Most operators patch for a year longer than they should, because each repair is small and a replacement is not. The turn comes when the repairs stop being invisible: if a customer can see where the last fix went, the fix is no longer doing its job.
This compares materials and how they behave, not companies. Vinyl-wrapped foam is a sealed system: when the skin tears the damage is inside, and the repair sits on top of the tear. Wood fails visibly and repairs invisibly.
Everything is handcrafted in our own workshop from FSC and PEFC certified European mill stock, finished with water-based finishes, and designed with reference to ASTM F1487 and CPSC Publication 325. Material declarations for EPA TSCA Title VI and CARB Phase 2 are available.
Renovation is worth it when the structure is sound and the problem is surface: finishes, a few panels, a layout that no longer suits the room. Replacement is the honest answer when the frame is the limitation — it cannot be cleaned to a standard you are happy with, the parts have gone, or its shape is what dates the room. A renovation that buys two years is rarely a saving, and we will say so when we look at your photographs.
A room out of service is the real cost, so the schedule is designed before the equipment is. The build happens off site in our workshop; what happens in your room is removal and installation, which is the short part.
How delivery and fitting run is set out on the delivery and installation page.
Decide early what happens to what comes out: it is bulky and it will not fit in a bin. Sound units sometimes find a second life with a community group; torn foam is a disposal job that has to be booked. Ask your landlord what the building allows before removal day.
If a full swap is not possible in one go, phase it. A wooden play area is built as separate units, so it can be replaced in stages without the room looking half finished. The usual order is the section customers photograph, then the section hardest to clean, then what is left.
Phasing works only if the whole layout is drawn at the start. Design the finished room once, then build it in the order your trading allows.
Photographs tell us the condition; the plan and the height tell us what can replace it.
Send that in and you get a free 3D visualization of the replacement before anything is built. How commercial projects run is on the commercial page; the version for hospitality floors is on the play cafes page.
We can. When you send photographs of your current play equipment, we examine the underlying frames, the surface wear, and the layout of the room. If the frame remains sound and the issue is restricted to worn finishes or individual panels, we advise you on refinishing. If the core structure is the root limitation—whether because replacement parts are discontinued, the foam holds persistent odors, or the shapes date the venue—we state clearly that replacement is the sensible path. We explain that distinction before you commit to building anything.
Yes, if your floor plan allows clear separation. Because our playhouses and play towns are built as standalone units in our workshop, on-site work is limited to removing the old equipment and setting up the new structures. If your space permits screening off a working zone safely, we can divide the room so you continue trading on one side. Otherwise, we schedule the teardown and installation to take place during an agreed quiet period or planned facility closure.
Yes. Because we build modular, separate playhouses, play kitchens, and shop counters rather than a single continuous soft-play frame, we can phase the replacement. We design the full master layout first so the room remains visually unified, then deliver and install the individual units in stages. Most operators choose to replace the most photographed sections first, followed by areas that are hardest to clean, and finish with the remaining equipment as their operating schedule allows.
We can coordinate taking down your old equipment during the same visit when our crew arrives to install the new units. Before removal day, you will need to check what your building management allows for disposal, as bulky foam and vinyl require dedicated commercial waste arrangements. Sound units can alternatively be set aside for local donation. We coordinate the timing so the old structure leaves as the new wooden units arrive, keeping your room downtime to a minimum.
The usual trigger is not breakage, it is that the room has stopped being used. Soft play is one large object: when the padding tires or the theme dates, the whole unit reads as tired and there is nothing to change except the whole unit. A play street made of separate buildings ages differently, because you replace the cafe front and not the structure. If you are already planning a refurbishment, the useful question is whether the replacement can be modular, so the next refresh costs one building instead of the room.