Category Archives: Multi Sport Backyard Courts

Multi Sport Backyard Courts, Pickleball Court Surfaces, Tennis Court Surfaces

Should I Close My Recreational Courts For The Winter?

One of the most frequently asked questions, especially in northern climates, is: Should I close my recreational courts for the winter?  Once cured, acrylic court surfaces are very durable and require little maintenance.  However, below are some items to consider.

Basketball Court Winterizing

Does ice and snow damage acrylic court surfaces?

Athletic courts, like tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts, should be built with a 1% slope to allow positive drainage without creating difficult playing conditions.  This helps the court surface to dry quicker, but also to prevent water damage to the acrylic surfaces.  Acrylic court surfaces do not like to be submerged in water for long periods of time.  However, as long as the coatings have time to dry, water doesn’t affect the longevity.  Since ice and snow is in a sold state, it would not soak into the surface and cause damage as quickly as puddled water may do.

Snow Management & Debris | Winter Court Maintenance

The biggest issue with keeping your court open in the winter is snow management.  There is no problem with playing on courts when it is cold outside.  However, if you have piles of snow on the surface, here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Try to limit physical removal of snow and ice. (Metal shovels and tools with a sharp edge can damage the surface.  Try to stick with plastic shovels or wait for snow to melt before playing.
  • Using salt or other granule-type snow melt products can lead to extra abrasion to the surface.  When playing on the courts, any debris under foot can damage or shorten the life of the coatings.
  • Make sure to also remove any debris that has fallen, like leaves or pine needles.  Not only does this minimize abrasion but it also prevents other organic staining or damage from wet rotting leaves.

Court Accessories During The Winter

If you decide not to use your court during the winter, you may want to take down and store any windscreen that you are using.  This will help to prolong the life of windscreen.  If you decide to keep the tennis or pickleball nets up for winter play on nice days, you may want to reduce the tension on the net a bit.  Not enough to let it flap around in the wind, but a little tension relief can reduce extra strain on the net post footers and pavement during cold temperatures.  If you do decide to close your court for winter, remove the net and slide the tennis/pickleball posts out of the ground and cover the surface holes with a cap/plug.

Maintaining Positive Court Drainage

As previously mentioned, it’s very important for court surfaces to drain and not hold water.  During the winter, and really throughout the year, keep an eye on the court and make sure that nothing is stopping the flow of your court drainage design.

  • Make sure any drains around the court are not plugged with debris, like fallen leaves from the fall.  This will prevent back-up of water onto the court surface.
  • Keep vegetation trimmed around the edges of the court, especially on the low end of drainage.  Failing to do so can also create a dam for positive drainage.
  • The court should be built up a bit so that water can flow off the court to the drainage plan.  Make sure dirt or other obstructions are lower than the court surface edge, as well.

Winterizing Tennis Courts

Winterizing Your Tennis or Pickleball Court

Regardless of your decision to keep your court open for play during the winter, here are some court winterizing tips (recap):

  • Before the weather gets too cold, make sure to examine your court surface for cracks.  Fill the cracks with an acrylic crack filler to minimize the flow of water into the base of the court.  The less water that you have freezing and expanding under the base, the longer your court will stay in good condition.  Make sure to make these repairs far before the nighttime lows dip past 50 degrees F / 10 degrees C.
  • Walk the perimeter of the court and make sure there is nothing blocking drainage on any side of the slab.  Ensure that any visible drains are not blocked or plugged with debris.
  • Keep the surface free of debris, such as leaves, pine needles, and all other tree matter.
  • If you choose to close the court for winter, remove the net.  Optionally, if your posts are removeable, you can slide them out and store them.  If you do remove them, plug the surface holes with a cap (all post manufacturers make caps for the sleeves).  If you leave the posts and nets up, take a little tension off the net during the winter.
  • Avoid using sharp or potentially damaging tools on the surface for snow removal.  Salt and snow melting pellets may shorten the life of the surface, so use sparingly and make sure to blow or broom off excess particles to minimize damage.
Basketball Court Paint, Concrete Sport Surfaces, Multi Sport Backyard Courts, Pickleball Courts, Tennis Court Surfaces

How To Properly Prepare Concrete For Sport Surfacing Athletic Courts

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Athletic & recreational courts (tennis, pickleball, basketball, etc.) are built from either asphalt or concrete pavement.  The type of substrate used is normally determined by region, cost, preference, availability or site access.

Each substrate (asphalt or concrete) has its own set of requirements, when it comes to application of acrylic sport surfaces.  This bulletin will discuss how to properly prepare concrete for sport surfacing athletic courts.

