What to Look for When Buying Park Benches and Picnic Tables

Play Mart doesn’t just make equipment for playgrounds and schools.

Our benches and tables are also ideal for hiking and biking trails, outdoor break areas for offices and factories, or any other application where low maintenance and longevity are important. Transform your park, trail, or break areas into a haven for relaxation and community bonding with the perfect park benches and picnic tables! We offer a wide range of high-quality outdoor commercial benches that can truly make a difference in the park experience for both kids and adults.

Finding the right bench or table for your park may seem simple, but it requires careful consideration to ensure long-lasting satisfaction. Fortunately, Play Mart is here to guide you! Here’s what to look for in quality park furniture:

Durability

Picnic Table made from Recycled MaterialsOur structural plastic formula is specifically designed to withstand outdoor conditions and provide superior durability. Unlike wood, our benches are made from Recycled Structural Plastic™ (RSP) that is resistant to cracking, splintering, and rot. We also use rust-proof stainless steel hardware, attachment plates, and smooth stainless steel welds to eliminate jagged edges that can chip and rust. Learn more about the advantages of RSP.

Not only does our recycled plastic last longer, but it also does not fade, tear, peel, or splinter like other materials commonly used in park equipment. Our two-tone sheet plastic maintains structural integrity and color consistency. The color of our RSP™ remains vibrant and fresh for years, making it a wise investment for your park.

Solid recycled plastic park furniture is heavy-duty to avoid unauthorized movement. Our benches and tables can be in-ground installed for pieces that are not allowed to be moved at all.

Weather-Proof

Recycled plastic has been extensively researched for many purposes because of its water-resistant properties. It’s even being utilized in housing panels! Our proprietary RSP formula has been extensively fine-tuned after meticulous rounds of trial and error to ensure it can withstand water and other elements.

Unlike metal tables and benches that are prone to rust, our RSP™ products are resistant to corrosion and will never need repainting or staining. Moisture, oils, brines, acids, salt water—none of these elements can harm our RSP™ playground equipment. With their weather-resistant and non-porous properties, our RSP™ products remain in perfect condition, even when outdoors all year long.

Low-maintenance

Avoid labor-intensive park maintenance with our recycled plastic park furniture. With virtually no maintenance required, our recycled plastic furniture can be easily cleaned with a wet cloth and light detergents.

Graffiti is a common problem in public areas such as parks, trails, and rest areas, but our RSP™ technology makes removing it a breeze. Simply use a cloth and mild soap solution to erase marker and spray paint. Plus, stickers won’t stick to our RSP™ material. Small scratches on the furniture even “self-heal,” and larger ones can be easily smoothed while maintaining color integrity.

Accessibility

ADA Picnic TableMake your park inclusive for every child (and adult) with Play Mart’s ADA-compliant picnic tables. We understand the importance of ensuring that kids of all abilities feel safe and included while using our products. Our picnic tables are meticulously designed to meet or exceed ADA regulations, guaranteeing accessibility for children and adults alike. They feature an extension at one end (or both ends) for easy access to wheelchairs and other assistive devices.

The website ada.gov provides a valuable resource specifically for seating. ADA compliance guidelines for tables include:

  • Table surface height: 28-34 inches
  • Space between table’s underside and floor: at least 27 inches for knee space
  • Clear route to the accessible table
  • Accessible seating area with a clear floor space of 30×48 inches
  • Clear floor space extending 19 inches under the table for knees

Standard picnic tables with metal frames can’t meet ADA-compliant guidelines. However, our ADA-compliant picnic tables create space for wheelchairs. Remember to maintain a clear path to these tables on your property when incorporating them into your site furnishing plan.

Installation and Assembly

Play Mart has several options for the installation and assembly of our park picnic tables and benches.

Assembly

When a Play Mart product does not require permanent installation, the product is either delivered fully assembled or requires a small amount of assembly.

Fully Assembled

Designated products are delivered fully assembled and do not require any installation or mounting.

Assemble-in-Place

Most products in our catalog are built to be assembled on-site. These items are sturdy enough to stand alone without permanent installation. Many assemble-in-place items can also be anchored to solid surfaces for security.

Installation

There are two options for installation:

  • In-Ground: Designated products can be installed in-ground.
  • Surface-Mount: Most products can be surface-mounted to solid surfaces (concrete, asphalt, or wood) with appropriate brackets unless otherwise stated. We offer brackets at an additional cost.

Customization

Play Mart’s picnic tables and benches are offered in a number of styles that are fully customizable. Some options include:

We also offer custom engraving, which is perfect if a picnic table in your park is being dedicated or donated by a specific person or organization.

Choose Play Mart for Your Park Furniture Needs

Play Mart’s park benches and picnic tables come in many styles, including:

Benches

Picnic Tables

But we don’t stop at benches! Play Mart offers a comprehensive selection of recycled plastic site amenities to spruce up your park even more. Add bike racks, trash cans, and more to create a space that is both functional and visually appealing.

Browse our catalog of RSP park and playground equipment to get your park fully outfitted with beautiful furniture the whole community will love!

