

But concerns over the arsenic component of this substance raised fears. The active ingredient in the preservative compound was a chemical called chromated copper arsenate, or CCA for short. It’s cheaper than any other rot-resistant choice, longer-lasting and was considered safe based on more than 60 years experience. This pressure-treated wood is more than 20 years old and still rot-free.įor years, the wood of choice for outdoor play sets was pressure-treated lumber. Building this project and others like it has taught me three things you need to consider as you plan to add an outdoor playset to your home: Backyard Playset Issue#1: Choosing Materials Use a router to create a rounded profile on the edges of all playset components. Even grandchildren are starting to play on the set now. The only thing I’d change is making the 4×4 uprights thicker. I designd and built the backyard playset you see here for our kids in the 1990s, and it’s still working perfectly today. Building your own is not rocket science, either. You can certainly buy playset kits, but you pay a lot more for a design that’s probably built with lighter materials and hardware than you’d use on your own.
#OUTDOOR PLAYSETS HOW TO#
But even still, you’ve probably got questions about how to build right. I’m not sure why homebuilt playsets weren’t popular back when I was a kid, but it’s a good thing they are now. These days there’s plenty of great hardware, tools and ideas to make terrific backyard fun-structures on your own. I built this outdoor playset for my kids in the mid-1990s and grandkids are now playing on it.

But even that didn’t help when other kids started scaring my cat away on purpose, a primitive example of economic sabotage. It got to the point where I included a supply of cat treats with the cat to extend the life of each deal. It was a good arrangement too, until the cat got tired of being held and ran off, breaking trade relations in the process. Her name was Lory and I let her hold my cat if she gave me exclusive use of either the swing, the slide or the two-person glider – whichever I chose. I solved this problem for myself by forging a barter arrangement with the girl of the family. But since it was the only game around, this lightweight contraption was always crawling with too many kids. The only exception was one family with a small tubular metal swing-and-slide combo – the kind with a triangular frame that teetered up on two legs whenever a couple of kids swung too hard in the same direction.

We genuinely appreciate that you’ve included us in your search, and we’re confident that you’ll ultimately choose Oklahoma Playsets….UPDATED 8May2020: In the Toronto, Canada suburb where I grew up in the 1970s, almost none of my friends had their own outdoor playset in the backyard. There, knowledgeable playset designers will help bring to life all the benefits of owning an Oklahoma Playsets swingset, working with you to customize the system that’s right for your family, your budget, and your backyard. We invite you to visit our location and experience the excitement for your family. Our premium line of cedar wood playsets and swingsets are sturdy, durable, and available with unlimited configurations and accessories that surpass all other playsets you will find at the big box store. There’s fitness and exercise, fresh air and time with friends, laughter and imagination, physical and mental development, learning and education and just downright good fun!Īt Oklahoma Playsets, we know you have many choices when shopping for a new swingset. Families all over the world have found there’s more to an Oklahoma Playsets wooden play system than you might immediately notice.
