Five Steps to Finding the Right School Playground Bench

Playground Park Bench with RoofThe playground is a place of fun and friendship. Investing in quality outdoor commercial benches is a great way to make the playground at your daycare, preschool, or after-school program an inviting place for everyone to gather and make memories. With thoughtfully chosen seating, you can create a great experience for children and adults alike. Though the options may seem overwhelming, shopping for the perfect bench doesn’t have to be a daunting process. Our expert advice will guide you through to find the one suited best for your needs. Sit back, relax, and read on!

Take a look at these 5 easy steps that will help you select a bench that’s just the right fit for your space.

1. Find the right size playground bench

Everyone is like Goldilocks—we all need a bench that’s not too big, not too small, but just right! You need to determine if the primary users of your daycare or elementary school playground bench will be elementary children, the adults watching children play, or both! You also need to determine the ideal length for your outdoor benches, especially if you will be incorporating them with other outdoor school furniture. Our classic Ergo-Eco Bench and Flat Bench are both available in adult size in 4’ and 6’ lengths to fit in with small or larger spaces. Even better, these portable park benches are light enough for a couple of adults to move around the playground, but heavy enough to stay where they put it. Talk about just right!

(If you are looking for a playground park bench for the little ones, we have tot-sized benches in our Nature of Early Play line of products.)

2. Find the right style playground park bench

Flat Commercial Park BenchWhen perusing the array of outdoor benches for sale, it’s important to consider who will be the primary users and for what purpose. Backless options provide more freedom and easy access from both sides, which is great for benches that are located between multiple pieces of playground equipment so that parents or supervisors can face either direction. For those wanting a relaxing spot to take a load off, benches with backs offer guests muscle relief as they take in their beautiful surroundings.

Looking for a classic, uncomplicated look? Our Flat Bench seating and no arms option is a timeless choice that’s easy to add to any part of a school playground. If you’d like to indulge in the great outdoors without compromising lumbar support, our revolutionary Ergo-Eco Benches will provide seated comfort tailored to all body types. Our Ergo-Eco Benches are modeled after the supportive design of office furniture, so they are a true joy to sit in. You don’t have to be an office-dweller to appreciate the innovative comfort—even elementary school kiddos won’t want to get up!

Ergo-Eco Bench Commercial PlaygroundThe last step in the style process is to decide on a color scheme that matches the rest of your outdoor playground furniture. Selecting a complementary color scheme can help complete the look of your outdoor play area. Neutral choices such as white or gray provide great flexibility. Our recycled plastic park benches are available in Mist tops over Latte supports or Latte tops over Chocolate supports. These earthy tones are sure to bring vibrancy to any playground design.

3. Find the right park bench material

If you want a low-maintenance bench that lasts through the elements, stay away from an outdoor wood bench. Instead, look for commercial park benches made from recycled plastic. Play Mart has revolutionized playgrounds by introducing RSP (Recycled Structural Plastic) that is great for the environment and fantastic for you! Our new and improved formula offers increased structural strength, rigidity, and thermal stability. There’s nothing worse than burning your thighs on a metal bench on a hot summer day! Take a look at all the advantages that recycled plastic benches offer over traditional wood or metal benches here:

Traditional Wood/Metal Benches Recycled Plastic Benches
Metal pieces rustNever rusts
Colors fade from UV raysMaintains vibrant colors even after sun exposure
Wood subject to termites and rodent damageResistant to marine borers, termites, fungus, salt and oils
Vulnerable to vandalism: paint and other markings tend to be permanentGraffiti resistant: marker, paint, stickers, and scratching comes out easily
Wood pieces chip and splinterDoes not splinter or delaminate
Wood can rot and decay due to moistureWill never rot when exposed to the elements
Paint chips and flakesColor stays even throughout the plastic without peeling

4. Find the right add-ons for your public park bench

Ergo-Eco Commercial Park BenchGive your playground bench an individual touch with customizations and add-ons. Our expansive selection offers plenty of options to make sure this piece stands apart from any other school playground bench out there. For school benches, consider additional factors like sun exposure, location, and other preferences specific to your facility. You may want to ensure the playground park bench remains in the same spot. Secure it safely in one place with our optional surface mount kit. Turn up the shade against sunny days and protect from UV rays with our Ergo-EcoBench Roofed model. Let your children have a slice of the high life with luxe touches like armrests and cup holders. With all these choices at hand, there’s no limit when it comes to making your park stand out!

5. Find the right company

Ergo-Eco Bench with Roof Commercial PlaygroundNow that you know what kind of recycled plastic park bench (or benches) you need, you need to find the right company to work with. When you team up with Play Mart and our outdoor school furniture distributors, you are supporting a woman-owned business that stands for sustainable and environmentally friendly initiatives. We bring these values to life through our creations; 100% made in the USA playground equipment crafted primarily from 100% recycled materials. We are proud of the exceptional quality of our early childhood playground equipment and are equally committed to exceptional service. You can also rest easy knowing that our recycled plastic playground benches come with a 10-year limited warranty.

At Play Mart, you can find outdoor school benches that are perfect for your needs:

Make your playground a charmed and delightful oasis with Play Mart’s selection of recycled plastic park benches for sale. Our extensive selection of school playground benches offers low-maintenance options reinforced with steel, available in sizes and colors to meet any vision—making it easy to create the perfect space for kids, teachers, daycare workers & parents alike! Complete your outdoor play area further by pairing your new park benches with our master-crafted picnic tables, trash cans, and other site amenities!

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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.