Why choose a wooden climbing frame?

Cedar lumber is Gorilla Climbing Frames preferred choice. Its natural beauty and outstanding physical properties make it ideal for outdoor projects. Which is why our climbing frames are built from premium cedar wood.

Gorilla climbing frame sets include a fort play tower with ladder access. As standard, we include three swings and either one or two slides. Gorilla outdoor wooden climbing frames have two belt swings and an aerobatic trapeze bar swing. Straight slides or tube slides are available depending on the model you choose.

We also make almost all our slides in the US with 100% recyclable plastic. We gather all the plastic scraps and any defects from the slide formation process, and they are melted back into plastic sheets to be reused

Why is cedar wood ideal for Gorilla climbing frames?

Cedar, renowned for its beauty, is nicknamed “tree of life”. This is due to its health giving properties and anti-fungal acids. Therefore helping to prevent rot and insect infestations. Ensuring your climbing frame lasts as long as possible. It is also a softwood that is both light and strong. Nor is it affected by changeable weather conditions. Because it shows minimal shrinking and warping, it is great for outdoor climbing frame use. Cedar is soft to touch and light to hold. Therefore safe for little hands. It is a soft wood that will not crack or splinter like pressure treated pine. Some checking is perfectly normal and does not affect the structural integrity of the wood.

If it is a soft wood, is it still strong enough for climbing frames?

Yes, absolutely. Although gorilla climbing frames wood is soft to touch and light to hold, it is still strong enough to pass European & International safety tests. These include EN-71 & ASTM for children’s outdoor play equipment. Gorilla Climbing Frames are so confident of the quality of the wood that is used, that we offer a fantastic guarantee with up to 10 years warranty.

Some of our customers ask why Cedar Lumber feels lighter. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, Cedar is a soft wood so it is naturally lighter when compared to hardwoods. However, the primary reason is that the Cedar in your Gorilla Play product has been Kiln Dried. Kiln Drying is a process where the Cedar Lumber is put into a giant oven over a period of several days, removing moisture from the lumber. This makes the lumber more dimensionally stable so the wood will stay flat and straight, making it perfect for building an outdoor project.