and you’ll get chips or sand installed before heavy use.

If you want to get to work later in the summer, scheduling in the morning or late day helps avoid heat stress during installs. 

Fall is a good time to make sure chips are replenished, check for drainage issues, and make repairs. This is because once snow comes, it’s much harder to work with the frozen ground.

Act Today To Start Your Playground Project

From creating a safe backyard play area for your kids to designing a schoolyard that meets safety codes, certified playground chip and correctly installed sand can make all the difference.

If you’re ready to plan your next playground or landscaping project, stop by or give us a call at (801) 561‑4231. You’ll find the supplies and advice you need to create spaces that kids will love, families will trust, and your landscape will sustain.