Concrete Court Construction

When it comes to proper concrete court construction, there is a long “to-do” list.  As with anything, there is always a good, better, best list of what to do and why it is important.  If you are considering having a recreational court built, we recommend getting a copy of the American Sports Builders Association’s construction & maintenance manual.  They publish and sell these for tennis or pickleball, which is also useful for basketball and other sports.  That being said, we will reference a short list of the most important factors, prior to application of acrylic surfaces.

New Concrete Pickleball Court
New Concrete Pickleball Court

Install Vapor Barrier

Prior to pouring the concrete slab, a vapor barrier should be installed to prevent upward migration of ground moisture.  This normally consists of two sheets of 6 mil polyethylene plastic sheeting, laid in opposite directions.  Make sure it is overlapped and taped at the joints.  The vapor barrier is on top of the stone base and under the concrete slab.

Ensure Adequate Perimeter Drainage & Slope

Another very important factor, when trying to minimize water accumulation under the concrete slab, is good perimeter drainage.  If one or both of these items are lacking (vapor barrier & perimeter drainage), your court surface could be in danger of bubbles or blisters in the coating.  In most cases, this will lead to peeling of coatings and bare spots down to the concrete.  Court surfaces should be sloped at 1% in one direction, which is 1″ fall in every 10 feet.  This helps to keep water flowing off the court and ensures fast drying surfaces and less standing water.

Medium-broom Finish or Similar Surface Texture

When pouring and finishing the concrete, make sure that the concrete contractor applies a medium-broom finish on the surface of the concrete.  This is very important to a good physical bond of the sport coatings.  A steel-troweled finish is too smooth and will also raise the chances of peeling surfaces.  If the concrete is already in place and doesn’t have a medium-broom finish, you can use specialized equipment to achieve sufficient texture.  The most commonly used piece of equipment is a shot blaster.  For more information, check out our dedicated page on shot blasting concrete court surfaces.

Medium Broom Finish Concrete Court
Medium Broom Finished Concrete Court

Allow Full Cure Before Coating Application

The curing process of concrete is a chemical reaction that takes 28 days to complete.  During the process, quite a bit of water is escaping from the slab and depositing high-alkaline salts on the surface.  It is important to allow a full 28 day minimum cure, prior to moving forward with coating application.  Also, after the full cure and prior to application of coatings, the concrete slab must be acid etched (or acid washed).  This helps to create a neutral PH on the surface for an ideal chemical bond of coatings.  This is fully explained on our page, acid etching concrete sport surfaces.

One more note on curing, avoid using curing compounds on concrete court surfaces.  Once the concrete is poured, it will instantly begin to losing water via evaporation.  If the temperatures are hot, water will leave the wet slab quickly, and this could lead to surface cracking (like mud cracking in a puddle).  To prevent this, most concrete contractors spray curing compounds on the surface to slow down the evaporation of water.  Many curing compounds are made up of oil based or incompatible materials that can leave a residue on the the concrete surface.  This residue, or film, can potentially cause a bond breaker and lead to failure of the acrylic sport coatings.  To avoid this situation, make sure the concrete contractor moisture cures the slab.  This is performed by keeping the slab wet after pouring, with a covering of moistened burlap, a polyethylene sheet, or other curing paper.  After 7 to 10 days, it can be allowed to dry and cure under normal conditions without the keeping the slab moist.

Not sure if curing compounds have been used, or you know they have been used?  The surface can be shot blasted to remove any bond-breaking films.  Note, you can pour a small amount of water onto the concrete slab to see if water beads up on the surface.  If it does, there is likely a curing compound or sealant on the surface.

Application Of Concrete Primer & Sport Surfaces

At this point, the concrete slab should be ready to receive the sport surfacing system.  Once the surface is clean and dry, apply one coat of SportMaster Acrylic Adhesion Promoter.  This product acts as a concrete primer and helps the SportMaster color coating system adhere to the concrete.  It also helps to lock down potential concrete powder, or efflorescence,  that may migrate into the color coating “paint” layers and leave a hazy color hue.

Concrete Primer for Sport Surface
Acrylic Adhesion Promoter being applied on concrete court surface

After the Acrylic Adhesion Promoter dries, Acrylic Resurfacer and the colored surface coatings can be applied.  There is no special timing required with Acrylic Adhesion Promoter.  The successive coatings can be applied as soon as it is dry to the touch, or on another day thereafter.

One or two coats of Acrylic Resurfacer is usually sufficient to fill broom patterns and concrete surface texture on a new concrete court surface.  Follow that with SportMaster color coatings, 2 coats minimum, and striping to complete the new concrete recreational court surfacing.

New Concrete Pickleball Surface Preparation

Multi Sport Backyard Courts

Are Acrylic Sport Surfaces Breathable And Permeable?

Question:  Are acrylic sport surfaces breathable and permeable?

Answer: Yes, SportMaster 100% acrylic sport surfaces are breathable and classified as semi-permeable.