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Testimonials

"Play Mart Inc. is truly the company you want to do business with when looking for commercial grade playground equipment.

Lesson learned: not all playground equipment is compatible with other equipment. Our HOA had a Play Mart set that was purchased in 2005 it was needing to be refurbished. Ryan Williams contacted me right away asking what he could do to help. Records hadn’t been kept so I was having difficulty finding what we had and what we could do. After sending pictures from my phone, Ryan took over giving us the original design blueprint! A detailed report on what we had and what needed to be replaced was soon in my hands.

We were elated to learn that some of our stuff was still under warranty! Options of what could be done and what must be done to ensure the safety of our children were outstanding! We were so pleased that the nightmare of searching for playground equipment was now over! The equipment is made in the USA too.

While we wait for delivery we can’t thank Ryan Williams enough for the care he took in making sure that our playground is safe! They also offer installation if you need that! Everything ships with detailed installation instructions like a picture book! Thank You Play Mart and Ryan for all of your professional help!"

Jeanette Bowen

"I'm not sure whether the kids would have caused damage to the playset at some point, but the playground survived the hurricane. Your RSP™ is amazing."

Tim H. Gateway Services Community Development District

Ft Myers, FL

“I would just like to let you know Play Mart did a wonderful job on the packing/shipping and installation instructions. We have installed almost every manufacturer in the market and your company is the most installation friendly we have done in years.”

Playground Installation Crew

Kansas

“The contractor who assembled the set told me it was his first experience with recycled material in play sets and he was very impressed. He also told me it was very well packaged and user friendly for assembly.

It looks first class and blends in well with the wooded area surrounding our church. We like the fact we can accommodate so many kids with a set this size.”

Bruce P.

Topeka, KS

“This is cooler than big kids stuff!”

5 Year Old Child

Topeka, KS

“Congratulations on your extensive and impressive exhibit of your playground products. I was most impressed. If I were a child, I would spend a lot of time in the music section of your marvelous array of enticing things to do. But on the other hand, I could easily be enticed to the many other play opportunities for play and learning.

It is blatantly obvious that you have put a lot of careful thought into developing your engaging products for children. Congratulations and thank you for the tour of your exhibit at the trade show.”

Matthew Evans, FASLA Senior Landscape Architect & Horticulturist

US Capitol, Washington, DC

“It gives me great pleasure to be able to write a letter on behalf of Play Mart, Inc. On two different occasions in recent years, Play Mart constructed playground equipment on our school property. Play Mart representatives went out of their way to meet with the school playground committee so that we fully understand our options and the cost. We have been delighted with the equipment that Play Mart representatives recommended for our students. It is age appropriate and safe. We have had to make two minor repairs, which were quickly taken care of by the company.
In the process building the playground, we were very interested in using recycled materials. Availability of this via Play Mart was a big reason why we choose this company. Play Mart worked with us in obtaining exactly what we wanted. We were very pleased with the construction timeline and the value for the price. When we wanted to add more equipment, Play Mart was most helpful and made the changes cost effective for us. Our students spend many happy hours enjoying the playground.

We have been very happy with the entire project. It is with great satisfaction I write this letter on behalf of the company and their employees.”

Sister Laverne K., School Principal

Newark, DE

“We continue to be so pleased with our playscape! As soon as we open the door in preparation for outside play, the children head straight for the playscape. The teachers so enjoy watching the students play some of their favorite games which include: Pirate Ship (they all crowd on top of the playscape sailing off for adventure of the high seas), Shark! (similar to pirate ship but they all stand on top screaming “shark”), and Ice cream shop (sellers stand under the playscape and deliver ice cream cones to customers on the other side of the ‘counter’).
We thank you again for working so closely with us as we designed this safe and sturdy play area to fit the needs of our Nursery School. It has been one year and it still looks great, blending beautifully into our historic town green. Both our school and our community look forward to many, many more years of fun!”

Laurie H., Daycare Director

Washington, CT

“Our entire church is excited with the equipment and especially glad we saved 32,226 milk jugs from a landfill. We love the look of wood without the problems of termites and splintering.”

Joyce W.

Jacksonville, AR

“I wanted to drop you a quick note to commend you on your subcontractor’s performance…The combination of your quality equipment and the installation by Hammer Down has provided the staff, children and Marine Corp with an excellent play facility. The installation and application of the equipment has turned out superbly.  Hammer Down, Paul and his entire crew were pleasant to work with, knowledgeable of the equipment and codes and had an uncommon willingness to work well with us and other contractors. I commend them for an excellent install and terrific attitude.

As for the poured in place rubber; again a superb product paired with a great subcontractor. Clean Play, Allen and his crew provided a level of work that would be hard to surpass. The installation went smoothly and quickly. I appreciate their attention to detail and cleanliness. Though we may have stayed late, I never have an issue doing that for a contractor that works as hard and diligently as they did each and every day. There performance was outstanding and one I would look forward to seeing again.

I appreciate all of your help and you providing us with such high quality subcontractors. Thank you.”

Mike R., Superintendent

Sauer, Inc.