They’ve got a few different names: slide pads, water entry landing pads, safety pads, crash pads, and slide exit pads. We can probably agree that the cushion at the end of a slide is not the most exciting part of your park. In fact, slide pads are a lot like light bulbs: you only think about them when they stop working. If you’re feeling a little burned out on the subject, we’re here to shine some light on the situation:
Are bolt-down pads really that safe?
From a safety perspective, it's hard to make sense of a framed pad with bolts because guests can easily stub toes and scrape knees on either the frame or on the bolts. Of course, there are always nets and fences to keep kids from running through the slide pad area, but really, when has that ever stopped a kid from getting into something?
Bolt-down pads can require more replacement.
The idea of a bolt-down pad may seem simple from a maintenance standpoint: you screw old bolts out and new bolts in. The problem is that slide pads encounter a certain amount of constant horizontal force, which loosens the bolts over time. Constant loosening and tightening wears down the foam around the bolts, which means you're replacing your pad much more often.
Bolt-down pads often clog pool filters.
The last place you want to find your new slide pad is in your pool’s diaphragm. Membrane-covered foams are useful when they stay intact, but once the membrane is punctured, the filling infiltrates the entire pool system. Poured-in-Place pads are entirely comprised of loose rubber granules held together with a resin mix. When that resin mix breaks down, it’s about as fun as trying to find the one broken bulb in a string of old Christmas lights.
So, we had a bright idea.
Life Floor slide pads are made from the same material as our tiles, which means they are slip-resistant, cushioned, and will never absorb water. In fact, our tiles are completely closed cell, so they will never disintegrate or fall apart when submerged. Our tiles are adhered directly to the bottom of the substrate of your pool with waterproof contact cement, so they won't wiggle free or require bolts. Life Floor slide pads are 7/8" thick with a critical fall height of 4-0' and are easy to customize in size because of our 2x2' tile design. We also warranty our slide pads for five years.
Now who’s the brightest bulb in the bunch? Learn more about our slide pads here.