Acrylic Sport Surfaces for Athletic Surfacing

SportMaster Sport Surfacing systems are produced using high-quality, 100% acrylic resins.  This is the industry-standard for sport surfacing on asphalt and concrete tennis, basketball, pickleball, and many other athletic and recreational court surfaces.  One of the main reasons for this is the fact that 100% acrylic resins are semi-permeable and allow a small to moderate amount of vapor transmission.

It is important to know that this does not mean you can have poor drainage and slope on a court surface and expect the acrylic coatings to “fix the problem”.  As a leading producer of acrylic sport surfaces, we strongly recommend following the construction guidelines of the American Sports Builders Assocation (ASBA).  The ASBA maintains an updated library of publications that demonstrate the right way to build tennis, pickleball, and athletic courts, along with running tracks and other recreational surfaces.  If athletic surfaces are not properly engineered, drained, and constructed, our (and any other) sport surfacing systems may exhibit bubbles, blisters, or failure.

Multi-sport acrylic surfaces

 

Asphalt & Concrete Athletic Court Construction

The recommended slope, for asphalt & concrete athletic court construction, is 1%.  This should be 1″ fall per every 10 feet of surface, in one direction.  This is enough pitch to allow runoff of water, without creating issues for the players.  Courts will be able to drain quickly and re-open for play.  Plus, acrylic coatings do not like to be constantly submerged, or the coatings will start to breakdown and wear at a quicker rate.

It is very important to have a professional drainage plan and make sure that water coming off of the court doesn’t accumulate beneath the slab.  Perimeter drains or other drainage plans, to take the water away from the courts and into the drainage system, is necessary.  Concrete courts should also be built with a vapor barrier to prevent hydrostatic pressure, in the form of water vapor, beneath the slab.  When the sun heats up the court surface, sub-surface water turns to vapor and creates vapor pressure to escape.  If enough water builds up beneath the slab and pushes upwards, it can create bubbles and blisters in the coatings and lead to peeling.

Important Factors For Sport Surfacing Success

    • Consult an experienced sport architect/engineer
    • Hire a qualified sport construction & surfacing contractor
    • Stick with 100% acrylic primers and coating systems throughout the entire sport surfacing system.
    • Follow the manufacturers specifications and recommendations
    • Don’t cut corners on proper construction and drainage.  It will only cost you more down the road

SportMaster Tennis Court Surfaces

Acrylic Resurfacer, Basketball Court Paint, Multi Sport Backyard Courts, Pickleball Court Surfaces, Pickleball Courts, Silica Sand for Coatings

How To Paint A Pickleball Court

As a manufacturer of acrylic sport surfaces, we are frequently asked how to paint a pickleball court.  There are a few different levels and options, when it comes to painting your court, and each will result in different levels of cost and quality.

Option 1 | Painting a Pickleball Court

Acrylic surfacing products are specialized coatings that can be applied on asphalt or concrete surfaces.  These coatings contain silica sand for non-slip texture.  The fine sand  in color coatings will provide surface texture, but not fill the pavement voids very well. If you just apply 2 coats of the textured color coatings, it will look decent, but you will see lots of surface voids and imperfections from the asphalt or concrete beneath.  This will be similar to the surface of an orange peel, where you see the pores.

Option 2 | Resurfacing a Pickleball Court

We are using the term of resurfacing a pickleball court, to refer to the coating process and not resurfacing with pavement.  In order to fill the pavement voids and provide the best prepared surface, generally one to two coats of Acrylic Resurfacer is ideal.  This product is applied prior to the color coatings, and is designed to fill voids and add texture to the asphalt or concrete surface.  Acrylic Resurfacer holds 14 to 15 pounds of sand, per gallon, and will fill the pavement voids to provide a tight, non-porous surface.  This product followed by 2 coats of color will yield the best results.

Pickleball & Basketball Court Combo

Combination Sports Courts | Pickleball Paint

If you are painting a court for pickleball, it is easy to add blended lines for other sports too.  A common trend is pickleball/basketball courts.  These are courts that don’t take up a large footprint, so they can be squeezed into many areas like backyards, driveways, playgrounds, and more.  You can use temporary nets for pickleball and then have the basketball goal on the courts edge.

Here is a good example of a driveway pickleball court:

Driveway Pickleball Court

Cushioned Pickleball Courts | SportMaster ProCushion

A third option can be adding rubberized layers to get a cushioned pickleball court surface.  Multiple layers of acrylic with small rubber granules are applied with a soft rubber squeegee, beneath the color coatings.  This produces a pad of rubber under the court to absorb shock and improve player comfort.  Make sure to ask the installer to provide an alternate quote for cushion, to see if it fits into your budget.

