The addition of site furnishings can greatly enhance the look, feel, and usability of a park. Park site furnishings require a hefty upfront investment that you want to protect. Thankfully, there are several things you can do to ensure benches, picnic tables, receptacles, bike racks, and other site furnishings last as long as possible.
A large grass field, a jungle gym and swing set, a basketball court; these are all things that come to mind when I think about a park. Although, benches and picnic tables are an important feature you must not forget about. After all, they provide people with a comfortable spot to sit back and relax, enjoy lunch, or watch their kids play. Even trash cans matter, because without them (and enough of them) a park can start to resemble a landfill instead of a play place.
Assess your target audience and surrounding neighborhood—what types of people come to the park? Mostly kids and parents, or do a lot of senior citizens come to the park? It’s important to plan site furnishings around who will be using them. This in and of itself can help furnishings last longer while getting more use.
Here’s How to Make Your Site Furnishings Last Longer
So, you’ve invested in beautiful park picnic tables and other site furnishings for the community to enjoy. Now, how do you ensure your new furnishings last a long time without needing to be replaced?
#1. Invest in Heavy Duty Commercial-Grade Site Furnishings
Commercial site furnishings are built to a higher standard than residential site furnishings. For one, they are intended to be used by a larger audience consistently throughout each day. Secondly, people don’t always treat a park bench with the same respect they’d give their personal at-home bench. Therefore, commercial and park site furnishings must be able to withstand additional wear and tear.
All our commercial site furnishings are coated with a futuristic thermoplastic finish that is super durable and easy to clean. It is a type of plastic, which means it’s non-porous and therefore will not absorb stains from things like graffiti. Plus, it doesn’t take in moisture, which is good because water is a leading cause of damage to many site furnishings made from other materials—such as metal or wood. All you need is a little WD-40 and you can remove everything from gum to graffiti so benches and other site furnishings look like new again.
From bike racks to benches, bleachers and receptacles, we offer a wide selection of high quality and long lasting site furnishings. Shop our collection.
#2. Add Enough Receptacles to Make Clean Up Easier
Installing enough trash cans and recycling bins is key to preventing litter at a park or other public gathering spot. If trash starts to build up, you’ll have more wild animals to deal with who can cause damage to site furnishings, and will likely defecate on them. It’s not just animals you need to look out for. A clean looking space is less likely to be targeted by human vandals. Plus, it provides a sense of pride to community members who are more likely to treat furnishings with respect because they want to keep their neighborhood looking nice.
#3. Regular Maintenance is Key
While TerraCast site furnishings require very little maintenance, it is important to look over benches, receptacles, picnic tables, and so forth, on a regular basis. This ensures there aren’t any loose screws, or other issues that could be easily fixed before blowing into a larger issue.
Clean up stains as soon as they arise to prevent them from absorbing into materials and becoming more difficult (if not impossible) to remove. Check with the manufacturer so that you use the best cleaning methods and prevent damaging site furnishings.
Before purchasing any site furnishings, always check out the maintenance information. Some products and materials require a lot more maintenance than others. Also, beware that cheaper furnishings may not hold up as well and/or require extra maintenance.
#4. Shade, Yes Please
Placing benches and other site furnishings under a canopy of trees or another type of shelter can help prevent damages caused by the harsh rays of the sun. Plus, many people prefer to hang out in the shade. So, it’s really a win-win. Some picnic tables come with an attachable umbrella to help protect it against some sun damage, while offering people a shady place to sit.