Free Estimates | Pickleball Court Contractors

In summary, painting a pickleball court can be performed with a roller, but best when applied with a sport squeegee. For best results, we also recommend hiring a qualified sport surfacing contractor. They are trained and best suited to apply sport coatings, and repair cracks, puddles, and other surface damage prior to the paint and coatings.  Contact us today for referrals to experienced installers.

DIY Pickleball Surfacing & Paint Kits | PickleMaster

If you are up for the challenge of applying PickleMaster on your pickleball court surface, here are some material estimate kits.  Each varies based on the number of color zones you prefer:

Pickleball Court Surfacing Kit 1 Color
Pickleball Court Surfacing Kit 2 Color
Pickleball Court Surfacing Kit 3 Color

If you are interested in adding cushioning to your pickleball court, the SportMaster ProCushion layers can be installed beneath the PickleMaster surfacing layers to create a softer playing surface.

Pickleball Court Surfacing Kit Cushion
Pickleball Court Cushioned Surfacing Systems

#pickleball #courtsurfaces by #SouthwestSportSurfaces

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Multi Sport Backyard Courts, Pickleball Court Surfaces, Tennis Court Paint

How To Get Blended Line Paint For A Multipurpose Sports Court

Multipurpose courts are becoming very popular with the growth of booming sports like pickleball.  The best use of real estate, when it comes to athletic game courts, is to add blended lines to existing tennis or other court surfaces.  This way, the tennis court lines can be white and other sport lines can be another complimentary color. So that poses the frequently asked question of, “How to get blended line paint for a multipurpose sports court.”

First of all, there is no right or wrong shade of color for blended lines, however the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) deems that the tennis court lines must be white.  Also note that the USTA tried to set up some standards for 10 & under tennis court line color, and this is what was proposed:

  • All blended lines for 10 & under tennis courts (kids tennis) shall be of the same color family as the surface, just lighter or darker.
  • To achieve the “standard” paint color, use one of the following ratios:
  • 75% court surface coating to 25% white line paint for lighter shade or 25% black acrylic resurfacer for darker shade. (80% to 20% was also approved for a slight variance for shade).

In simple measurement terms, you would use 3/4 gallon of the court surface color (let’s say blue) and mix in 1/4 gallon of tennis court white line paint to achieve blended lines in a lighter blue shade.  Or, use 3/4 gallon of the court surface color and mix in 1/4 gallon of black acrylic resurfacer to produce the darker line variation if preferred.  This enables court resurfacing contractors to easily achieve blended line colors with common coatings and paints that they already have on-hand and use every day in the field.

Painting Tennis Court Lines
Painting Tennis Court Lines

Applying blended lines will not cost a fortune, by any means.  If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, we would strongly suggest having a sport surfacing contractor do this for you.  Adding blended lines can be done at any time.  The best time would be during the initial court resurfacing, to minimize the contractor mobilization costs.  However, the cost would still be minimal down the road and you will be able to enjoy multiple sports on your multipurpose sports and game court.

Multi Sport Backyard Courts, Pickleball Court Surfaces

Multi Sport Backyard Courts

Multi sport backyard courts are a great way to optimize space in your backyard, driveway, or playground.  With the onslaught in popularity of Pickleball, there has been a demand for smaller courts and combination courts to accommodate players.  In areas where the interest in Pickleball exceeds tennis, blended lines are added in another color so that the courts can be used for both sports.

Pickleball Courts with Blended Lines

 

 

 

 

 

Another option is to use your driveway for double duty, as you may already do for basketball, and add coatings and blended lines for pickleball and you’ve really got a multi use court.Driveway Pickleball Court

 

 

 

 

Playgrounds are also underutilized. Many times, there are large areas behind schools that are plain asphalt blacktop. Acrylic sport surfaces can provide a lighter, cooler surface to play basketball, volleyball, pickleball, and many other games. The lightly textured surfaces are also safer, especially when conditions are damp and potentially slippery on normal pavement.

Game Courts

 

 

 

 

 

SportMaster also makes a special color coating for higher wear areas, including areas with moderate traffic from vehicles, bikes, and more aggressive play. The system is called ColorPave, and there are a few different variations. The ColorPave system was recently used at the new Facebook campus in Menlo Park, CA, in their under-building parking garage.
ColorPave Red Asphalt Color

ColorPave is also ideal for high-wear, multi sport surfaces and driveway basketball and pickleball court areas.  Bike lanes, zoos, amusement parks, and other specialty asphalt colored areas can also benefit from a coating system like ColorPave.

If you are thinking about building a new multi sport court or have an existing pavement area or sports court, we can put you in touch with an experienced sport surfacing contractor.  They can perform a site visit to evaluate your project and provide a free estimate.  Not sure what you want, our installers can provide recommendations based on the available space you have and on your sport and activity preferences.